Early planting and high growth levels through last backend helped to produce big bulk in catch crops.

This is good in terms of why the crop was sown but it can increase the challenge of establishing the following crop.

Many catch crops have already been destroyed but others await some form of treatment.

While weather conditions are preventing any action for the moment, this will change.

The time for re-planting is drawing closer so one must consider options for remaining crops.

Some of these crops have increased in bulk while others have lessened due to some species being killed by recent frosts.

Some brassica species have gone to flower but seed fill must be prevented.

So what are the best options to handle these crops?

Reduce crop bulk

Reducing the bulk in catch crops can be done in different ways. Desiccation success will be influenced by the species present and the canopy bulk.

Glyphosate will be more expensive than in previous years and it could be less than 100% successful if small plants are being sheltered under big canopies.

For this reason, it may be useful to reduce crop bulk before spraying to help achieve total crop kill. Rolling down crops, especially during frost, will help to reduce canopy density and allow sheltered species to come though so they can be killed when glyphosate is applied.

Cultivation with discs is another option to reduce crop bulk but ground conditions need to be suitable for this so it might have to wait a while.

The aim should always be to leave the crop in situ for as long as possible, as growing plants pump out water which helps to get land ready for spring work earlier.

However, this must be balanced against the need to reduce the bulk in a crop so the land can be worked without undue hassle.

Cultivation

Cultivation is another option to help reduce the bulk of vegetation ahead of desiccation or ploughing. It is difficult to be certain of the level of kill that will occur because success will be influenced by the weather following cultivation, if you get weather to cultivate.

If it could be done in good dry weather, it is possible that all the material would plough down easily once it begins to decay.

Drill in situ

Another option to consider is to direct drill into the standing catch crop. This means there is always a crop growing to help dry out the ground but the catch crop would need to be desiccated shortly after drilling.

Rolling in frost can be a cheap option to reduce bulk

The cheapest and perhaps easiest way to reduce bulk is to roll it during frosty conditions to kill most or all of the species present. This requires frosty conditions which you may or may not get at this time of year.

If the option arises, roll very early in the morning to be finished before the thaw sets in.

After that, the practice is less likely to be successful as the stems become more pliable and the soil becomes damp and sticky.

Any species that survive can be more easily tackled using glyphosate or be just ploughed down or handled by selective herbicides in the following crop.

Species such as forage rape or rye can withstand frost and this is worth remembering when considering what to plant.

Nutrients

It is more likely that decaying plants will return their nutrients more quickly to the following crop than desiccated plants and this might be a factor when choosing options.

It is only when plants are decaying that they will be broken down by soil organisms to recycle nutrients.

Debris decaying on the soil surface will continue to protect it from physical damage by rain.

Crops with less bulk

Crops that have relatively little foliar bulk might be easily incorporated if they are to be ploughed or they could also still be desiccated. Spraying with glyphosate when conditions allow will kill any remaining vegetation ahead of planting. Howwever, some species like clover may still prove difficult to kill.