Crops

Question 1

Winter barley & wheat - when can it be planted?

Answer 1

Different varieties = diff cut off dates.

Ideally by mid October but you can plant until end of Feb.

Question 2

When can you plant spring wheat and barley?

Answer 2

You COULD plant in the autumn. However you are at risk of frost as they are not as winter hardy.
January onwards. Depends on weather and ground conditions.

Question 3

Spring OSR - when you plant?

Answer 3

March/April

Question 4

When would you plant sugar beet?

Answer 4

March/April. You want to plant as the weather and land warms up.

Question 5

When do you plant potatoes?

Answer 5

Spring. Depends on market they are going to.

Question 6

When would you plant linseed?

Answer 6

Can be planted all the way through to May due to short growing seasons. Usually looking at April.

Question 7

What is the tyre compaction depth?

Answer 7

6 inches

Question 8

Min till methods - what depth could you run a cultivator at to receive compaction?

Answer 8

6-8 inches

Question 9

One issue with min till in terms of weed ?

Answer 9

Black grass

Question 10

Why is black grass becoming more of a problem?

Answer 10

Because of continual early autumn sown crops and less chemicals available.

Question 11

How does ploughing help alleviate the black grass problem?

Answer 11

You are turning land over so the seed is put to the bottom.

Question 12

Weed control happens when?

Answer 12

Autumn and spring if you have any chemicals you can have left

Question 13

Controlling disease happens when?

Answer 13

Spring. You might spray OSR in autumn for foma. But for wheat and barley you generally wouldn’t spray.

Question 14

When would you worry about insecticides?

Answer 14

You would worry about aphids in the cereals in the autumn. But you could use a seed dressing to control insects. There isn’t too much else to worry about on cereals.

Question 15

What cultivations might you use to reduce slug problems?

Answer 15

Ploughing. More problems with min till and direct drilling.

Question 16

How can you reduce slug problems?

Answer 16

Rolling - compacts the ground.

Question 17

What weather makes slugs more of a problem?

Answer 17

A wet autumn. If you have a dry autumn you should get away without having to put slugs pellets on.

Question 18

How long will you seed dressing (deter) against aphids last?

Answer 18

Usually about 10 weeks. Frost will then help with control.

Question 19

What is the result of loosing the neonicitine seed dressings for OSR?

Answer 19

Flea beetle problems.

Question 20

With which crop do you have to worry about take all?

Answer 20

Wheat - when you are growing second or third.

Sometimes with barley but not as noticeable.

Question 21

How to mitigate take all problems?

Answer 21

Seed dressing called latitude will help protect it.

Question 22

What are the four main fertiliser ?

Answer 22

Nitrogen, phosphate, potash and sulphur.

Question 23

Phosphate and potash is applied when and how much?

Answer 23

Depends on soil analysis.
Apply phosphate prior to drilling so that it gets worked into the soil as it does not move around in the soil as much as potash. (Autumn) also helps with rooting.
In spring you will probably put both in before drilling.

Apply potash jan/feb as rail will wash it into the soil.

Question 24

How do you apply sulphur?

Answer 24

Either top dress with the nitrogen
Or
You can apply earlier on in say feb with the potash.

Question 25

When is nitrogen applied?

Answer 25

Start off in early March. Then every three weeks.
You will do two or three applications for wheat.
If it’s malting barley you will put it all on by the end of March.
If it’s bread wheat you pay apply a spray onto the crop at ear emergence to give it a boost - protein content.
OSR - two or three doses in the spring.
All crops require nitrogen - different for different crops.

Question 26

When should you get OSR in?

Answer 26

By mid sep, ideally August.