Spring linseed advice please.

[David.]

May end up with some this year, what variety stands/combines easily, etc?
Imagine yield percentage is secondary to other factors perhaps, has linseed moved on any in 10yrs since I last had a fairly unsatisfying attempt at it?

 

[Cab-over Pete]

It likes a good pH

 

[B'o'B]

May end up with some this year, what variety stands/combines easily, etc?
Imagine yield percentage is secondary to other factors perhaps, has linseed moved on any in 10yrs since I last had a fairly unsatisfying attempt at it?

I doubt it’s moved on a great deal in 10years. It can do well occasionally, but seemed to get more of a miss than a hit for us.

 

[deleted user 837354]

Grow it cheap. Direct drill, sort the weeds and hope its a good summer for it. Same with beans, always found they were so variable you needed to keep them cheap or became a fools errand.

 

[teslacoils]

Drill more than they say. Wait until warm. Fert in seedbed. Keep it cheap. Spray off with roundup. Burn the straw.

 

[Gong Farmer]

Glyphosate works a bit slow on it so probably needs to be applied pre-emergence or sooner

 

[B'o'B]

Glyphosate works a bit slow on it so probably needs to be applied pre-emergence or sooner

I think early post-em is probably the optimal timing for glyphosate on linseed, timed right it can save no end of hassle later in the season!

 

[Brisel]

It likes a good pH

pH 8+ is not good! That's not from enthusiastic lime sales either.

 

[Clive]

Double seed rate, farm save seed, most of the N in the seedbed, don’t spend much, desiccate 3 weeks at least before you intend to harvest

 

[Cab-over Pete]

pH 8+ is not good! That's not from enthusiastic lime sales either.

8+?? When did David say that?!

 

[Cowcorn]

Linseed ??? Only thing i would want to know is how much sub are the paying ???
Brings me back to the glory days of the early ninties when it was money for nothing Other than that i wouldnt really be bothered . A very hit or miss crop which in the absence of fss usually only makes money for one party and it wont be the grower .

 

[David.]

Got some thin land, that only ever did 25cwt of w.osr when we had some chemistry, that needs getting back to 1st wheat, most spring alternatives are various degrees of unappealing...

 

[Fish]

Spring Linseed ,don't go there, bad idea, disaster waiting to happen, on a long list of poor choices it comes right at the very bottom.
Leave it to the professionals

As said ^, dd drill, grow it cheap (that goes for every break crop including osr), spray off, chop straw, dd wheat, bish, bash, bosh, what could be easier ?

 

[Days of thunder]

Work out your margin of what you hope for then invest that on the futures market at a price you think is low and then sell when you think it has reached the price you want. Less of a gamble than growing it. Or alternatively decide how much you are going to spend on growing it put that money on red or black at casino 50/50 odds probably less risk. Good luck.

 

[teslacoils]

Alternatively plant one half of the field and give me the money you would spend on the other half of the field. In October, I'll give you the money back less 5% handling fee. Then post here which was the better deal.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

Blimey David, they’re not very inspiring are they!!?

Don’t take any of their advice.........


....none of their ideas sound hopeful for lime sales!!

 

[Brisel]

There are growers with better experiences of linseed. As above, high seed rates into a warm fine seedbed. 30 kg N on the seedbed and another 50-70 kg at green bud. Avoid yellow varieties as they are hard to thresh and late to harvest. Avoid metsulfuron herbicides as they cost you yield and stunt the crop. Have plenty of combining capacity for when it is ready. You can cut it green - a hot dry windy day in September is more important than a fully dead plant. @Daniel has grown good crops.

 

[David.]

Blimey David, they’re not very inspiring are they!!?

Don’t take any of their advice.........


....none of their ideas sound hopeful for lime sales!!

Some of it may be on the sandy stuff you did last autumn.

 

[David.]

There are growers with better experiences of linseed. As above, high seed rates into a warm fine seedbed. 30 kg N on the seedbed and another 50-70 kg at green bud. Avoid yellow varieties as they are hard to thresh and late to harvest. Avoid metsulfuron herbicides as they cost you yield and stunt the crop. Have plenty of combining capacity for when it is ready. You can cut it green - a hot dry windy day in September is more important than a fully dead plant. @Daniel has grown good crops.

That's more like the practical stuff I was hoping for, thanks Brisel.
I'm sure I have read on here that when the pods rattle well it will go, green or not?
Trouble is I still remember the 30yr old horror stories about combining it once, then again to thrash the straw a fortnight (or three months) later..

 

[Brisel]

That's more like the practical stuff I was hoping for, thanks Brisel.
I'm sure I have read on here that when the pods rattle well it will go, green or not?
Trouble is I still remember the 30yr old horror stories about combining it once, then again to thrash the straw a fortnight (or three months) later..

In a word, yes, that's when it's fit to cut. There's a good (if dated) grower's guide by Premium Crops that is worth reading.

I won't deny that broad leafed weed control is harder now, without bromoxynil (expires September 2021). Amidosulfuron, clopyralid, bentazone post em. Callisto pre em but you usually have to follow it up.