Spring wheat growing tips

[ajd132]

We have grown spring wheat over the last 4/5 years. Usually planting it in March even in the first week of April and our yields have always been between 7-8t/ha, this is on heavy clay. we will planting more next spring due to some of our second wheat not being planted and swapping some spring barley to spring wheat because of anticipated lower prices.
I was wondering if anyone had any extra thoughts agronomically, drill date etc. I have fertiliser on my drill so can put a lot down at drilling with that. Ergot is not too much of an issue as we have colour sorters. What about gout fly? Any thoughts and ideas greatly appreciated and may be very beneficial to many of us this year!

 

[warksfarmer]

We have grown spring wheat over the last 4/5 years. Usually planting it in March even in the first week of April and our yields have always been between 7-8t/ha, this is on heavy clay. we will planting more next spring due to some of our second wheat not being planted and swapping some spring barley to spring wheat because of anticipated lower prices.
I was wondering if anyone had any extra thoughts agronomically, drill date etc. I have fertiliser on my drill so can put a lot down at drilling with that. Ergot is not too much of an issue as we have colour sorters. What about gout fly? Any thoughts and ideas greatly appreciated and may be very beneficial to many of us this year!

for what’s it’s worth 600 seeds/m2 sown our the heap undressed. Gout fly spray just do it as it to late when you’ve got the problem. 150kg N. No P and K. 1 cheap fungicide.
herbicides are the issue as BG will just appear in June from nowhere.

 

[farmerm]

Sounds like you will have seed in the barn... puts you at an advantage to the rest of us already...

 

[bobk]

We have grown spring wheat over the last 4/5 years. Usually planting it in March even in the first week of April and our yields have always been between 7-8t/ha, this is on heavy clay. we will planting more next spring due to some of our second wheat not being planted and swapping some spring barley to spring wheat because of anticipated lower prices.
I was wondering if anyone had any extra thoughts agronomically, drill date etc. I have fertiliser on my drill so can put a lot down at drilling with that. Ergot is not too much of an issue as we have colour sorters. What about gout fly? Any thoughts and ideas greatly appreciated and may be very beneficial to many of us this year!

Could we have some pictures of this Suffolk heavy clay please

 

[Andrew K]

We have grown spring wheat over the last 4/5 years. Usually planting it in March even in the first week of April and our yields have always been between 7-8t/ha, this is on heavy clay. we will planting more next spring due to some of our second wheat not being planted and swapping some spring barley to spring wheat because of anticipated lower prices.
I was wondering if anyone had any extra thoughts agronomically, drill date etc. I have fertiliser on my drill so can put a lot down at drilling with that. Ergot is not too much of an issue as we have colour sorters. What about gout fly? Any thoughts and ideas greatly appreciated and may be very beneficial to many of us this year!

Adam,
Have grown it on heavy clay before and would advise keeping seedrate up as it doesnt tiller well.
Agronomically Mulika is easy to grow with no real weaknesses, and good lodging resistance.In 2013 we achieved full GP1 quality with yield around 7.6 t/ha.
This was drilled on 9th March.
The spring break helped alot with BG, and seed cost apart was far cheaper than our struggled in WW that season which didnt yield much better.

We had no ergot issues but you have the answer with the colour sorter[Camgrain?]

 

[ajd132]

Could we have some pictures of this Suffolk heavy clay please

Hanslope clay, fairly common. Not as heavy as some i suppose but it’s certainly not boys land a Far from being a plough/power harrow type soil.

 

[ajd132]

Adam,
Have grown it on heavy clay before and would advise keeping seedrate up as it doesnt tiller well.
Agronomically Mulika is easy to grow with no real weaknesses, and good lodging resistance.In 2013 we achieved full GP1 quality with yield around 7.6 t/ha.
This was drilled on 9th March.
The spring break helped alot with BG, and seed cost apart was far cheaper than our struggled in WW that season which didnt yield much better.

We had no ergot issues but you have the answer with the colour sorter[Camgrain?]

Yes correct will go into Camgrain. We have both mulika and Cochise to plant. Thanks for the comments. How early can I drill it and should I prioritise over spring barley (it’s always been the other way round as we’ve had much more SB in the past)

 

[bobk]

Hanslope clay, fairly common. Not as heavy as some i suppose but it’s certainly not boys land a Far from being a plough/power harrow type soil.

Dust then

 

[ajd132]

Dust then

I didn’t start this thread for a ‘my land is heavier than yours’ debate. I presume yours is that heavy it’s grass?!

 

[Matt77]

In my limited experience, it’s more important that the wheat gets away otherwise it just seems to lose the race with the grass weeds, I’m talking Mulika here, it always seem to be thin, and I’ve used robust rates. So I’m more into conditions rather than dates now, moisture and warm so it races out of the blocks, but obviously there’s too late.

 

[Darren81]

Anyone know of any spring wheat anywhere? Preferably in the north of the country

 

[ajd132]

Anyone know of any spring wheat anywhere? Preferably in the north of the country

Sorry, we took cover weeks ago as I thought they might run short and sounds like it’s happening

 

[willvf]

Yes correct will go into Camgrain. We have both mulika and Cochise to plant. Thanks for the comments. How early can I drill it and should I prioritise over spring barley (it’s always been the other way round as we’ve had much more SB in the past)

Adam, I drilled KWS Chilham spring wheat in Mid Nov last year and some more in mid Jan. the earlier the better I think as long as conditions sound. Spring wheat is poor at tillering when sown late but can tiller fairly well from early sowings. Yields ranged from 8-10t/ha depending on the field for me last year. Like you I’ve booked spring wheat seed too.

 

[ajd132]

Adam, I drilled KWS Chilham spring wheat in Mid Nov last year and some more in mid Jan. the earlier the better I think as long as conditions sound. Spring wheat is poor at tillering when sown late but can tiller fairly well from early sowings. Yields ranged from 8-10t/ha depending on the field for me last year. Like you I’ve booked spring wheat seed too.

Thanks will, we have drilled mulika in October before but it didn’t do too well mainly due to trying it as an experiment on 30cm row spacings!
I think we will keep trying to use up Siskin seed until Christmas then switch to spring wheat.

 

[Rob5150]

I didn’t start this thread for a ‘my land is heavier than yours’ debate. I presume yours is that heavy it’s grass?!

I’m fairly sure that chaps only reason for posting on tff is to tell everyone else that his land is heavier than theirs, and that everyone else has it easy by comparison..

 

[ajd132]

I’m fairly sure that chaps only reason for posting on tff is to tell everyone else that his land is heavier than theirs, and that everyone else has it easy by comparison..

I had noticed that, hence why I asked if it was in grass because if it’s that heavy then it should be, or re-Wilded!

 

[teslacoils]

Mine is going back to grass. Soil, and I, can't wait.

 

[MrNoo]

Drilled Mulika this year in early Jan, came through fine and did seem to tiller more than a later sowing date but dropped the seed rate back down to 185/ha where as normally later drilling and I'd be 250+/ha. Glad I kept 30t back!!!

 

[Laggard]

What’s the best tillering spring wheat/ most black grass competitive?

 

[Simon Chiles]

We have grown spring wheat over the last 4/5 years. Usually planting it in March even in the first week of April and our yields have always been between 7-8t/ha, this is on heavy clay. we will planting more next spring due to some of our second wheat not being planted and swapping some spring barley to spring wheat because of anticipated lower prices.
I was wondering if anyone had any extra thoughts agronomically, drill date etc. I have fertiliser on my drill so can put a lot down at drilling with that. Ergot is not too much of an issue as we have colour sorters. What about gout fly? Any thoughts and ideas greatly appreciated and may be very beneficial to many of us this year!

If you’re on heavy land you can afford to drill it much later if you direct drill it with a disc drill. Wait until soil temperature picks up as you won’t need to worry about moisture loss, use plenty of starter fert down the spout and keep seed rates up. Give it another boost of N pre stem elongation and a dose of growth reg at the same time, you need to force it to tiller early.