Weaving GD user thread

[martian]

Thanks for that. And your encouragement.

The wheels behind the disc coulters on a GD do such a good job, that Cambridge rolling doesn’t bring any benefit to the party. So I don’t bother any more.
My soils will slump easily. It doesn’t matter how heavy or light they are. So I do not want to cause any more compaction than is absolutely necessary, as this risks buggering up the soil the next time I want to drill it with the GD.

One thing I have learned is that you have to start of DD’ing in the right soil conditions. I we can do that, it’ll work. If not, expect a disaster.
I left school in the hot summer of 1976. Come 1st October it started to rail and never stopped until the following April. This burned into my brain the importance of drilling into good condition and often at harvest time and a few weeks after, soil conditions are really good.
I’ve always been an early driller and hated the idea of drilling late to control BG.
My GD allows me to drill earlier because it doesn’t disturb anything like as much BG, such that it doesn’t want to grow. So much so that on the whole I use half rate pre-ems and mostly don’t need to come back post-em to put the other half rate on. This makes me a very happy bloke, twice over!

I'm really pleased you're getting on so well. It is a liberating feeling when you realise you don't need so much mental and machinery baggage.

It is worth watching how your soils evolve as the years go by, as you say they they are prone to slumping. I was so certain that ours were getting better and better year on year, that I failed to notice a fault line developing just below the rhizosphere, ie 3 or 4 inches deep. This horizontal break was, we think, due to the silt slumping (we've got approx 30% silt in our soils) and made it hard for roots to penetrate deeper and water infiltrate easily. The worm holes go through, but it wasn't enough to stop yields dropping from their peak in years 1-5 of no-tilling, to now (11 years in).

 

[sjt01]

I'm really pleased you're getting on so well. It is a liberating feeling when you realise you don't need so much mental and machinery baggage.

It is worth watching how your soils evolve as the years go by, as you say they they are prone to slumping. I was so certain that ours were getting better and better year on year, that I failed to notice a fault line developing just below the rhizosphere, ie 3 or 4 inches deep. This horizontal break was, we think, due to the silt slumping (we've got approx 30% silt in our soils) and made it hard for roots to penetrate deeper and water infiltrate easily. The worm holes go through, but it wasn't enough to stop yields dropping from their peak in years 1-5 of no-tilling, to now (11 years in).

What is the answer to the silt slumping?

 

[martian]

What is the answer to the silt slumping?

Good question!
We're hoping low disturbance subsoiling with a squirt of microbe food down the back of the subsoiler leg. Just breaking the layers up would sort it but not for long, we need to get some life down below so that the worms and roots can hold the whole edifice together. It's work in progress, I'll keep you posted!

 

[sjt01]

Good question!
We're hoping low disturbance subsoiling with a squirt of microbe food down the back of the subsoiler leg. Just breaking the layers up would sort it but not for long, we need to get some life down below so that the worms and roots can hold the whole edifice together. It's work in progress, I'll keep you posted!

Would a tillage radish break through?

 

[martian]

Would a tillage radish break through?

Yes, also chicory, thistles, docks all sorts of things. Worms do all the time and crop roots. But I think when the top dries out it breaks a lot of these connections. If we had the patience we could probably beat it in time, but even behind a four year ley, you can find horizontal breaks still there. I don't want to hijack this thread, I'll start another on silt.

 

[EddieB]

Been back on drilling today, Bairstow wheat into an OSR stubble. Well chopped and rotted residue, I must have got off the tractor to do unblock discs about twenty times in a 12 ha field. Any tips?

Another frustrating afternoon drilling into a disced quinoa stubble. Front row blocking today, so annoying as it took twice as long to drill the field as expected.
I would normally try and direct drill into the stubble but it was such a mess.

 

[Adeptandy]

Your flyin' !

I still cambridge roll out of habit really and it makes me feel good about bruising willowherb.
My dowdeswell has been in the shed for 12 years and my dual wheels went on ebay ages ago.

Glad your getting on well

I have to go back to shallow soil movement for oilseed rape here - I've been beat too many times now

Interesting that you said that about the OSR, that’s been my conclusion after the last 2 years as well.

 

[Badshot]

Another frustrating afternoon drilling into a disced quinoa stubble. Front row blocking today, so annoying as it took twice as long to drill the field as expected.
I would normally try and direct drill into the stubble but it was such a mess.

You'll learn.
Leave it alone and drill it.
Accept it won't be perfect.
But more often than not it'll surprise you and be better than arseing about like you have today.

 

[Adeptandy]

Drilled into that ok

 

[Will7]

Yes, also chicory, thistles, docks all sorts of things. Worms do all the time and crop roots. But I think when the top dries out it breaks a lot of these connections. If we had the patience we could probably beat it in time, but even behind a four year ley, you can find horizontal breaks still there. I don't want to hijack this thread, I'll start another on silt.

Really interesting and you have made me feel like less of a failure!! I have this exact same situation and have been blaming it on the silt, and find a tine really helps, although haven’t been feeding behind the leg. Interesting stuff

 

[Adeptandy]

I’m wondering if it’s more beneficial to go from plough or subsoiler based system to the Claydon type machine before going to the GD.

 

[YELROM]

I’m wondering if it’s more beneficial to go from plough or subsoiler based system to the Claydon type machine before going to the GD.

Not another drill change

 

[Bob lincs]

I’m wondering if it’s more beneficial to go from plough or subsoiler based system to the Claydon type machine before going to the GD.

Sabretine.

 

[Adeptandy]

Not another drill change

No, just a thought now entering yr 2/3 and something worth putting out there for those considering the change to DD

 

[Adeptandy]

Sabretine.

How’s it coping with chopped straw ?

 

[Bob lincs]

How’s it coping with chopped straw ?

No problem at all .

 

[jack6480]

I’m wondering if it’s more beneficial to go from plough or subsoiler based system to the Claydon type machine before going to the GD.

No benefit at all. Just put a cover crop or osr as entry into DD

 

[Adeptandy]

Thinking of CC ‘s only just had the bales cleared, is it to late got an over winter CC pre S Beans ?

 

[tr250]

Thinking of CC ‘s only just had the bales cleared, is it to late got an over winter CC pre S Beans ?

Perhaps some spring oats might do something but I wouldn’t spend any more than a few off the heap. Beans work well drilled into cereal volunteers

 

[EddieB]

Thinking of CC ‘s only just had the bales cleared, is it to late got an over winter CC pre S Beans ?

Might be struggling, but perhaps rye.