Catch crop management in spring

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  Short video · March 2024

  Catch crop management in spring

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The starting point

Because of the heavy rainfall since October, lime has been moved into deeper soil layers, so there is no free lime at the surface. The result: clay-humus complexes cannot form and the soil lacks air.

How should you proceed now?

“Use your head as well as your machinery!”

1. First determine the free lime or measure the pH and, if necessary, apply lime as soon as the ground can be travelled on.
2. For all cultivation operations: stay calm and wait until the topsoil has dried off.
3. If the soil can be worked without damage, your first operation should be with a light spring-tine cultivator without a trailing roller. The GÜTTLER Super Maxx® BIO is ideal for this. This low-draught cultivator can also be pulled by small tractors. This protects the soil and saves diesel.
4. Which point type should you use?

The deciding criterion is: what does the crop look like?

Where the catch crop is completely winter-killed, with no weeds or volunteer cereals

• Narrow points can be used

Where catch crops are not winter-killed and there are weeds and volunteer cereals

• Use swept points for shallow and, above all, full-width cultivation. The large overlap of the 20 cm swept points at the 13 cm tine spacing of the GÜTTLER Super Maxx® BIO ensures reliable full-width cutting. Thanks to its 7-row design, the Super Maxx® has enough clearance to incorporate catch crop residues.

Important: do not use trailing rollers

• The first pass should leave coarse crumbs to preserve the stable soil structure and protect the soil from erosion. The moist soil can then air. Only create a fine seedbed shortly before sowing. The Super Maxx® BIO can be used for this too. The proven GÜTTLER front presses then add the finishing touch during drilling.
• In addition, the following harrow shakes adhering soil off the roots. Using the GÜTTLER Super Maxx® BIO with a double harrow instead of a trailing roller leaves the uprooted plant residues lying loosely on the surface. Sun and wind dry the plants out and they do not take root again.

If you have any questions about catch crop destruction or about using the GÜTTLER Super Maxx®, ask your GÜTTLER dealer or the GÜTTLER sales team. We will be happy to advise you.