Good weather: October has provided a great spell of planting weather for most. There was some heavy rain in places over the weekend but the majority of growers are now finished planting and many are well on with regard to harvesting of potatoes and maize. Much of the land sown in recent weeks might still be rolled if conditions are good enough. Soil temperatures are still a little above normal.

Planting: There is still a bit of planting to be done and this should be completed as soon as possible. It is inevitable that conditions for planting and crop establishment will deteriorate as we move into November.

More care is needed with late planting. You need to be able to produce a good, tight seedbed to help slow slug activity and to make your field less attractive to birds, as rolling may not be possible. The majority of winter crops are well established and the prospects of poorly established gappy crops is not conducive to high yields or low cost.

Conditions in the subsoil may be more important than the seedbed itself. Plant when it’s safe but late-sown crops that establish well can still be fine. Late planting might be confined to wheat and oats at seed rates around or above 350 seeds/m2 for wheat, and perhaps up to 450 seeds/m2 for oats, given the likely pressure from birds.

Establishment rate is likely to be lower as we move into November. For wheat with 50g TGW, 375 seeds/m2 requires 190kg/ha (12st/ac). For oats, 450 seeds requires 180kg/ha (11.5st/ac) at 40g TGW.

Spraying: The earliest sown crops may now need an aphicide where Deter was used. Don’t bargain on more than six weeks cover post-emergence where aphid pressure is high. Any early October-sown crops not dressed with Deter should also consider an aphicide shortly.

Grass weed challenges tend to govern herbicide choice and programme. Most fields need wild oat control, and this can be targeted with specific herbicides such as Axial or Cheetah Extra, or with broader spectrum sprays such as Alister or Pacifica. But application timing is important for these. Problem grass weeds such as sterile brome may involve a split treatment approach with pendimethalin products, pre-emerge or early post, followed by Broadway Star. If an autumn herbicide is not applied, then Pacifica may be the product of choice in spring. The risk of waiting for this is that weeds may have already caused yield loss.

Pests: Slugs continue to be a risk even where they were not active initially. Spells of frost or wet can awaken dormant feeders to cause problems at any point.

As temperatures drop, crow and rabbit damage is likely to increase. This can mean more hassle and cost during establishment. Crops will take longer to establish and crows get bolder as they get hungrier.

You may need to take action against rabbits too where they are an annual problem. Numbers appear high, so they could cause even more damage if left uncontrolled.