Unwanted grass in barley.

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

I hope an arable farmer can please give me a clue about this problem before I speak to Luke Cropwalker. Ploughed out grass in spring. It was a great job, and the herbicide seemed to work. Barley looked good.
Suddenly after the summer went sour and it rained so much, all the grass suddenly appeared. I expect yield will be around 2t / ac or less. Straw would be a disaster except the coming week is haytime weather.
How to get rid of grass?
All I can think of is:
1. Roundup the next year’s growing crop which would make grass manageable but creates a problem if weather turns bad
2. Roundup the field pre ploughing which would reduce burden when ploughed up the following year
Neither seems to be ideal.
We don’t have access to modern min til gear. Thanks.

 

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

This is a fairly bad area, insides of field had less grass.

 

[Phil P]

0.5l/ha of liberator pre-em would be a good start point, works well here on grass. Post-em you’re kind of limited to axel in barley which isn’t cheap!
We’ve found spring cropping by far the most cost effective way of getting grass weeds under control though.

 

[Happy]

Round up the stubble in 3 weeks time

 

[Levelsman]

Round up the stubble in 3 weeks time

..or should have done 3 wks ago!

 

[Meallydave]

0.5l/ha of liberator pre-em would be a good start point, works well here on grass. Post-em you’re kind of limited to axel in barley which isn’t cheap!
We’ve found spring cropping by far the most cost effective way of getting grass weeds under control though.

0.5L/ha isn't even legal on spring barley. And it looks more like ryegrass or couch that has came through the crop which liberator won't even touch.

Roundup pre harvest 2 weeks ago would have been the best option this year.

 

[Sheep]

Bale and wrap the rest (or forage harvest). Looks like great stuff for feeding.

 

[Phil P]

0.5L/ha isn't even legal on spring barley. And it looks more like ryegrass or couch that has came through the crop which liberator won't even touch.

Roundup pre harvest 2 weeks ago would have been the best option this year.

I was thinking winter barley , 0.3 spring barley

 

[HarryB97]

If the grass was left to seed in the years before you ploughed it out, that’ll be where it’s come from. I don’t let any of my temporary grass go to seed. Been a terrible year for grassweeds though with the constant rain!

 

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

Thanks for all the comments above.
I am going to look into the pre em option which Phil P suggests. We have sold the excess straw although it is still drying.
We made the mistake of not spraying pre harvest but the bonus is what seems to be a good crop of grass. Just going to put the beltie heifers out there for the winter with some ring feeders.
Growing a good crop of barley is definitely harder than it looks

 

[CPF]

Looks like you have new grass ley without the expense, put some N on it and your heifers will do good on it lush new grass.

 

[Flat 10]

Thanks for all the comments above.
I am going to look into the pre em option which Phil P suggests. We have sold the excess straw although it is still drying.
We made the mistake of not spraying pre harvest but the bonus is what seems to be a good crop of grass. Just going to put the beltie heifers out there for the winter with some ring feeders.
Growing a good crop of barley is definitely harder than it looks

0.3lib won’t do much

 

[fudge]

Thanks for all the comments above.
I am going to look into the pre em option which Phil P suggests. We have sold the excess straw although it is still drying.
We made the mistake of not spraying pre harvest but the bonus is what seems to be a good crop of grass. Just going to put the beltie heifers out there for the winter with some ring feeders.
Growing a good crop of barley is definitely harder than it looks

Growing a good crop of barley and a good crop of grass is very difficult! Back in the day my ancestor used to “under sow” spring barley with a grass ley. It wasn’t a particularly successful technique here, he either got “a good crop of barley or grass rarely both”

 

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

Growing a good crop of barley and a good crop of grass is very difficult! Back in the day my ancestor used to “under sow” spring barley with a grass ley. It wasn’t a particularly successful technique here, he either got “a good crop of barley or grass rarely both”

Yes my dad used to say u can grow grass or barley but not both.
Turned it over with a rake today ready to bale maybe Tuesday. It would be a big problem without such a settled dry spell. Let’s see what Agrovista have to say.

 

[ollie989898]

What kind of grass is it? Most agronomists would deter anyone from growing barley in a field with known grassweed issues as the armoury for herbicides in barley is very weak. If it is ryegrass from root stock you would have no hope in heck of controlling it. If it was meadow grass it would have to be stepped on very very early in it's growth stages or you would have similar problems.

 

[michael N123]

Looks like you have new grass ley without the expense, put some N on it and your heifers will do good on it lush new grass.

That’s what I was thinking if your not plowing until spring and have stock make the most of it 50kg acre of N for now then spray off before plowing up in spring

 

[Agri Spec Solicitor]

That’s what I was thinking if your not plowing until spring and have stock make the most of it 50kg acre of N for now then spray off before plowing up in spring

In another pair of fields by year 3 the normal plough / post em regime tidied up most grass and no roundup used.
This is year 1 so I am thinking this idea using roundup would be one way forward in year 2 to hit it hard. Headlands and sides are worst even though ploughed well, not by me
I have no idea what grass it is though we do reseed regularly with ryegrass. I have seen clover in it today. So probably a bit of everything.

 

[bobk]

In another pair of fields by year 3 the normal plough / post em regime tidied up most grass and no roundup used.
This is year 1 so I am thinking this idea using roundup would be one way forward in year 2 to hit it hard. Headlands and sides are worst even though ploughed well, not by me
I have no idea what grass it is though we do reseed regularly with ryegrass. I have seen clover in it today. So probably a bit of everything.

Just roundup when you've baled , strong pre / prei em herb in the next crop ,
We grow grass for fun here , you have to hit it hard in cereal crops

 

[Bobthebuilder]

Growing a good crop of barley and a good crop of grass is very difficult! Back in the day my ancestor used to “under sow” spring barley with a grass ley. It wasn’t a particularly successful technique here, he either got “a good crop of barley or grass rarely both”

This was ours this year, looks like the barley has done @2t/ac going by heap in shed @17-18%, left the straw all week and baled 600 little bales today the rest getting big square baled tomorrow probably @20 bales I would think, gonna put the heifers onto it once the bales are cleared then flush some ewes later on on it

 

[fudge]

This was ours this year, looks like the barley has done @2t/ac going by heap in shed @17-18%, left the straw all week and baled 600 little bales today the rest getting big square baled tomorrow probably @20 bales I would think, gonna put the heifers onto it once the bales are cleared then flush some ewes later on on it

Looks a picture