Too late for OSR?

[snarling bee]

My OSR has been drilled for 3 weeks. It has only today had enough moisture to chit. My experience of late drilled OSR is that is not worth growing. Should I redrill with Barley next week, or leave it and see what happens?

 

[Zippy768]

Leave it

 

[fudge]

Very difficult for me to type this but I think barley is a good option. Many years ago in a similar case I got very good wheat but that was a fifth cereal.

 

[snarling bee]

I would plant wheat, but it would be a fourth cereal after barley.

 

[Gong Farmer]

I would plant wheat, but it would be a fourth cereal after barley.

Exactly, dropping the crop messes up your rotation, so wait a week and decide then. If you get reasonable emergence (there surely won't be any flea beetles moving in by then?) then that's half the battle, keep it and accept it's a low potential rape crop, but still a rape crop. If poor emergence, yes it may need putting out of its misery.

 

[Wheatonrotty]

Going to wait and see with ours, keep spending down where possible and make a final decision in the spring(or earlier if it's really crap!). Depends a lot on what the winter is like, a mild one and it will probably be ok, wet and cold like last year and it won't!
I think it may grow better than when osr is normally late drilled as this is often where harvest/baling is delayed because it's wet. The ground must be warmer now than it often is in late September.

 

[Bramble]

Just drilling mine today, lovely moist seedbed, rain on Sunday

 

[MrNoo]

Am in exactly the same situation as you, had 14mm yesterday which should get it going, soil temps are still up and the sun seems strong so I am going to leave a week or two and see what comes up and if it looks naf I will glypho and bang some wheat in (I dont really want to as it buggers up my rotation)

 

[fudge]

I would plant wheat, but it would be a fourth cereal after barley.

Oh I think wheat is your best option then. Volenteer barley in feed wheat isn’t a problem. My effort was Galahad after winter barley. Iirc the volunteers gave my neighbors something to talk about but it yielded fine.

My spring beans yielded 4 t/ha @ £200/ ton. That’s not bad for the owner occupier.

 

[Jo28]

we are leaving ours until the end of next week to see if it chits after the 74mm we got. if not up by then we are going to redrill it with osr again. drilled some on the 7th october one year and did ok.

 

[spikeislander]

Same as you guys Sunday’s rain and following week or to will be make or break . Then decision time peas on one to keep break going and S barley on other after two wheats and then try osr next year?

 

[Adeptandy]

Block I drilled 10 days ago is coming nicely, but CSFB are having a munch still, drilled the final 30 acres wednesday just before 11mm of rain. Was ok last year drilling this late, still yielded well.

 

[John]

Just redrilling 30ha have pulled the rest up but need something for 3rd crop. It’s got 2weeks before it gets pulled up for something else. This rain Sunday had better turn up

 

[richard hammond]

My OSR has been drilled for 3 weeks. It has only today had enough moisture to chit. My experience of late drilled OSR is that is not worth growing. Should I redrill with Barley next week, or leave it and see what happens?

Leave it, I saw OSR emerging today after rain last night(50mm) just coming through this morning. give it a chance over the next 2-3 weeks if not good then redrill with another crop of your choice!!

 

[Farmer-George]

Same as you guys Sunday’s rain and following week or to will be make or break . Then decision time peas on one to keep break going and S barley on other after two wheats and then try osr next year?

I’d leave it and see. You might be surprised! Less CSFB if it now comes cooler which is a bonus.

Don’t spend any money on it until Christmas, then take a view in the spring. If it still looks rubbish then go spring barley.

Some of our worst looking rape crops have been the best historically.

 

[average farmer]

I'd give it a week and see what comes up, osr seems to be one of those crops that can sit in the ground a while and still come through with plenty of vigour and really get going. forecast for next week looks bright and sunny... might not be good for csfb but good for growing.

one of the best crops of osr we've ever had didn't come through until into October

 

[Still Farming]

My OSR has been drilled for 3 weeks. It has only today had enough moisture to chit. My experience of late drilled OSR is that is not worth growing. Should I redrill with Barley next week, or leave it and see what happens?

Broadcast some more on it?

 

[Brisel]

It will be fine. Mine is still emerging on heavy patches where the seedbed was a bit rougher. My best yields came from the later sowings in the last 7 years. The early drilled stuff that was knee high by November yielded 1 t/ha less than rape sown 2 weeks later. Might be a long winter chasing pigeons off though.

 

[snarling bee]

Thanks for all your views guys. I think I need to wait 2 weeks and then see if I can make an easy decision. I may have to spend on slugs before then and barley volunteers shortly after.
Why will volunteers always grow and the crop won't, nor BG in a stale seedbed?

 

[Wheatonrotty]

And just to help, the 24mm that weatherpro were forecasting for tomorrow is now down to 4.4mm.