Home Farm: tips of green winter wheat shoots visible
This is the first year we failed to roll any of the winter cereals, though we did get to roll the oilseed rape and I am now noticing water pools in the field.
At last, after almost a month since sowing, the tips of green winter wheat shoots are clearly visible. I was afraid they had rotted in the incessant rain but while the tramlines are not yet visible, the plants look healthy with a reasonable plant population though the later the season went, the more we increased the seeding rate.
The seed wheat itself went in after beans and there are no pools of water in the field unlike where the winter barley went in after wheat.
While part of this may be due to travelling on land that was undesirably wet, I think some of it is due to the opening up of the soil by the beans and rape break crops. This is the first year we failed to roll any of the winter cereals but we did get to roll the oilseed rape.
ADVERTISEMENT
This year, I am again going to use the biological additive in the cattle tanks.
After last year, I am convinced that the smell is reduced and there is less agitation required to break up the crust in the tanks but the main advantage claimed by the manufacturers is the significant reduction in ammonical nitrogen in the spread slurry and it should have beneficial effects on the earthworms and soil microflora.
Recovery
We seem to have had excellent grass growth and good recovery on the slurry-treated grassland but that may have been partly due to the rain.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
At last, after almost a month since sowing, the tips of green winter wheat shoots are clearly visible. I was afraid they had rotted in the incessant rain but while the tramlines are not yet visible, the plants look healthy with a reasonable plant population though the later the season went, the more we increased the seeding rate.
The seed wheat itself went in after beans and there are no pools of water in the field unlike where the winter barley went in after wheat.
While part of this may be due to travelling on land that was undesirably wet, I think some of it is due to the opening up of the soil by the beans and rape break crops. This is the first year we failed to roll any of the winter cereals but we did get to roll the oilseed rape.
This year, I am again going to use the biological additive in the cattle tanks.
After last year, I am convinced that the smell is reduced and there is less agitation required to break up the crust in the tanks but the main advantage claimed by the manufacturers is the significant reduction in ammonical nitrogen in the spread slurry and it should have beneficial effects on the earthworms and soil microflora.
Recovery
We seem to have had excellent grass growth and good recovery on the slurry-treated grassland but that may have been partly due to the rain.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS