decoy1979 Posted November 27, 2012 Report Share Posted November 27, 2012 What dog? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 she is a GWP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teal Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Thanks for the update Al4x - looks pretty useful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Thanks for the update Al4x - looks pretty useful Its that useful the neighbours hate it If you have any land going to be over wintered as stubble its beneficial to the farmer as well, the greenery takes up the free nitrogen in the soil and by topping it and ploughing in before the spring crop that nitrogen becomes available to the growing crop. As a cheap cover to establish its pretty good for small shoots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeperchris Posted November 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Well done Al4x, The mustard we put in is slowly being eaten off by the bloody pheasants!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 28, 2012 Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 get it in earlier next year if its established well there shouldn't be a problem. You can if you like get it on before harvest if you get something to broadcast it on the front of the sprayer a few weeks before it will then be protected while it germinates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeperchris Posted November 28, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2012 Would of done if it was possible mate. We only got the agreement for the ground once the rape hade been taken off. Which was later than usual this year!! Never mind perhaps they will taste a bit mustardy....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 Your mustard is looking good Al, have you tried the utopia version, we tried some as a rescue crop and i'm well impressed, i'll try to get a snap of it this weekend if i remember Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted November 29, 2012 Report Share Posted November 29, 2012 not as far as I know certainly this always seems to work well for us and any area thats used for spring cropping could be put down to it for the cost of seed. Thats one of the thinner patches most is up to waist height and pretty thick, helps having the gaps though as the partridges love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 went in lasts days of july, cold and wet, very impressed still flowering and holding birds so very very well in places you can see the kale and quinoa which had mainly failed took those pics earlier today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 i'm thinking of using some late drillings of utopia on all our plots next season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted December 3, 2012 Report Share Posted December 3, 2012 they look pretty good on a year when certainly down here most cover crops are very poor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blakloks Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 They do look good but I'm looking for cover underneath the trees to help hold birds! Them pictures are just adding to my misery ha!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 Nothing grows without light in the plant world, wielding the chainsaw is the only way to make things grow in woods Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilR Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 Thanks for putting those pics up al4x, it shows me what our mustard could look like. Unfortunately this season we could only get ours sown once the wheat was harvested, which was very late and the weather then wasn't conducive to quick growing. The farmer has agreed that we can have certain parts of fields as dedicated areas of cover crop and we'll be able to sow them very much earlier next year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 With dedicated cover its worth adding as part of the mix but really a cover mix is your best bet, mustard is ideal on over wintered stubble the actual food value is low for birds but it provides a cover to hold them. This year has been a nightmare we were lucky the farmer is a mate and shoots with us so we do get preferential treatment for getting it on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilR Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 Unfortunately the cover crops where we used a cover mix, mainly kale and maize, hasn't come on as well as we'd hoped, all the broad leaved plants have been decimated by slugs. Next year we can't use maize, something to do with ELS? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 Ah in that case it may be worth looking which mix's are recommended for the scheme you are in, slug wise its been a bad year but might be worth investing in pellets next year if its as bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilR Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 (edited) Ah in that case it may be worth looking which mix's are recommended for the scheme you are in, slug wise its been a bad year but might be worth investing in pellets next year if its as bad. I reckon our farmer has cornered the market in slug pellets, the amount of bags he's got stashed in the yard. The order of the seed brochures is in hand. Edited December 4, 2012 by PhilR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 Phil next year try a block of utopia, I'm going for late july again for two reasons, our syndicate members who are farmers are always very busy drilling maze at the same time that would suit most cover crops, so using utopia should move the drilling period forward a few months, and I'm amazed that it is still flowering this late in the year, and those flowers will draw any insect life which in turn will keep game birds amused, it's had a few hard frosts which have not knocked it back and the speed of growth is amazing, I am very impressed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilR Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 Phil next year try a block of utopia, I'm going for late july again for two reasons, our syndicate members who are farmers are always very busy drilling maze at the same time that would suit most cover crops, so using utopia should move the drilling period forward a few months, and I'm amazed that it is still flowering this late in the year, and those flowers will draw any insect life which in turn will keep game birds amused, it's had a few hard frosts which have not knocked it back and the speed of growth is amazing, I am very impressed! Thanks for the tip Paul. I credited Alex for your recent pics so apologies for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiny tim Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 with the utopia do you have to drill it or can you broadcast it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted December 4, 2012 Report Share Posted December 4, 2012 i recon it'll work either way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danspence2012 Posted December 27, 2012 Report Share Posted December 27, 2012 hi all. on my small shoot we are thinking about putting strips of cover in sertan places. we are a rough shoot over very rough groun. some tall grasses and some quite marshy. dose any one have an idea of what we could seed as cover and feed in the summer months and may be ok of winter too. we do feed most of the year but seem to feed wondering birds so would like to put cover/feed down to keep them around. we seem to hold them very well over the winter and summer time be lucky to see one. there is lots of cover and places the pheasants like on the estate but feel they need a bit more. any ideas? only talking buying 2 25kg bags and hand sow in sertain places.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted December 28, 2012 Report Share Posted December 28, 2012 Have a look here, if you are going to broadcast by hand it means a few options are unlikely to work so do plenty of reading up and go from there. http://www.kingscrops.co.uk/index.php/game-cover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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