Growing corn
03-04-2006, 03:26 PM
#2
Spike
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location:
Posts: 31
RE: Growing corn
Well it can be that easy...but...
Just like all food plots...good site prep, good soil testing, good planting tech, and good maintenance...and then some cooperation from Mother Nature...and you will have a food plot.
You can take all of the steps that a farmer takes or you can skip or cut corners with some added risk.
Site prep - no skimping here...you need to till the ground one way or another. The fact is that the seed has to get into the ground at least a half inch but is better to get in 1 to 2 inches.
Soil tests - you can skip it or skimp on it...that is the risk you take.
Planting - you can broadcast corn but you need to have a method of getting it into the soil...a good packer (with deep knobs) or a light discing. This is somewhat risky as there is no precision...maybe double your seed rate to compensate. Try to braodcast with the seeds being around 3 to 4 inches apart when you look at them on the ground. If you have a planter...great...you are in business. If you have a drill, it might handle small "rounds" sized corn and even maybe bigger. Close every two or three holes in the drill to get a 2 to 3 foot spacing when planting.
Maintenance - No skipping here...corn can not tolerate competition. If you disc the heck out of the site several times before planting to reduce the weeds as much as possible...you "might" have less weed pressure...I stress "might". Go with the Round-up Ready corn for the first year or two until you get more experience with planting. Usually spray the site 6 to 8 weeks after planting when the weeds are 4 to 6 inches tall. Check back in 4 to 6 weeks to see if it needs another application. Try to plant at the later end of the recommended dates to allow better weed reduction with your tillage...that may reduce the need for the second spraying.
If you need Round-up Ready Corn...see this link
http://www.habitatnow.com/store/shop/shop.php?pn_selected_category=10
Good Luck and let us know how it goes.
Land DR
Just like all food plots...good site prep, good soil testing, good planting tech, and good maintenance...and then some cooperation from Mother Nature...and you will have a food plot.
You can take all of the steps that a farmer takes or you can skip or cut corners with some added risk.
Site prep - no skimping here...you need to till the ground one way or another. The fact is that the seed has to get into the ground at least a half inch but is better to get in 1 to 2 inches.
Soil tests - you can skip it or skimp on it...that is the risk you take.
Planting - you can broadcast corn but you need to have a method of getting it into the soil...a good packer (with deep knobs) or a light discing. This is somewhat risky as there is no precision...maybe double your seed rate to compensate. Try to braodcast with the seeds being around 3 to 4 inches apart when you look at them on the ground. If you have a planter...great...you are in business. If you have a drill, it might handle small "rounds" sized corn and even maybe bigger. Close every two or three holes in the drill to get a 2 to 3 foot spacing when planting.
Maintenance - No skipping here...corn can not tolerate competition. If you disc the heck out of the site several times before planting to reduce the weeds as much as possible...you "might" have less weed pressure...I stress "might". Go with the Round-up Ready corn for the first year or two until you get more experience with planting. Usually spray the site 6 to 8 weeks after planting when the weeds are 4 to 6 inches tall. Check back in 4 to 6 weeks to see if it needs another application. Try to plant at the later end of the recommended dates to allow better weed reduction with your tillage...that may reduce the need for the second spraying.
If you need Round-up Ready Corn...see this link
http://www.habitatnow.com/store/shop/shop.php?pn_selected_category=10
Good Luck and let us know how it goes.
Land DR
03-20-2006, 06:31 PM
#3
Typical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Nanjemoy, MD
Posts: 998
RE: Growing corn
Land DR - good advice, thx for the web site. Re corn planting date:I planted last year'scorn (southern MD) in early May, per a recommendation I foundin an ag web site, and experienced minimaldamage fromcorn borers. The previous year's crop(my firstcorn plot attempt) was plantedmid-June, and there was hardly an ear that was not damaged by borers. Since I used Roundup Ready corn for both years and followed the spraying recommendations, weeds were not an issue.
-fsh
-fsh
