June 2024 – Headley Hall Demonstrator Hub Update
Headley Hall Site Plan
Most crops are now growing well at the Headley Hall Demonstrator Hub.
Crop Diaries
Click on the titles below to find out how each of the crops are progressing.
Alder
- The SRF alder plots look healthy.
- There are no signs of pest damage to the leaves.
- Weeds have sprung up over the past 2 weeks so need to get on top of these around the trees.
Black Locust
- The SRF black locust ‘Turbo’ trees look pretty good, they are bushing out and growing well. There are no signs of any pest or disease damage but we will keep on the lookout. Weeds need to be knocked down in the rows again.
- We are fairly concerned about the replanted SRF black locust ‘Turbo Obelisk’ there are small green leaves on some of the plants, but most seem to be bare of any signs of life.
Unsure of the cause, potentially the really wet weather when planting did not help the situation.
Eucalyptus
- The SRF Eucalyptus trees are looking okay.
- We need to get some larger stakes in the ground to keep some of the top-heavy ones from bending over slightly.
- There are no signs of any pest damage but we will keep a close eye on this.
- Some of the leaves have a yellow tinge to them, we’re not sure if this anything to be concerned about or just their natural variety.
Poplar
- The SRF poplar trees are looking in a good state and growing well
- The SRC poplar trees are growing nicely. There are some weeds around the bases of the trees, we’ll get on top of this when we get an opportunity soon.
Miscanthus
- The 0.5 ha Miscanthus giganteus plants at Headley Hall are growing really well, the warm weather has kicked them on with the canopy closing and getting some real height to them.
- The 0.5 ha Miscanthus Athena™ plot is still a bit patchy, more seem to be through since the last report but still not the coverage expected. Now that we have the Post Em spray recommendations we’ll get that on at the next available spray opportunity.
- The 2023 Miscanthus Variety Trial plot looks good. The plants are growing with the recent heat. There is a weed problem but we’ll try and keep on top of this in the pathways.
- The 2024 Miscanthus Variety Trial plots are coming on. There are some weeds popping up now, we’ll get a Post Em on this to try and keep on top of them.
Willow
- There has been a lot of new growth in the 0.5 ha SRC willow plot. The Inger variety has however lost most of the leaves from the stems and only a few at the top of the plant remain. We have noticed a bit of leaf roll on some of the varieties, unsure if this is due to the heat and the lack of rain or there is something else causing this issue, we’ll keep an eye on this.
- The willows in the SRC willow variety trial look well. There are no visible signs of any problems in the crop. We are currently replanting the missing varieties.
Sida
- Most of the sida plants that were planted are still there.
- They haven’t grown on to much after planting, maybe due to the lack of rain recently.
Reed Canary Grass
- The reed canary grass has come on well and has got some height to it.
Switchgrass
- The switchgrass is growing but has not got much height to it yet.
- Groundsel is in the plot so this might be contributing to this.
Silphium
- The Silphium is not planted yet but is on the to do list of jobs.
Plans and Actions
- The electric fence is up and working.
- We need to spray the bottom again to keep it clear of grass/weed build up.
- The SFI mix around the outside of the field and plots has got a fair amount of weeds growing in it, so much so that it is outcompeting the mix of species in the mix.
