You must plough for beans

[Badshot]

Ok then ever since I can remember it has been the case that you must plough for spring beans as they don't like compaction.

This may be true that they don't like compaction but I think it is more a case of they are very sensitive to density changes.

When I used to plough for them, the middle of the field would grow very tall and thick but the headlands would often be short and stunted due to turning with a tractor and power harrow first, then the tractor and drill. This was accepted to be the norm by most.

I then started to do less to the ground in preparation for beans and have noted that going form ploughing to min till (non inversion max till really) meant the whole field was shorter and there was still shorter and stunted plants on the headlands. I started to increase the seedrate and had excellent yields from spring beans grown like this.

Now I have made it all the way to direct drilling and the headlands are even and not suffering at all as far as I can see, the beans are growing like billyo and look promising.

I have come to the conclusion that it is not compaction but density changes that plants dislike so much, this is why if you subsoil properly (14-18 inches) the plants do well, but doing less than that is no better than doing nothing UNLESS there is a serious compaction issue form harvest, which appears to be less of an issue if you do less disturbance anyway.

Comments welcome.

 

[Badshot]

A video this morning, I'm stood in an area that was very thick with volunteer wheat and as such was very wet at drilling compared to the rest of the field, this appears to have had more effect than anything else. I personally wouldn't want thick cover crops on this heavy soil, it stays wetter for a LOT longer with no airflow.

 

[Old John]

A video this morning, I'm stood in an area that was very thick with volunteer wheat and as such was very wet at drilling compared to the rest of the field, this appears to have had more effect than anything else. I personally wouldn't want thick cover crops on this heavy soil, it stays wetter for a LOT longer with no airflow.

Ok then ever since I can remember it has been the case that you must plough for spring beans as they don't like compaction.

This may be true that they don't like compaction but I think it is more a case of they are very sensitive to density changes.

When I used to plough for them, the middle of the field would grow very tall and thick but the headlands would often be short and stunted due to turning with a tractor and power harrow first, then the tractor and drill. This was accepted to be the norm by most.

I then started to do less to the ground in preparation for beans and have noted that going form ploughing to min till (non inversion max till really) meant the whole field was shorter and there was still shorter and stunted plants on the headlands. I started to increase the seedrate and had excellent yields from spring beans grown like this.

Now I have made it all the way to direct drilling and the headlands are even and not suffering at all as far as I can see, the beans are growing like billyo and look promising.

I have come to the conclusion that it is not compaction but density changes that plants dislike so much, this is why if you subsoil properly (14-18 inches) the plants do well, but doing less than that is no better than doing nothing UNLESS there is a serious compaction issue form harvest, which appears to be less of an issue if you do less disturbance anyway.

Comments welcome.

I hope you're right about the density changes as we are thinking of growing some peas next spring, dd. Don't think cover crop is a good idea on this clay soil either due to drying and warming concerns.
Question. What's the best way to make sure the chopped straw and stubble is not a cooling and shading problem in the spring? There's a lot of straw and we are not
prepared to bale it.

 

[Old Spot]

Ok then ever since I can remember it has been the case that you must plough for spring beans as they don't like compaction.

This may be true that they don't like compaction but I think it is more a case of they are very sensitive to density changes.

When I used to plough for them, the middle of the field would grow very tall and thick but the headlands would often be short and stunted due to turning with a tractor and power harrow first, then the tractor and drill. This was accepted to be the norm by most.

I then started to do less to the ground in preparation for beans and have noted that going form ploughing to min till (non inversion max till really) meant the whole field was shorter and there was still shorter and stunted plants on the headlands. I started to increase the seedrate and had excellent yields from spring beans grown like this.

Now I have made it all the way to direct drilling and the headlands are even and not suffering at all as far as I can see, the beans are growing like billyo and look promising.

I have come to the conclusion that it is not compaction but density changes that plants dislike so much, this is why if you subsoil properly (14-18 inches) the plants do well, but doing less than that is no better than doing nothing UNLESS there is a serious compaction issue form harvest, which appears to be less of an issue if you do less disturbance anyway.

Comments welcome.

Agree totally, when were they planted? Ours look great, heavy ground, they are growing as well in the tramlines as elsewhere. Headlands good too, I have the same thoughts about maize. They dont like density change, planted maize last week for a neighbour into tight ground, it will do great with this rain.

 

[britt]

Badshot, what drill did you use and was the straw baled or chopped ?
I gave up growing beans years ago but am thinking about having another go to increase the crops in our rotation now we are trying notill. But I was wondering if I should subsoil in the previuos autumn.

 

[Badshot]

I hope you're right about the density changes as we are thinking of growing some peas next spring, dd. Don't think cover crop is a good idea on this clay soil either due to drying and warming concerns.
Question. What's the best way to make sure the chopped straw and stubble is not a cooling and shading problem in the spring? There's a lot of straw and we are not
prepared to bale it.

I bale the straw at the moment, mainly so I don't have a mat of it in spring. However raking to spread it evenly may be enough with good worm numbers, there is little straw left where I planted rape into chopped straw last autumn, but there is plenty of worm activity.

 

[Badshot]

Agree totally, when were they planted? Ours look great, heavy ground, they are growing as well in the tramlines as elsewhere. Headlands good too, I have the same thoughts about maize. They dont like density change, planted maize last week for a neighbour into tight ground, it will do great with this rain.

Planted 26th march into very wet soil.

 

[Badshot]

Badshot, what drill did you use and was the straw baled or chopped ?
I gave up growing beans years ago but am thinking about having another go to increase the crops in our rotation now we are trying notill. But I was wondering if I should subsoil in the previuos autumn.

my KV tineseeder, the straw was baled and I did run the drill over VERY shallow in the autumn to encourage greening. I am not going to do that again as it took longer to dry out. I will bale it and leave it as is.

 

[Badshot]

 

[SilliamWhale]

Winter beans did 2.5t acre with me.

Drilled Nov 25. Kerb and choccy spot x 2. Won't expect that every year but they definitely liked being planted at same depth.

Springs next week. Some will be rubbish though into old grass. Should get money back that's all.

 

[Tractor Boy]

First time I've grown spring beans this year. Put them straight into wheat stubble with a Claydon V drill at about 3 inches. Field hasn't been ploughed for 5 years. Fuego went in on 6 th April and were combined on 19 th August. Did 5.2t/ha!!! Couldn't believe it.

 

[dontknowanything]

We got record bean yields this year, one field ploughed, some min till, some DD. No real difference between them, but DD field was the highest yield we've ever had (Fuego)

 

[Banana Bar]

Min / Max tilled (Simba SLD, cultipress) drilled with vaddy 2.7t/ac, ploughed cultipress vaddy 1.6t/ac.

 

[Baling Hay]

Winter beans did 2.5t acre with me.

Drilled Nov 25. Kerb and choccy spot x 2. Won't expect that every year but they definitely liked being planted at same depth.

Springs next week. Some will be rubbish though into old grass. Should get money back that's all.

The DD beans into grass didn't do well then? Probably a lot better than any other crop would have done though?

 

[SilliamWhale]

The DD beans into grass didn't do well then? Probably a lot better than any other crop would have done though?

Not done them yet. In terms of plant established they were fine. They didn't get much height or podding and I think basically pH too low and too nutrient starved. Will let you know next week.

 

[pejay]

Good results in aus with faba beans"....".precision planter.....30" row space

 

[Green oak]

Lovely to combine too

 

[mikep]

I hope you're right about the density changes as we are thinking of growing some peas next spring, dd. Don't think cover crop is a good idea on this clay soil either due to drying and warming concerns.
Question. What's the best way to make sure the chopped straw and stubble is not a cooling and shading problem in the spring? There's a lot of straw and we are not
prepared to bale it.

Was worried about this myself as we are on very wet land and chopped straw can shade it a bit. This year I set the chopper to min and cut to leave longer straw. this put a lot less on the floor to shade and not in a mat, this will hopefully provide some protection for young plants.

 

[britt]

I notilled linseed into chopped straw in spring 13. After a winter weathering, birds scratching, worms etc I didn't seem to bother the linseed, which is badly affected by volunteer wheat if not sprayed off early enough and totally supressed if left too late.
It seem to loose its activity over winter.

 

[doorknob]

Min / Max tilled (Simba SLD, cultipress) drilled with vaddy 2.7t/ac, ploughed cultipress vaddy 1.6t/ac.

Being from a place that does not have access to all the cool equipment, I had to look up the Simba SLD. That is an awesome looking tool. I saw this video. Is it similar to what you used, or did you press in a separate pass?
video.