Wheat drilling

[goodevans]

What are folks opinions about the: 'plough and leave all winter' option? I have always been hesitant recommending people do this. Sometimes it seems to work beautifully and you have a seed bed already when you open the gate in March. Other times, the land slumps and becomes a morass of clart that you wish you have never laid eyes upon!

Is it to do with soil type, regional weather or perhaps overall soil structure? Is there some kind of rule of thumb?

all depends on frost plenty of it nice in spring none of it crap in spring

 

[deere66]

What are folks opinions about the: 'plough and leave all winter' option? I have always been hesitant recommending people do this. Sometimes it seems to work beautifully and you have a seed bed already when you open the gate in March. Other times, the land slumps and becomes a morass of clart that you wish you have never laid eyes upon!

Is it to do with soil type, regional weather or perhaps overall soil structure? Is there some kind of rule of thumb?

I'd be over the moon if I could plough it now and leave it but I don't have a steel tracked crawler

 

[franklin]

What are folks opinions about the: 'plough and leave all winter' option? I have always been hesitant recommending people do this. Sometimes it seems to work beautifully and you have a seed bed already when you open the gate in March. Other times, the land slumps and becomes a morass of clart that you wish you have never laid eyes upon!

Is it to do with soil type, regional weather or perhaps overall soil structure? Is there some kind of rule of thumb?

Can plough here in August and it still wont be a seedbed in March unless you level it in autumn. Overwintered ploughing is good here.

 

[Douglasmn]

All done here , majority is well through and had a BYDV spray , fair bit of stubble about still but I must be good and leave it be spring planted , will think about clearing bales of it and getting it sprayed of and ploughed over the next week or so

Why sprayed off as well as ploughed?

 

[DRC]

Chucked it down here today. Two fields that I’d still like to spray , but not much chance at the moment

 

[Mr Charisma]

Why sprayed off as well as ploughed?

Not all of us are blessed with land that ploughs nicely , in the fight against BG it's important to make sure it's all killed , would hate to leave some looking through the seam and recover

 

[Brisel]

What are folks opinions about the: 'plough and leave all winter' option? I have always been hesitant recommending people do this. Sometimes it seems to work beautifully and you have a seed bed already when you open the gate in March. Other times, the land slumps and becomes a morass of clart that you wish you have never laid eyes upon!

Is it to do with soil type, regional weather or perhaps overall soil structure? Is there some kind of rule of thumb?

I agree with @Lincsman Getting it ploughed over well whilst still dry is crticial. Smearing over horses' heads in a soggy November doesn't help. Pull the tops off the furrows so it is left rough but level & it will weather off all winter. Spray off in spring with something light footed that doesn't cut big ruts then drill into the lovely surface frost mould in March. Leaving big uneven lumps just means the natural tilth falls into the ravines and you're left with exposed unweathered clods you can't do anything with.

 

[Brisel]

View attachment 597984

Veg finished, should get it all incorporated today then sown tomorrow!

Have you got any tines in the ground on that subsoiler? What % of the veg actually got cut?

 

[Flat 10]

I agree with @Lincsman Getting it ploughed over well whilst still dry is crticial. Smearing over horses' heads in a soggy November doesn't help. Pull the tops off the furrows so it is left rough but level & it will weather off all winter. Spray off in spring with something light footed that doesn't cut big ruts then drill into the lovely surface frost mould in March. Leaving big uneven lumps just means the natural tilth falls into the ravines and you're left with exposed unweathered clods you can't do anything with.

I agree. However it always seems to get done here in a soggy november
Up until then we have always been flat out drilling/beet lifting and other autumn work. I would always rather do it in late autumn rather than leave until spring. Mostly medium land here. Light stuff you can leave.

 

[Iben]

Have you got any tines in the ground on that subsoiler? What % of the veg actually got cut?

Hopefully something below the soil surface! Only going 10" deep, should maybe have used the bigger tractor and gone deeper, but it's on the plough just now and to lazy to take it off. Will plough the endrigg of this field as weeds to bury.

All the veg was picked, but a quick race at the end to beat the frost this weekend, so some of the heads were not at full potential.

 

[dragonfly]

Started wheat drilling today.
Going in well, into a moist seedbed.
35 acres drilled already.

 

[Zippy768]

Finally finished. A snotty 6 acre piece on the hill to finish with. A little more than damp to say the least. Dangerously close to running out of seed . Half drill shut off on last headland pass, overlap will be minimum

 

[marshallfarm]

Thought I was done. Then decided spring cropping land is laying well and all the blackgrass has come and been roundupped last week. Seed dressers booked for tommorow, drill it Thurs/fri

 

[Will 1594]

You plough early and get it dried out, work a little if very rough, before winter.

Lincsman Many do not get it ,plough it dry and work it down and level it with subsoiler or sumo or similar ,find the d d type packer leaves it best And it winters ok

 

[Will 1594]

I agree with @Lincsman Getting it ploughed over well whilst still dry is crticial. Smearing over horses' heads in a soggy November doesn't help. Pull the tops off the furrows so it is left rough but level & it will weather off all winter. Spray off in spring with something light footed that doesn't cut big ruts then drill into the lovely surface frost mould in March. Leaving big uneven lumps just means the natural tilth falls into the ravines and you're left with exposed unweathered clods you can't do anything with.

Yabba bloody Dabba do ,great minds and all Don't give all the secrets away Or they all will be trying it

 

[goodevans]

I agree. However it always seems to get done here in a soggy november
Up until then we have always been flat out drilling/beet lifting and other autumn work. I would always rather do it in late autumn rather than leave until spring. Mostly medium land here. Light stuff you can leave.

apart from the frost situation I was always led to believe that it didn't matter what condition it was ploughed before Christmas but has to be in good nick after

 

[dragonfly]

Good first day, 60 acres drilled.
All gone in well, but too moist to roll.
Hopefully, we can roll and pre-em late

 

[yellow belly]

The best spring crops I have grown after ploughing were ploughed in September when it was dry

Heavy clay land needs ploughing dry or not at all

 

[franklin]

Not doing any more. Went to level out some ploughing so it would be all nice for spring. Left it as it was at the same time leaving it too fine for winter, but too tacky to drill with wheat. Dry forecast but I think that's enough for this year. Should have put winter beans infront of the plough.

 

[Iben]

Not doing any more. Went to level out some ploughing so it would be all nice for spring. Left it as it was at the same time leaving it too fine for winter, but too tacky to drill with wheat. Dry forecast but I think that's enough for this year. Should have put winter beans infront of the plough.

Go on! Be brave, you know you want to!!!!