Straw raking

[whindy]

I have a problem with volunteers !
Mainly wheat in the winter barley.
I am thinking of stubble raking to increase the germination .
But this goes against the idea of not moving any soil before direct drilling. We are in the 3rd year of dd and volunteers are becoming an issue.
Or is there a better way of encouraging germination of volunteers.
Which are the most effective rakes?

 

[EddieB]

The soil disturbance is very minimal with a rake, you really are only scratching the surface. A rake is pretty useful for chitting seeds, weeds as well as volunteers.
We use a Mzuri Rezult which is a decent rake, although I bought it with a stocks seeder on to establish cover crops. I’m now selling it as I have bought a bigger drill which I will also use for CCs.

 

[SilliamWhale]

You will always have a bit of wheat in the WB with DD.

Two choices:

Roundup it off
Wait

 

[Deereone]

With these mixed weather conditions it could germinate without raking.

 

[Cowmansam]

Chain harrows ?

 

[whindy]

Chain harrows ?

They would pull any lose straw to the head lands surely.

 

[Cowmansam]

Possibly normally makes weeds chit though
I don’t do arable but if we want to get weeds to grow that’s what we do

 

[whindy]

With these mixed weather conditions it could germinate without raking.

Trying to improve and speed up the process. Last year there was limited time between harvest and drilling.

 

[EddieB]

This is a barley stubble that I ran through with the rake a few days ago. As you can see I haven’t moved a lot of soil.

 

[farmerfred86]

I had a real problem with this last year and now worried about it again. I think the dry September weather is more of an issue than the ZT/DD system.
We did rake behind winter barley which worked well because it was early and got the weather. This will now be winter wheat.

I have had to change the rotation because nothing is germinating in this dry weather. One field we did cultivate is even dryer!

 

[whindy]

Never got around to raking .the stubble have greened up on there Owen fortunately .

 

[Rooney]

Same problem only wheat in w barley, as it follows in the rotation, only grow 1sr wheat after rape or beans. Limited time but moisture defenately helps

 

[Rooney]

How vital is straw harrowing to slug control? Must be done or just because it makes you think you have done something?
We have claydon and slugs have been "overactive" in middle of 3 fields to the point no osr left!

 

[willyorkshire]

They would pull any lose straw to the head lands surely.

Straw chopped properly and rake set up correctly it wouldn't.