So will the plough be out ?

[casemx 270]

As per title with all the grass weed about who's contemplating whether to get the plough out this autumn?

 

[Grass And Grain]

Been out with the knapsack nuking brome. Soon gets out of control, even with the plough. Bigger combines seem to drag it in from the edges.

We plough, and main part of fields are fine. Join between field and headland soon gets brome growing where it gets double ploughed, which demonstrates the benefit of inversion.

 

[Billboy1]

To wet to knapsack here !! Need duel wellies

 

[Steevo]

Without a doubt.

There is a marked difference here between ploughed and non-ploughed, even with the same field.

Too high a seed return in recent years has meant chemical control alone just won’t control enough by itself even with later drilling and high seed rates.

 

[teslacoils]

Probably. I've wheat to go in behind barley so that could do with ploughing. Ditto after grass. Always gets a better start with the trash gone and brown earth.

 

[cousinjack]

Nope

 

[ollie989898]

Get the plough out. In fact, find a bigger one with an extra furrow.

 

[Simon Chiles]

As per title with all the grass weed about who's contemplating whether to get the plough out this autumn?

If you’ve got a sudden explosion in grass weeds the plough is a useful tool. Otherwise, especially if you’ve ploughed in previous years it isn’t the answer as it’s equally as good at digging up seeds as it is at burying them. Personally I think earlier drilling and higher seed rates are a better solution.

 

[Steevo]

If you’ve got a sudden explosion in grass weeds the plough is a useful tool. Otherwise, especially if you’ve ploughed in previous years it isn’t the answer as it’s equally as good at digging up seeds as it is at burying them. Personally I think earlier drilling and higher seed rates are a better solution.

I find this interesting - earlier drilling and higher seed rates. What rates and dates do you think work well?

Certainly in the recent wet winters I’ve found fields (especially DD) have become waterlogged and struggled with the wet, then come winter/spring they are thinned out but the blackgrass has been able to keep going and dominate. The ploughed fields have drained better and had the mineralised N so haven’t suffered as badly.

Earlier drilling would help them get established with decent roots before winter. A higher seed rate would help cover the ground and smother the blackgrass perhaps I guess. My blackgrass seed burden is high, so a higher seed rate would improve the blackgrass:wheat seed ratio.

I don’t think I’ve ever planted a crop and though it was too thick. I used to do 200kg/ha across the board for early Oct, 250kg/ha for late Oct and 300kg/ha for early Nov. Planning to increase these further for next year though - seed is a very cheap input, and without plant numbers most other inputs from then on are wasted. A thin half crop is as expensive to grow, if not more so, than a decent crop.

I’m tempted to give this a test on the winter wheat after winter bean fields that will be drilled with the Bourgault this autumn. Certainly the N from the beans will also help.

 

[ajd132]

No, did some for harvest 22, it didn’t help the blackgrass and was our lowest yielding wheat. Went down like a road and was the only place we got a yellow rust infestation.

 

[benny6910]

Plough for sale as no longer used please inbox for more information.

 

[Barleymow]

plough most of the time here , cant afford new fangled direct drills

 

[Simon Chiles]

I find this interesting - earlier drilling and higher seed rates. What rates and dates do you think work well?

Certainly in the recent wet winters I’ve found fields (especially DD) have become waterlogged and struggled with the wet, then come winter/spring they are thinned out but the blackgrass has been able to keep going and dominate. The ploughed fields have drained better and had the mineralised N so haven’t suffered as badly.

Earlier drilling would help them get established with decent roots before winter. A higher seed rate would help cover the ground and smother the blackgrass perhaps I guess. My blackgrass seed burden is high, so a higher seed rate would improve the blackgrass:wheat seed ratio.

I don’t think I’ve ever planted a crop and though it was too thick. I used to do 200kg/ha across the board for early Oct, 250kg/ha for late Oct and 300kg/ha for early Nov. Planning to increase these further for next year though - seed is a very cheap input, and without plant numbers most other inputs from then on are wasted. A thin half crop is as expensive to grow, if not more so, than a decent crop.

I’m tempted to give this a test on the winter wheat after winter bean fields that will be drilled with the Bourgault this autumn. Certainly the N from the beans will also help.

I’d bring the drilling dates forwards by 2 weeks.
Without looking at your soil but from your post I’d suggest you have a compaction problem, probably near the surface at 2 to 4 inches deep. Personally I think a bit of vertical tillage would help your situation, go back to dd when it’s sorted.

 

[Steevo]

I’d bring the drilling dates forwards by 2 weeks.
Without looking at your soil but from your post I’d suggest you have a compaction problem, probably near the surface at 2 to 4 inches deep. Personally I think a bit of vertical tillage would help your situation, go back to dd when it’s sorted.

Thank you.

Compaction thought is an interesting one. The fields will be ploughed and PH'd this autumn in any event to bury the blackgrass so hopefully that will help.

 

[Grass And Grain]

Suppose the question is how are DD/ min-till growers controlling grass weeds? Attention to detail? Glyphosate? Spring cropping? Break crops?

DD farm walk I went on a a few years back, there was a fair bit of brome in the winter barley.

Our trouble is with it coming in from the field edges. Should I be sacrificing a nozzle of glyphosate around all field edges? Anyone else do similar. Combine just drags it in and rows it in the swath.

 

[ajd132]

I

Suppose the question is how are DD/ min-till growers controlling grass weeds? Attention to detail? Glyphosate? Spring cropping? Break crops?

DD farm walk I went on a a few years back, there was a fair bit of brome in the winter barley.

Our trouble is with it coming in from the field edges. Should I be sacrificing a nozzle of glyphosate around all field edges? Anyone else do similar. Combine just drags it in and rows it in the swath.

spray a sterile strip around the edge

 

[Grass And Grain]

I

spray a sterile strip around the edge

That's what I'm thinking. Will save me a lot of hassle.

 

[Hampton]

I

spray a sterile strip around the edge

Can’t disagree with that! Worth doing as a formality

 

[teslacoils]

Suppose the question is how are DD/ min-till growers controlling grass weeds? Attention to detail? Glyphosate? Spring cropping? Break crops?

DD farm walk I went on a a few years back, there was a fair bit of brome in the winter barley.

Our trouble is with it coming in from the field edges. Should I be sacrificing a nozzle of glyphosate around all field edges? Anyone else do similar. Combine just drags it in and rows it in the swath.

I either spray round the edges, or have a grass margin I can top.

 

[Nitrams]

To wet to knapsack here !! Need duel wellies

Should of gone regen, then you could walk on water