Summer Cover Crop advice please

[gmalp]

Hi,
Never planted any cover/catch crops before, but I have 20acres of Clay-Loam currently bare which will be going into WW this autumn. I'm looking to increase organic matter and for good rooting to help carry tractors and minimise compaction later in the year.

I will be spreading poultry manure on it at the end of August and my current thinking is to mow the cover crop off just before muck spreading and incorporate it all at once. Not too interested in fixing N as I'll be right up against NVZ limits anyway with the muck.

However it looks like most of usual cover crop plants would have gone to seed by the end of August if drilled any time soon (mid/end May), so either delay drilling or terminate early?

Maybe two cover crops ? Something like Enviroseeds Pan Buster radish mix from now to mid July and then into white mustard/phacelia to the end of August?

Interested to hear any thought/opinions on this scenario as this is all brand new to me, thanks.

 

[Brisel]

Pick something that you don’t mind going to seed eg buckwheat, vetch or phacelia that you can clean out of the following crop easily enough and doesn’t cause issues with your crop rotation. Don’t spend a lot in case you have to spray it off early if some weeds establish that you have to stop setting seed.

 

[teslacoils]

Spring oats. Cheap. Easy. Reliable.

 

[moretimeforgolf]

I grew a summer cover last year - phacelia, buckwheat, vetch, berseem clover and oat. Drilled mid-May, terminated mid-August. I would have left it longer but the problematic ryegrass (the reason for not growing a cash crop) was about to seed. The interesting thing was that the buckwheat and phacelia reseeded themselves and I got a secondary cover crop for nothing. Now growing a fairly clean crop of wheat direct drilled at the end of October.

 

[MrNoo]

Just drilled a mix of 40% Tillage Radish, 30% Oil radish and 30% Mustard here into an ex maize field that will be destined for WW this Autumn, be interesting to see how it fares.

 

[Jim t]

Would linseed be easy to spray out of wheat if it set seed
planning to plant vetch,Phacelia tillage radish and bulk it up with spring oats and linseed planting it in mid May for wheat in the autumn?

 

[Brisel]

Would linseed be easy to spray out of wheat if it set seed
planning to plant vetch,Phacelia tillage radish and bulk it up with spring oats and linseed planting it in mid May for wheat in the autumn?

Linseed falls over with a sniff of CMPP/mecoprop in cereals. Fairly impervious to SUs.

 

[redsloe]

Interesting thread, I've got a 10 year ley that's extremely tired and I am thinking of putting it into ww in the Autumn. Previously I would have ploughed it and then Combi drill but now experimenting with strip till, I'm wondering about cutting first, then drilling either a cover crop or forage crop to graze in late summer.
The field is not that productive atm, has recently had lime but I'm wondering if it would get a better establishment of wheat doing it this way?
Sounds like effort for little gain perhaps?

 

[gmalp]

Spring oats. Cheap. Easy. Reliable.

I could get hold of some winter oats very cheap. Would this matter ?

 

[gmalp]

I grew a summer cover last year - phacelia, buckwheat, vetch, berseem clover and oat. Drilled mid-May, terminated mid-August. I would have left it longer but the problematic ryegrass (the reason for not growing a cash crop) was about to seed. The interesting thing was that the buckwheat and phacelia reseeded themselves and I got a secondary cover crop for nothing. Now growing a fairly clean crop of wheat direct drilled at the end of October.

Having a second free cover crop sounds ideal to me. At termination (presume spray) did you also mow or flail? Would going over it with a set of rolls help with the second germination or hinder by creating a mat that it needs to get through?

 

[gmalp]

Just drilled a mix of 40% Tillage Radish, 30% Oil radish and 30% Mustard here into an ex maize field that will be destined for WW this Autumn, be interesting to see how it fares.

I'm also keen on getting some radish in there but the Mustard sounds like it goes to seed so quick. Would you look to top it off just before mustard flowering ? Also wouldn't the radishes still be going at that point so not getting the full potential ?

 

[moretimeforgolf]

Having a second free cover crop sounds ideal to me. At termination (presume spray) did you also mow or flail? Would going over it with a set of rolls help with the second germination or hinder by creating a mat that it needs to get through?

Yes, sprayed off. I didn’t follow up with anything. It grew especially well in the sprayer wheelings so perhaps a roll would be a good option.

 

[They see me rolling]

Linseed falls over with a sniff of CMPP/mecoprop in cereals. Fairly impervious to SUs.

Linseed also hates Fluroxypyr

 

[Great In Grass]

Interesting thread, I've got a 10 year ley that's extremely tired and I am thinking of putting it into ww in the Autumn. Previously I would have ploughed it and then Combi drill but now experimenting with strip till, I'm wondering about cutting first, then drilling either a cover crop or forage crop to graze in late summer.
The field is not that productive atm, has recently had lime but I'm wondering if it would get a better establishment of wheat doing it this way?
Sounds like effort for little gain perhaps?

Forage Rape? It will be ready to graze 12-14 weeks after sowing.

 

[Brisel]

Linseed also hates Fluroxypyr

It certainly does. I’ve used it to knock out a big volunteer population in the following wheat crop after a cash crop of yellow linseed where a fair bit went over the back of the combine.

 

[MrNoo]

I'm also keen on getting some radish in there but the Mustard sounds like it goes to seed so quick. Would you look to top it off just before mustard flowering ? Also wouldn't the radishes still be going at that point so not getting the full potential ?

Yes, it is a concern and did think to hold off drilling but conditions were perfect with moisture so in it went!! I have access to some sheep (thankfully not mine) and have a topper so will see how we go, it's all a bit new to me. Guess I could always top it high and leave the radish. Certainly will be interesting.

 

[teslacoils]

I could get hold of some winter oats very cheap. Would this matter ?

What you mean to say is you have some of your own winter oats to farm save, and you will pay the royalties direct to the bspb.

You're not after the grain - just the rooting and biomass.

 

[gmalp]

What you mean to say is you have some of your own winter oats to farm save, and you will pay the royalties direct to the bspb.

You're not after the grain - just the rooting and biomass.

Not my oats but a family members and I haven't used farm saved seed before so I didn't know about these BSBP royaltys either! Using those oats wouldn't be worth the hassle

 

[ollie989898]

Anything but borage. And avoid the beet family or you will have volunteer beet for the next 20 years.

 

[Will 1594]

I could get hold of some winter oats very cheap. Would this matter ?

We have a small spud field , that we are fallowing , its having some oats ,oil raddish ,brown mustard ,,will not be sowing till late june ,
Hope to get a good weed flush between now and end june ,