# Thinking of Planting Corn, First Time, Know Nothing, Advice Please



## springhollowhayfarm (Jan 25, 2011)

Been growing Wheat and Soybeans for two years now, doing well, but been thinking of trying a small spot of corn but really don't know much about growing it. Growing up we never had a Corn head for combine so we grew Milo instead for rotation. Was going to grow some Milo this year but was advised by two different people I trust not to grow it due to sugarcane aphid being bad.

Anyway just picked up a 4 row corn head for our F2 Gleaner on 30in rows and I can No-Till plant 4 rows at a time on 30in rows, but I have no dry fertilizer capability when planting. I could probably modify or set it up for Liquid, but I don't even know what kind of Liquid mix, rate, or anything to use. I have seen planters that have like single stream nozzles behind press wheels placing liquid on top of ground, and then I have see some that have a tube that places it in furrow with seed, but not sure if liquid is ok to be in contact with seed or not. I just really don't know what the common practice is for this. All I know for planing is 2in seed depth and 4in to 11in seed spacing depending on seed rate desired.

As far as spraying, I have Streamer nozzles on my spray rig that I use for Spraying wheat, just wondered if I could use those to put out Nitrogen on corn? Then next question would be how much Liquid N do I need put out and all in one pass, or multiple passes like I do on wheat?

I guess what Seed variety to use would be the next question. I know there is RU Ready Corn like there is soybeans, but not even sure were to start on varieties. I probably won't plant till mid to late April if that means anything.

Any Advice would be great and appreciated. I don't really want to go out and buy anymore equipment, so just trying to make what I have already work.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

I raise soybeans and small grain and not corn so I can't be of much help but it would be helpful if you could give us a general location in your profile to answer your question better. I imagine growing corn in different areas of the country varies quite a bit in normal production practices and defiantly in which varieties to plant. The only thing I know is that here in the south the earliest you get corn planted in the spring without getting it froze the better a chance you have making a high yielding crop.


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## springhollowhayfarm (Jan 25, 2011)

My bad, Im in North AL, just south of TN river about 15 miles. I thought that was there, I'll get that fixed.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

The tubes that place the fertilizer in furrow with the seed is for pop up fertilizer only, standard 10-34-0 would burn the seed.

We use 14 gallons/acre of 10-34-0 placed two inches to the side and two inches below the seed.


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## German Farmer (Apr 14, 2014)

Question One: Do any of your neighbors plant or have planted recently corn in your neighborhood?

If no, I would think twice. Corn has very high input costs. If you have a flop crop, with no insurance you are talking several hundred dollars per acre.

Even cheap seed corn is $250 a bag and 2.25 to 2.5 acres per bag roughly depending on certain things.

You don't have to put your nitrogen on in the row. We have urea and DAP spread by the COOP and we work it in. We do put starter in the row but some guys don't and just increase their broadcast materials.

Even at the cheapest level $300 acre to put out the crop. You would need 120 bushels corn at $3.50 to break even on inputs, fuel, storage, and trucking.

I'm not trying to talk you out of it at all. We grow more corn than any other crops but while the upside on corn can be awesome, the downside can be devastating.


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## German Farmer (Apr 14, 2014)

Do you put up any silage? If you were looking for a rotation crop, I bagged some millet for feed. It was an experiment for me and it has only been one year, but it has worked out great. Good feed. Highly digestible and much cheaper to put out than corn.


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## ANewman (Sep 20, 2012)

You don't HAVE to put dry or liquid fertilize out at planting. It may be common practice in your area and some might recommend it, but I've planted 200+ bu corn with no starter. You can put down NPK pre-plant then come back and top dress with more N later.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Being in the warmer part of the country you can probably do without starter.

Makes a pretty big difference in the cooler parts of the country and in our case it is part of our fertility program.


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

Here, starter fert is almost necessity. We can have absolutely beautiful weather late April, May can be a second March. Corn germinates and sprouts, the weather turns cold and wet, and corn basically stands still for 3 weeks. The fert helps give it a little extra push.

Also helps with maturity. We did a test last year that had 6 rows with starter, 6 rows without, on 37 acres. Moisture was .8% drier across the board on the rows with starter. Friends said the same thing in their fields.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

stack em up said:


> Here, starter fert is almost necessity. We can have absolutely beautiful weather late April, May can be a second March. Corn germinates and sprouts, the weather turns cold and wet, and corn basically stands still for 3 weeks. The fert helps give it a little extra push.
> 
> Also helps with maturity. We did a test last year that had 6 rows with starter, 6 rows without, on 37 acres. Moisture was .8% drier across the board on the rows with starter. Friends said the same thing in their fields.


The one year we tried a starter with added sulphur, the sulphur didn't stay suspended in the mix and would plug the tubes up on the squeeze pump occasionally, the entire year you could see which row(s) that was plugged. That row(s) wasn't as green and was visibly shorter. We've been having the sulphur added to our dry fertilizer that we spin on ourselves.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

stack em up said:


> Here, starter fert is almost necessity. We can have absolutely beautiful weather late April, May can be a second March. Corn germinates and sprouts, the weather turns cold and wet, and corn basically stands still for 3 weeks. The fert helps give it a little extra push.
> Also helps with maturity. We did a test last year that had 6 rows with starter, 6 rows without, on 37 acres. Moisture was .8% drier across the board on the rows with starter. Friends said the same thing in their fields.


what was the difference in yield?


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

swmnhay said:


> what was the difference in yield?


You can spin on ammonium sulfate as your nitrogen source and you get sulfer with it for free


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

Not really a difference, if I remember correctly 4.3 bushels/acre. The moisture was the only major difference.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

stack em up said:


> Not really a difference, if I remember correctly 4.3 bushels/acre. The moisture was the only major difference.


Well..4.3 b/a across enough acres is a big difference at the end of the year, then figure out extra drying...


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