Finishing the Oats

The first job on the third and final day of oat planting 2013 was picking up all the rocks brought up by the harrowing.  We filled another 2 tractor buckets.  The next job was rolling in the seed.  As well as liking to be sown to 50mm, the oats germinate better if there is good contact with the soil.

Rolling

Last year we bought a segmented Cambridge Roller to give the oats their best chance with our low tech approach.  It is made up of a series of individual cast rings on a single axle which means you can drive round without banking up dirt on the corners.  The roller has prongs, which push the seeds deeper for better seed contact and earlier germination, and ribs that groove the final surface to reduce scouring from rain and increase moisture retention.    It is almost 3m wide, so it only takes about 45 minutes to do the whole paddock.

Fertilising

The final job was fertilising.  We have been using a range of natural fertilisers from Eco-growth who specialise in manufacturing natural, organic and gentle granular and Liquid Fertilisers.   We used a controlled release Eco-Prime fertiliser, combining volcanic minerals, citrate soluble soft-rock phosphate, beneficial biology including mycorrhizal fungi and seaweed.  There is a fascinating article in a recent Farm Weekly about plants communicating through the mycorrhizal fungi.

Rain

Two hours after spreading the fertiliser we got 15mm of rain. Perfect Timing.