Winter bean drilling depth

Drilling winter beans today with the 750a. Put it at full depth, but some of the beans were either not getting to the bottom of the slot or the discs weren't penetrating fully. Some were in over three inches, but others were more like 2 inches. What is too shallow for beans, and what are the problems incurred with a shallow drilling depth (I assume rooks are the main one)?

I know that people say that beans like a looser seedbed, but given the shallow depth of some, I wonder whether rolling would make it a bit more difficult to pull the beans out?
 
Don't worry

Roll?

Not very helpful photo, but it looks like this:
20161024_094736.jpg
 

martian

DD Moderator
BASE UK Member
Location
N Herts
I'd roll, seeing how the rooks went for ours last year. Won't harm it, dry as it is.

Too dry to drill beans here, drill discs won't penetrate to depth, we're waiting for a bit of rain...
 
I'd roll, seeing how the rooks went for ours last year. Won't harm it, dry as it is.

Too dry to drill beans here, drill discs won't penetrate to depth, we're waiting for a bit of rain...

When you say they won't penetrate to depth, do you mean much less than 2 inches?

I would have like to have upped the seed rate, but we ran out of beans as it was. A higher rate would have increased the chance of seed happening to find itself at a decent depth. Drilled winter beans in the wet last year with the Mzuri and didn't get them very well buried (or rolled). Ended up with a decent crop, so hopefully we'll be OK.
 

Timbo1080

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Somerset
I know that people say that beans like a looser seedbed, but given the shallow depth of some, I wonder whether rolling would make it a bit more difficult to pull the beans out?

Jeez, I hope you're misinformed. We've just contract drilled some Wizard beans into some really wet, peeling out clay. Not overly heavy, but totally structureless from last year's ploughing. First time with a 750a, tried adjusting everything. Fairly random seed depth-between 1-3 inches...and that's at full depth. Disc just kept peeling out a slither of wet clay....so.....despite most of the beans being firmed in (I love that aspect of the drill), the customer has rolled it. Haven't been back to look yet, but this is the really dry bit at the top of the hill....the rest was too embarrassing to photograph. I'm sure it will all grow & it's now squidged in with the rollers, so safe from the rooks, but the question I'm worried about is whether pre-ems will affect it? And now, given the looser seedbed comment, whether they mind being entombed?!

IMG_3543.JPG
 
The beans we drilled with the Mzuri last year were slimy wet. The drill kept blocking and I had to get out with a spud to unblock it on several occasions. Managed to fold some wet clay over it and then applied propyzamide and pendimethalin and hoped. They came very well, although we have done the same sort of thing in other years and had a very different result.

@Flat 10 very kindly rolled some spring beans for us this year. In the wet bits they definitely did get entombed (nice description) and there they lay in their deathly unproductive state.
 

Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
Beans will.rot in a wet slot if it fills with water.
It's too hard for me to drill my winters yet, haven't even collected the seed yet. And I've still two little grass fields to plant wheat in that are like concrete.
 

shakerator

Member
Location
LINCS
The press wheel negates the need imo. The main reason for rolling for me would be to flatten stubble improving light to seedling in early stages etoliation can be a problem
 

Flat 10

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Fen Edge
The beans we drilled with the Mzuri last year were slimy wet. The drill kept blocking and I had to get out with a spud to unblock it on several occasions. Managed to fold some wet clay over it and then applied propyzamide and pendimethalin and hoped. They came very well, although we have done the same sort of thing in other years and had a very different result.

@Flat 10 very kindly rolled some spring beans for us this year. In the wet bits they definitely did get entombed (nice description) and there they lay in their deathly unproductive state.
Did they come much better in the bits I missed? Hope to plough mine in this week, would have started earlier but beet contractors have been and I'm chasing clods around trying to drill wheat.
 
The press wheel negates the need imo. The main reason for rolling for me would be to flatten stubble improving light to seedling in early stages etoliation can be a problem

Still think we haven't quite mastered the set up of the drill because I keep finding seed further up the slot mixed in with the loose soil. Had the same with wheat. Thought it was the air bleeds that were causing the problem, but we've taken those off now and still getting the problem. The majority of the seed gets down nicely to the bottom, but there's an annoying amount that don't. Have been running the firming wheel between the two nipples. Maybe with beans I should have put it up a notch.
 
Did they come much better in the bits I missed? Hope to plough mine in this week, would have started earlier but beet contractors have been and I'm chasing clods around trying to drill wheat.

I think tbh with the one field that you did last there were much greater problems in play. I think that is index 0 for phosphate and there definitely is some problem with the drainage system. The other two fields were much better. Shouldn't really have drilled in those conditions in hindsight. Mind you generally the earlier drilled fields did better than the later drilled ones.
 
Beans will grow from 0 to 6 inches...2-3 is perfect imo...

As mentioned if in trench that can fill with water maybe roll but if its dry dirt will soak it all in.

Emergence will be a touch uneven which is a good thing...

Ant..

Apart from the depth the conditions are good. Very nice dry crumbly soil with enough moisture to get the beans going.
 

Flat 10

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Fen Edge
Would rolling make much difference to the rooks? I'm hoping enough went down to 3 inches that even if the shallower stuff is lost that the stand will be reasonable. Drilled at 190 kg/ha. Not sure of the TGW because they were home saved.
It will help re rooks. You can work out TGW of HSS if you want to....
Just need some time and some accurate scales...............
 
It will help re rooks. You can work out TGW of HSS if you want to....
Just need some time and some accurate scales...............

Normally would count them out, but we only had a trailer full from harvest and so that had to make do.

Would have liked to have tried the Claydon in some of the fields, but that was set up for wheat and it wasn't worth changing everything over for 30 odd ac.
 

shakerator

Member
Location
LINCS
Still think we haven't quite mastered the set up of the drill because I keep finding seed further up the slot mixed in with the loose soil. Had the same with wheat. Thought it was the air bleeds that were causing the problem, but we've taken those off now and still getting the problem. The majority of the seed gets down nicely to the bottom, but there's an annoying amount that don't. Have been running the firming wheel between the two nipples. Maybe with beans I should have put it up a notch.

Bearings ?
 

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