cover crops

Who sells cover crop seed in ireland? wouldn't mind trying a bit what kind of price per acre?

We supply certain cover crops to the trade. Mustard, Phacelia etc. Mostly imported to order.

I looked at costs before. At recommended sowing rates, Phacelia and Mustard were in the region of €30/ac i think. Not cheap!!
Other cheaper options are oats, forage rape etc.

In what situation or why are you thinking of using them?
 
I am interested in doing some cover crops . What is Redstart and are you allowed to spray it with a Graminicide to control volunteers .
 
I am interested in doing some cover crops . What is Redstart and are you allowed to spray it with a Graminicide to control volunteers .

Redstart is a cross between kale and rape. Not sure it would be an ideal choice as a cover crop (too much foliage produced).

I cant see why it couldn't be sprayed with a graminicide, best to check with germinal seeds as they sell it.
 
Redstart is very expensive though.

My father came home with that in September and he was promptly sent back with it!

Have used forage rape here for the last two years, but only this year was good.

Had no problems ploughing it down, will be interesting to see its impact on the following crop.

I would love to graze it off but our tillage area is mainly a different section and the father is not fond of sheep and the scheme we are in doesn't allow you to graze.
 
We supply certain cover crops to the trade. Mustard, Phacelia etc. Mostly imported to order.

I looked at costs before. At recommended sowing rates, Phacelia and Mustard were in the region of €30/ac i think. Not cheap!!
Other cheaper options are oats, forage rape etc.

In what situation or why are you thinking of using them?

i'm thinking winter barley cover crop, graze, then spring barley. 30euro sounds a bit steep. what kind of cost are fodder rape, stubble turnips etc? or can mixes be bought?

I know peddlers on the farming forum sells mixes for £20-30ha
 
i'm thinking winter barley cover crop, graze, then spring barley. 30euro sounds a bit steep. what kind of cost are fodder rape, stubble turnips etc? or can mixes be bought?

I know peddlers on the farming forum sells mixes for £20-30ha

No mixes done here. The forage rape etc might be closer to 10-15€ per acre.

Teagasc trials have shown no yield benefit to following crop (I believe them).
 
Teagasc trials have shown no yield benefit to following crop (I believe them).


Yea i kinda agree. We have sown mustard for the last 4 years and not seeing anything noticable in the crops of barley. Only sowing it as part of an aeos scheme. Once we out of that I won't be sowing it no more


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I'm wanting to look into this aswell, wanting to sow it on heavy ground and looking something deep rooting and plenty of foliage to plough in. I'm looking to get some OM back in and any NPK would be a bonus.
Any suggestions what to go for?
Thanks
 
Yea i kinda agree. We have sown mustard for the last 4 years and not seeing anything noticable in the crops of barley. Only sowing it as part of an aeos scheme. Once we out of that I won't be sowing it no more


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I think you would be better to change to forage rape. Mustard is very expensive for that job IMV.


But like you on two minds once AEOS is over.


I'm wanting to look into this aswell, wanting to sow it on heavy ground and looking something deep rooting and plenty of foliage to plough in. I'm looking to get some OM back in and any NPK would be a bonus.
Any suggestions what to go for?
Thanks

Mustard should be ideal for that, that is one benefit which is not seen of cover crops. The improvement in OM.

I have walked our SB just now and the field which had the best cover crop is absolutely motoring it. How long would it take for the locked in N to be released?
 
I also think that as many different types of plants in a mix as possible. different rooting profiles and depth holding the ground open to stop slumping and run off. scavenging excess nutrients. I think there are far to many benefits to not do it.

Sow your cover and spread dung slurry etc.
 
I also think that as many different types of plants in a mix as possible. different rooting profiles and depth holding the ground open to stop slumping and run off. scavenging excess nutrients. I think there are far to many benefits to not do it.

Sow your cover and spread dung slurry etc.

Think that is the main benefit of sowing cover crops improved soil would treat any N etc as bonus. Especially when you're on zero till/min till
 
Did a bit of an experiment here this year. Got some oilseed rape from the combine ( non hybrid) and broadcast. No bother grew well. Burnt it off with glyphosate and ploughed down. Tell the truth I was tempted to let it go to harvest but I chickened out!
 
People wouldn't want to forget the pitfalls associated with creating green bridges......

Slugs, leatherjackets, encouraging the build up of soil borne nasties like Clubroot, oat mosaic etc etc........

I do like the nice pictures of cover crops as they make the fields look pretty but I'm not overly convinced about them myself from a cost vs benefit point of view.

This is coming from someone who sells seed.....
 
People wouldn't want to forget the pitfalls associated with creating green bridges......

Slugs, leatherjackets, encouraging the build up of soil borne nasties like Clubroot, oat mosaic etc etc........

I do like the nice pictures of cover crops as they make the fields look pretty but I'm not overly convinced about them myself from a cost vs benefit point of view.

This is coming from someone who sells seed.....



IMO, Nice clean sprayed off stubble fields look very pretty too!!

Green bridge is something that definitely needs careful consideration if choosing a cover crop
 
People wouldn't want to forget the pitfalls associated with creating green bridges......

Slugs, leatherjackets, encouraging the build up of soil borne nasties like Clubroot, oat mosaic etc etc........

I do like the nice pictures of cover crops as they make the fields look pretty but I'm not overly convinced about them myself from a cost vs benefit point of view.

This is coming from someone who sells seed.....

I think their mostly to stop erosion and leaching so unlikely to really see any other benefits
 
Cover crops seem to be more benefit when direct drilling or min til had a cover crop of oats after winter barley in harvest 13 oats grew a ft tall then sprayed them off and sowed w barley got a perfect seed bed oats had the soil real fry able but had slug damage field had no slug problems before very hard to say if there worth it I m going to try a few more next year
 
Before we had expensive ways of growing cereals we relied on Cover crops green manuring and legumes as well as well rotted farm yard manure . I remember when we were doing land reclamation about two acres of good land was uncropped for a year because of deep ditches and grew lambsquarters . The beet in that two acres next year was twice the size of the rest of the field .There is more forgotten than we learn .
 
In one sense following on from Bog Man's post, mixed farming is what we should be at!

Bog Man will be back fattening cattle again!
 
Before we had expensive ways of growing cereals we relied on Cover crops green manuring and legumes as well as well rotted farm yard manure . I remember when we were doing land reclamation about two acres of good land was uncropped for a year because of deep ditches and grew lambsquarters . The beet in that two acres next year was twice the size of the rest of the field .There is more forgotten than we learn .

Remember reading in a UK magazine that in the past (horse and cart times) fallowing was used in the absence of chemical fertiliser. The land was ploughed 3 or 4 times in the fallow year. The thinking was to kill weed seeds and to let the land soak up nitrogen from the atmosphere.

Is there anything in this? As air is 78% Nitrogen does bare soil have the capability to soak up N?
 
I found a journal of a farming society based in Athy Co Kildare arond 1850. They decribed they farming practice of a townsland called Churchtown. Its heavy land without running water. The practice was to crop it every second year with wheat. Probally rested and kept it clean every other year.
As a farming society they kept good records of their meetings.
Another article decribed potatoe planting and told of a farmer who had a good crop. He told of how he got the women planting to put one handful of dung becide each potatoe.
 
Anyone sowed barley after cover crops this year. I have S barley one field after cover crop and one without the barley with the cover crop has slightly more dieseae but a lot less weeds
 
Anyone sowed barley after cover crops this year. I have S barley one field after cover crop and one without the barley with the cover crop has slightly more dieseae but a lot less weeds

What was the cover crop used?
 
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