Spring barley drilling?

[Punch]

How soon will it be safe to start?
Plan A was spray off BG and drill!
Drought didn't help yields in 2018 and the late drilling made matters worse.
We have sprayed off BG last week and it is dry enough to drill!
Do we risk late,cold & wet spring fb hot dry summer 2019 and stick to plan A or drill spring barley asap?
Is anyone else thinking about starting drilling barley?

 

[Andrew K]

How many Rooks do you have to feed?

 

[Brisel]

If rooks weren't a problem, go for it. If blackgrass is a problem, get the land within a pass of the drill and leave it until Feb knowing you'll get yet another flush of the weed that you can spray off then drill into the frost mould. You'd need 500 seeds/m2 now & the rooks will take 1/4 of those on average.

 

[Cowcorn]

How soon will it be safe to start?
Plan A was spray off BG and drill!
Drought didn't help yields in 2018 and the late drilling made matters worse.
We have sprayed off BG last week and it is dry enough to drill!
Do we risk late,cold & wet spring fb hot dry summer 2019 and stick to plan A or drill spring barley asap?
Is anyone else thinking about starting drilling barley?

Its bloody tempting, but spring barley does not like frost and. redrilling is expensive best wait till Feb i n this neck of the woods anyway. I have seed left over from last May when drilling was abandoned too and have considered it but previous experience with November sown Blehniem malting barley in the late eighties suggests that if the frost doesent get it the ryncho will.

 

[Breckland Boy]

Drilled some earlier this week. Field was due sugar beet and the sheep have grazed off the barley, mustard, radish mix so in it went. Has been successful for me in the past. Harvesting it at the same time as wb

 

[Flat 10]

How soon will it be safe to start?
Plan A was spray off BG and drill!
Drought didn't help yields in 2018 and the late drilling made matters worse.
We have sprayed off BG last week and it is dry enough to drill!
Do we risk late,cold & wet spring fb hot dry summer 2019 and stick to plan A or drill spring barley asap?
Is anyone else thinking about starting drilling barley?

Try a bit and tell us. Personally I think I would wait but you don’t know until you try.

 

[benny6910]

Will you not get a big flush of blackgrass in the spring that you won’t have much chemical control over?

 

[ajd132]

Will you not get a big flush of blackgrass in the spring that you won’t have much chemical control over?

Chemical control of BG in spring barley is very questionable and expensive anyway. Bang it in early, get it growing, high seed rate and smother it out. I've seen far more BG in thin, late drilled SB crops than in thick early ones. Will probably just use abit of axial for oats.

 

[Punch]

Will you not get a big flush of blackgrass in the spring that you won’t have much chemical control over?

The biggest dilemma! Have we had the most Bg already germ and now sprayed or will it be better to leave and get another flush even if its mid April before we can drill.

I'm very tempted. If we do I'll keep you posted.

 

[benny6910]

The biggest dilemma! Have we had the most Bg already germ and now sprayed or will it be better to leave and get another flush even if its mid April before we can drill.

I'm very tempted. If we do I'll keep you posted.

I would say that now the soil temps are dropping so will weed germination but I personally wouldn’t sow spring barley into a soil that is cooling down, I’d normally wait till it looked like soil was starting to warm up. I do know a farmer who drills his spring barley in January if the weather allows him to but he is on the Yorkshire wolds so free draining land would help a lot.

 

[yellow belly]

If you planned spring barley as a bg control strategy then wait till mid spring plant the high seed rate you need at this time of year then

Early planted needs much more chemical cost both weeds and disease

 

[Flat 10]

Early planted needs much more chemical cost both weeds and disease

Very true. But mostly my mid feb drilled barley will out yield anything drilled after mid march. Costs will be higher. (even for feb) Whether on anything but the lightest land you will be financially better off for drilling now v feb I doubt but interested for people to do so and tell me! Personally won't be doing any until the days are getting longer.....

 

[MrNoo]

Chap round here drilled some for a customer in Jan last year, by all accounts it outdid his WB yieldwise but then his WB may have been pants.

 

[Dolomite]

Would SB germinate and sit dormant without affecting its growth and yield potential in too much in snow, frost or prolonged frosty/ snowy periods? I was always lead to believe spring crops as a rule hate snow and frosts or keen frosts at least.

 

[Bobthebuilder]

Is the clue not in the name [emoji848] SPRING barley

 

[Flat 10]

Would SB germinate and sit dormant without affecting its growth and yield potential in too much in snow, frost or prolonged frosty/ snowy periods? I was always lead to believe spring crops as a rule hate snow and frosts or keen frosts at least.

It won’t enjoy it. If frosts are very severe it might die. However it might grow most of a mild east Anglian winter

 

[pine_guy]

Is the clue not in the name [emoji848] SPRING barley

Mine went in May this year. Did about 2.5ton early September. But would rather in late March if weather and ground conditions allow. But don’t find it makes a big difference to harvest date.

**edit - we don’t have black grass.

 

[shakerator]

Is the clue not in the name [emoji848] SPRING barley

funny that spring wheat seems to thrive when planted late autumn though

 

[Punch]

funny that spring wheat seems to thrive when planted late autumn though

We have got SW planted in late Oct. That was for 3 crop rule reasons.

I think that could be a better option go SW rather than SB. It would mange better and give more opportunities. Could still go OSR next year or beans! Still very dry here, only had 3mm last night/today and friend north of Stratford was pressing their ploughing yesterday.

 

[JCfarmer]

I find it funny that if you are drilling in the autumn why bother buying spring seed? Even drilling winter wheat in Jan can produce.