Oil Seed Rape in September / October

[johncorne]

I was driving across Wiltshire the last few days of September and again the first few days of October and saw hundreds of acres of OSR in flower , or just about to flower. This seems very late....is it likely to offer nectar at the current temperature?

Jc

 

[thorn]

Are you sure it was OSR and not mustard?

 

[johncorne]

Well, I didn't get out and check , but it was probably 18" tall and certainly looked like rape. The mustard I've seen in fields has been pretty low - or is there a taller variety now?

Jc

 

[Finman]

Rape has been planted too early and it was ready to bloom now.

 

[gmonag]

OSR does not have to be grown over the Winter. Spring OSR is sown in March/April and takes 150 days to grow.

 

[foghornleghorn]

Charlock or a brassica cover crop. No one would plant a crop so that seed set and yield formation is occurring in a time of rapidly reducing growth rates

 

[Finman]

.
In Finland when Spring rape has been sown, it takes 6 weeks to start blooming.
In warm soil growing is fast..

 

[Ian123]

And if it’s flowering at 18” rape is normally taller than that.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Charlock or a brassica cover crop. No one would plant a crop so that seed set and yield formation is occurring in a time of rapidly reducing growth rates

I agree with you its a cover crop/ green manure this time of year.

 

[birdsandbees]

I agree with you its a cover crop/ green manure this time of year.

You never know, a decent spell of weather and you could still get a flow from it.

 

[Curly green finger's]

You never know, a decent spell of weather and you could still get a flow from it.

If it's brassica family you can keep it I've still osr in buckets not processed ... I'm a honey monster but I'm not a fan .

 

[Curley]

There are certainly fields of mustard flowering in Wiltshire, grown as previously stated as green manure. Some of the farmers growing it are members of our club and have asked about moving bees to it.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

I've seen a lot of this, this year. It is volunteer seedlings from the relics of the harvest, not a new crop. Maybe ahead of a fallow year or pending ploughing. Some sort of flow must be possible: it's less dense and robust than a full crop but not negligible.