Planting corn is a delicate process and it requires the grower to consider many factors from seed type, soil fertility levels, and sunlight exposure in order for the crop to be successful.
Growing healthy crops begins with planting best practices that will optimize your yield and economic return on investment when harvesting them at the season’s end. Here are some important things you need to know before getting started:
The firm seedbed for planting
A firm seedbed at planting time will give your seeds the best chance to germinate and grow, but it can be hard to tell what’s really underfoot without taking a walk through the fields first. You might think of a seedbed as the foundation for planting the seeds.
A seedbed is considered too loose if one sinks more than an inch when walking through the field, but this can vary based on planting equipment. A firm soil at planting time helps to create good contact with seeds and also establish nodal roots near the surface of the earth which will help in future growth. Tilling can be a great way to get rid of weeds, but too much tilling will make it difficult for vegetative organisms (such as plants) to thrive. So before you start planting or fertilizing your garden beds, avoid plowing more than necessary and don’t turn over the soil any deeper than six inches below ground level – this should allow enough space for plant roots.
Avoid wet soil and tillage
Soil that crumbles when squeezed is the perfect time to prepare a seedbed. Wet soils, however, are problematic for farmers as they can make it difficult for nodal roots of crops to penetrate and cause compacted layers below so much work with pre-plant tillage becomes necessary.
Planting seeds in wet soil creates a cloddy seedbed, creating furrows that open after planting and diminish contact with the ground. Planting on dry soil is best because it prevents this from happening to your fragile sprouts.
Planting on wet soils can cause seed furrows to open, as well as diminish the amount of soil that is touching the seeds. This lack of seed-to-soil contact between plant and ground greatly hinders a successful growth period for any given species if not repaired immediately after planting.
The Right Depth of Planting
Corn is one of the most popular crops for farmers to plant. The majority of corn’s roots are located in between its seed and soil surface, which means that proper planting depth can affect yield significantly if not done correctly. Corn should be planted 2 inches deep; this way barriers such as weeds or rocks will have less chance of blocking nodal root development when it comes time for harvesting.
The recommended planting speed is between two and three miles per hour.
In order to avoid high speeds that make planter units bounce, which causes shallow seed placement and variable emergence of the seeds in your field, it’s important to keep a close eye on how fast you’re going so as not go over this limit.
Appropriate planting time
As the days grow longer, it becomes easier to plant late and still have a successful yield. If plants are not damaged by frost in early May then they will typically be able to produce comparable yields if planted as soon as soils can be worked in mid-April or even earlier since many of the vital growing degree days that corn needs occur during this time period.
Covering seed ‘V’ with closing wheels speeds up germination and the emergence of seeds. Closing wheels help to ensure that proper soil-seed contact is maintained, as they remove sidewall compaction and air pockets while ensuring fast germination rates for a consistent seedling population.