OSR Watch

[MuswellMetro]

this time last year we had reports of OSR flowering, this year it is OSR rotting

so, post your OSR reports and location as it happens

North Middlesex/south Herts...still in small roset form, no flower stalks showing

 

[Dadnlad]

A nearby farmer friend of mine reckoned at the weekend that he'll be ploughing his winter rape back in soon - once he can get back on the fields

 

[merlin65]

Nothing but waterlogged fields up on this stretch of N yorks coast

 

[m100]

Some early sown OSR was flowering in the first week of January last year. This year, two and a half months later, the fields across a wide area are cold, saturated, and devoid of any pollen or nectar bearing crop.

 

[Chris B]

Much less around. Some looks okay but only a couple of inches high. Even if the weather warmed up it won't catch up fast. Flowering late April is my guess.

 

[Teemore]

Similar position to Chris B. One local farmer growing it as a break crop for the first time was telling us last week that some NI growers are also planning to plough it back in when they can get onto the ground.
Have seen a lot of ploughing carried out over the past couple of weeks that would normally have been done in the Autumn. Some fileds are still off limits to tractors.

 

[Winker]

Its been non stop rain here since may last year. Feilds are just like lakes at their lowest points

OSR is a good month away yet, and thats only if we have a full month of good spring weather. The good weather is no where to be seen yet, so im guessing most of the famrers here will plough it back in and we will see very little if any OSR honey this year

 

[MuswellMetro]

Well at least i wont get hayfever this year..

looks like mid to late april on the batch of OSR near me....the soil has underlying gravel and it drains quite well..

 

[Chris B]

Perhaps rape flowering will be staggered more than usual extending the yield period?

 

[oliver90owner]

Perhaps rape flowering will be staggered more than usual extending the yield period?

I know last year wasn't 'normal' but the crop lasted eight weeks in bloom. Didn't do me much more good than avoiding feeding them syrup during that time, and then again in the autumn.

It will only be good if the crop can be extracted and the bees moved to another area, I reckon, or if the crop is harvested in dribs and drabs.

 

[poshpikey]

Winter rape here is maybe 20cm tall.

 

[TOBY-3652]

Some here is 4 inches tall and some eaten by pigeons.. Was talking 2 the farmer today and he dosent seem too bothered.. He said we will be suprised how different the rape will look when we get some good weather.. And he also said there only needs to be 9 plants per square meyre for it to be a decent crop

 

[Cazza]

Some here is 4 inches tall and some eaten by pigeons..

Sounds the same as here. Funny how the pigeons hit some fields and not others which are practically next door.
Cazza

 

[meetballuk]

ploughed back in! in manchester dnt think it got more than an inch

 

[SWFC]

Almost at the point where any plants per square metre would be considered a crop this season!?

 

[dpearce4]

Some here is 4 inches tall and some eaten by pigeons.. Was talking 2 the farmer today and he dosent seem too bothered.. He said we will be suprised how different the rape will look when we get some good weather.. And he also said there only needs to be 9 plants per square meyre for it to be a decent crop

Same here but crops also being eaten by hundreds of swans, they are everywhere upwards of 50/100 in each field right from the river arun thro to chichester.

its also amazing how on one side of the railway line there are a few flowers and the otherside the plants are only maybe 2inches tall. All caused by flooding.

 

[MuswellMetro]

This is the best field of Osr near me, it is on a gravel ridge, lower down the value it has been ploughed in...

looks about 4" high

 

[dclewis]

MM your fields are doing as well if not better than the stuff growing around us and we're that much further south than you. Mind you we were knocked back a couple of weeks ago by the 20cm of snow that turned into lakes in the fields. Your turn now with the snow, I hear.

 

[flemage]

looking better than the stuff here in south Devon, we have only about four inches.

 

[Tom Bick]

I dont know a great deal about OSR as my bees are never near it but will the crop recover and just flower late or is it destined to fail and at best be poor.