Foggy47
5 year old buck +
I did not use my roller crimper this year. Never put it on my tractor. Instead I terminated some rye and clover with herbicides to (attempt) planting my brassica plots in mid July (which was a failure due to lack of rain)......and I used my flail mower to terminate some other rye. I let some go to seed and then re-planted into the standing rye.....which largely knocked it down. I just did not have a need to use that roller crimper this year.Hey foggy n brokenbear I'm curious do you really have to have a roller crimper for rye n buckwheat or would cultipacker be sufficient. Please give me your thoughts I planted rye at 200 pounds per acre this fall and would be planting 50 pounds buckwheat per acre next July ty
I had such a dry year that I had to bob and weave to keep my plots going the best I could.....as I tried my best to grow some brasica (and largely lost that battle). Also, as far north as I am.....the rye does not go to seed until late July or August......so I get time for some other alternatives.
I did try to use a cultipacker to terminate rye last summer. I would say it's the worst method to terminate rye that I have tried. My rye just stood back up after a day or three. I suppose if you cultipacked it three times or so.....you could keep it from succeeding (?)......but a single pass across the rye would not do it.
My experience with buckwheat is that you can terminate it just by looking at it......or by drilling into it and likely by use of your cultipacker. (grin). Rye is a bit harder tho.
If I did not own a roller crimper......I think I could get along without such a tool. But, I beleive a flail mower and herbicides are superior to using a cultipacker to terminate rye if you do not have a crimper. For a small operator on a few acres....I think you can get along without a roller crimper. It's a bit of a one-trick pony. Still...in the right time and place they do some good things. Your needs & results may vary?
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