slugs and direct drilling

[Badshot]

Well, I have so far put 10kg of 1.5% metaldehyde pellets on, split into 3 doses, 2 pre drilling and one after, deter dressed seed, and a further 5 kg of ferric phosphate two days ago. And still there are enough slugs to eat the wheat faster than it can grow, also clear those in two nights.

I am not sure I can afford to continue feeding the bloody things at this rate.

I've never suffered this badly with slugs over all the ground, after rape and beans. How are you all finding it this year? A lot of you seem to be keeping pretty quiet at the minute. Over two inches of rain this week is looking like drowning some of the last sown if the slugs don't eat it first.

Bit fed up at the minute, trying to do things right for blackgrass is looking like being wrong for everything else.

 

[Andrew K]

Have been lucky here this season, looked like we were heading for probs but in the end havent used more than 4kg pellets even after rape that didnt get rolled.
Put it down to placed DAP in the seed zone, acidic to slugs?
Still got blackgrass even in 21st Oct sowings, so will move to spring wheat instead of winter 2nds next year.

 

[SilliamWhale]

Used very few to be honest. Was surprised how few I've used in wheat after rape but weve had a dry summer for us.

I think it gets better in time, but its easy saying that as I'm not on your farm!

I thought in the past placed DAP may make a difference but not sure it does really.

 

[average farmer]

Sorry to hear your having such a shite time with the slimy little feckers,

2012 was real bad for slugs here, cleared out about 120 acres after osr drilled with the claydon, whilst farmers in the area..... very good farmers, seemed to be sufferering a bit less. I put it down to moving soil a little but often.

noticed one field this back end alive with the buggers so I ran across it again with a carrier and seemed to make a good job.

been using ferric phosphate for a couple of years now and problem seems a bit better.

 

[Feldspar]

I don't want to curse things but it hasn't been as bad as expected here. Fields of wheat were plastered in the things in June on land that has never had rape. They were stripping the flag leaf to the point where we almost pelleted. Those same fields were ploughed and dried right out. Drilled barley at the very beginning of October and haven't pelleted once. Rape ground was ploughed very early and again dried completely. This was drilled at the beginning of October into good seedbeds and had one light dose of pellets and had only very light grazing and hasn't had any more.

On the other hand the one block we direct drilled behind rape was raked twice, pelleted before drilling, Deter dressed, pelleted at drilling, and has then been pelleted twice if not three times more. Basically I think ploughing and maschioing along with getting the soil to dry goes a long way to reducing slugs. Wish it wasn't the case but that's what my observations have been. Direct drilled wheat behind spring wheat has had no pellets and is fine. DDed wheat behind spring beans done before it got really wet has had one lot of pellets at drilling and seems fine. The only thing left to be worried about is late DDed wheat behind spring beans which still isn't up - no sign of hollowing in non Deter dressed fields that I checked yesterday though.

 

[Badshot]

I knew we were on to a bad time when I cut the rape and saw the plague under the header, I didn't expect it to be quite as bad as this though. One field that had the rape haulm baled and then also got cattle fym spread on it in exchange is fine, the rest is struggling. I'll be doing more ferric phosphate again over the worst bits this weekend when I get a chance between the showers.

How are you fellows placing DAP justifying it in NVZ's, or are you not in them? I didn't think autumn N was allowed on cereals.

I am certainly going to bale the rape haulm next year, whatever happens, and I will probably use the vari disc very shallow to dry the surface out and dessicate some eggs with luck. There is not much point getting the soil in good fettle only to be unable to actually establish crops.

I'll be drilling earlier after rape next year anyway as it is clean ground.

 

[Andrew K]

You are allowed 30kg/ha with Agronomists rec and perceived need, i am told.

 

[Badshot]

You are allowed 30kg/ha with Agronomists rec and perceived need, i am told.

Thought that was just OSR, and before the end of September.

 

[Robert]

Late sept drilling here and slugs recently coming back with a vengeance in places, dry sept helped but wet since and so warm has favoured them. First frost last night, hope nature going back in the wheat's favour, meanwhile pelleting as necessary....

 

[moretimeforgolf]

I thought I was done with slug pellets for the year ...wrong! Found trouble on a field of wheat after osr drilled late Sept which has already had 2 x 4kg doses of met. What I found more surprising was slugs grazing on wheat after s beans. I can only think that the over winter cover crop gave them the ideal chance to multiply!

 

[Jon]

I kongskilde Delta'd 1.5 to 2 inches deep, rolled then left until 1st of October then drilled.
So firm seed bed, fine crumb, no green volunteers, little sods are having a field day, but I can keep wheat ahead of them , just.

 

[T Hectares]

I knew we were on to a bad time when I cut the rape and saw the plague under the header, I didn't expect it to be quite as bad as this though. One field that had the rape haulm baled and then also got cattle fym spread on it in exchange is fine, the rest is struggling. I'll be doing more ferric phosphate again over the worst bits this weekend when I get a chance between the showers.

How are you fellows placing DAP justifying it in NVZ's, or are you not in them? I didn't think autumn N was allowed on cereals.

I am certainly going to bale the rape haulm next year, whatever happens, and I will probably use the vari disc very shallow to dry the surface out and dessicate some eggs with luck. There is not much point getting the soil in good fettle only to be unable to actually establish crops.

I'll be drilling earlier after rape next year anyway as it is clean ground.

Baling OSR haulm can lead to issues, I've had some get wet, turned to mush, not picked up by the balers then horrendous slug pressure down the rows.

Really can't stand baling it tbh, it's the one year in three we don't traffic soil with balers and loaders !!
Oh dear, I didn't realise astro kerb treated OSR can't be baled

Treated one whole field @3.5 kg and one corner based on some grazing last year and some trapping pre drilling, but that's it over 670 ha of ww, no direct drilling, all mintill.

Our Rexius twin does a superb job of reducing slug pressure I believe, I've always thought that the carrier disc conversion twins would be better than a carrier in a more reduced tillage system.

 

[Badshot]

OK then, so how about this AS application @Clive ? How much, etc.

 

[Andy Howard]

Very little trouble here. All DD but I did drill last week in September and it grew like stink.

 

[marco]

I think your as well off to trow in a half rate at sowing, get the bugger's right at the start

 

[KJM]

Well, I have so far put 10kg of 1.5% metaldehyde pellets on, split into 3 doses, 2 pre drilling and one after, deter dressed seed, and a further 5 kg of ferric phosphate two days ago. And still there are enough slugs to eat the wheat faster than it can grow, also clear those in two nights.

I am not sure I can afford to continue feeding the bloody things at this rate.

I've never suffered this badly with slugs over all the ground, after rape and beans. How are you all finding it this year? A lot of you seem to be keeping pretty quiet at the minute. Over two inches of rain this week is looking like drowning some of the last sown if the slugs don't eat it first.

Bit fed up at the minute, trying to do things right for blackgrass is looking like being wrong for everything else.

Sorry to hear you are having as much trouble, especially when you pelleted pre-drilling. When did first dose of pellets go on pre-drilling? We have found in the past the earlier we started before they lay as many eggs the better we get on. Keep looking at putting them on in the previous crop but haven't done it yet. Did a trial by hand and had a brilliant kill and crop is still standing so no mulch for them to hide in.

Sadly, I have found meta disappointing once weather conditions are as poor as I guess they are now. Will be interesting to hear if the ferric phosphate you have applied now does a better job, as at least it is poisoning them. Having never used ferric phosphate it would be good to know how it compares to draza in these situations.

For me slugs have been by far the biggest issue with DD. Making sure the slot is fully closed is essential. Have found fields you think don't have many slugs are heaving with them if you leave an open slot. I think the firm soil of DD reduces the slugs movement but this is overshadowed if the only loose bit of the field is the slot with your seed in it. If there is a surface mulch they never have to leave the surface anyway as it is always damp. Cambridge rolling helps but wonder if we should of been using the Rexius Twin as unmoved stubble carries the weight of the rolls so well they don't do a proper job.

 

[Badshot]

Sorry to hear you are having as much trouble, especially when you pelleted pre-drilling. When did first dose of pellets go on pre-drilling? We have found in the past the earlier we started before they lay as many eggs the better we get on. Keep looking at putting them on in the previous crop but haven't done it yet. Did a trial by hand and had a brilliant kill and crop is still standing so no mulch for them to hide in.

Sadly, I have found meta disappointing once weather conditions are as poor as I guess they are now. Will be interesting to hear if the ferric phosphate you have applied now does a better job, as at least it is poisoning them. Having never used ferric phosphate it would be good to know how it compares to draza in these situations.

For me slugs have been by far the biggest issue with DD. Making sure the slot is fully closed is essential. Have found fields you think don't have many slugs are heaving with them if you leave an open slot. I think the firm soil of DD reduces the slugs movement but this is overshadowed if the only loose bit of the field is the slot with your seed in it. If there is a surface mulch they never have to leave the surface anyway as it is always damp. Cambridge rolling helps but wonder if we should of been using the Rexius Twin as unmoved stubble carries the weight of the rolls so well they don't do a proper job.

The weather has conspired against me this year, drill early=blackgrass, drill late=slugs and now drowning.

The pre-drilling applications were about one month pre plant and two weeks pre plant, I was aiming for a few days but the weather decided to break and hold me off for longer. Post drill about three days after rolling when it had dried out enough.

There is water everywhere today, I am not too hopeful for 30-40% of it now.

Bugger.

 

[clbarclay]

So far the WW following OSR this year has suffered a lot less where it was drilled into a thick cover of OSR volunteers. The agronamist thought we had lost the plot at the time drilling into thick cover before spraying it off, still early days, but I think we have shifted his view of no till, if only a bit.

Only had one field with a decent volenteer cover across most of it (or consistently bad losses depending how you look at it) and I am contemplating drilling a post OSR cover crop for next year to ensure good cover across all the rape stubbles.

 

[rob1]

The weather has conspired against me this year, drill early=blackgrass, drill late=slugs and now drowning.

The pre-drilling applications were about one month pre plant and two weeks pre plant, I was aiming for a few days but the weather decided to break and hold me off for longer. Post drill about three days after rolling when it had dried out enough.

There is water everywhere today, I am not too hopeful for 30-40% of it now.

Bugger.

Yes I know how you feel I left it late to beat some BG and the days after I drilled most of it we had three inches and it was under water most came up, some drowned and now the slugs are having a go despite some pellets put the last bit in ten days ago and was just emerging yesterday when I checked the odd seed on the surface on ins and outs are hollowed despite pellets and deter and last night we had a good inch of rain so only time will tell and will need a wk to get the spray on

 

[Badshot]

Yes I know how you feel I left it late to beat some BG and the days after I drilled most of it we had three inches and it was under water most came up, some drowned and now the slugs are having a go despite some pellets put the last bit in ten days ago and was just emerging yesterday when I checked the odd seed on the surface on ins and outs are hollowed despite pellets and deter and last night we had a good inch of rain so only time will tell and will need a wk to get the spray on

Pretty well written off one field already, could well be several more yet. Fed up, but then there is overwinter ploughing along the road which has water laying on it today