Food Plots Corn Experiment

[WilcoKen]

A member was gracious enough to give me some corn seed last month. I planted it traditional tillage but late for my liking (June 4) but it is doing good.

I had extra seed so I wanted to try something in a wheat/oat plot left from last year. Last week I laid over the wheat/oat cover crop and ran my Ford 309 Planter over it to see if it would get the seed down in the cover and in some dirt. It did it with pretty good results since the ground was fairly soft. Seed is emerging 1 week later. I'm not going to spray this test plot and see if the weeds stay down due to wheat/oats shading them out. I did spray it after laying it over and before planting but that will be it. So far, things look good. Just need rain over these next 2 months. Fun to try--will update thread.

 

[BSK]

Great experiment. Keep us updated.

 

[Popcorn]

Beautiful mat of matter. It will help a lot. Some hot weather stuff will emerge before your corn canopies over but a lot less than what would otherwise.
Good luck I look forward to updates on corn this late . Should be fine if you get rain

 

[DoubleRidge]

Nice experiment! Mat should help hold moisture as well....keep us posted!

 

[backyardtndeer]

Looks like that is going to work really well. I really need a planter.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Nice - keep us updated!

 

[WilcoKen]

About a week later and corn emergence is good. There's some wheat emerging too though--not what I wanted. I was hoping the high heat would stunt the wheat but it's not that I can tell.

 

[pk117ac23]

Congrats!! I'm excited to see how this works for you!!

 

[Hunter0678]

About a week later and corn emergence is good. There's some wheat emerging too though--not what I wanted. I was hoping the high heat would stunt the wheat but it's not that I can tell.

Did you consider running your planter through the standing wheat and then laying it over after? Id like to see some more picks as it furthers germination and then on.

 

[Swampster]

I think it will all depend on the amount and timing of rains you get this time of year.

 

[WilcoKen]

Did you consider running your planter through the standing wheat and then laying it over after? Id like to see some more picks as it furthers germination and then on.

Yes. My 309 planter was having wheat stalks get in the chain and it was throwing the chain off. A different style planter would probably plant in the stalks better. But its all I have.

 

[WilcoKen]

I think it will all depend on the amount and timing of rains you get this time of year.

So far thw rains have been perfect. Germination is excellent.

 

[WilcoKen]

Corn is up to about 8" now. We've had a lot of rain since I planted. The only issue I see is the wheat is sprouting too. Corn doesn't seem to mind though. Need to fertilize. So far, so good.

 

[WilcoKen]

I am 6 weeks from germination and the corn is looking OK. About 3 ft tall. The shorter corn is what I replanted about 4 weeks ago. My planter was empty on those rows when I planted on July 1. The mat keep noxious weeds down good but there was so much wheat seed that got layed down it all sprouted with all the rain we've had. Not the prettiest corn plot but I think it will make ears just in time.

The more mature stalks to the left was planted early June.

 

[JCDEERMAN]

I am 6 weeks from germination and the corn is looking OK. About 3 ft tall. The shorter corn is what I replanted about 4 weeks ago. My planter was empty on those rows when I planted on July 1. The mat keep noxious weeds down good but there was so much wheat seed that got layed down it all sprouted with all the rain we've had. Not the prettiest corn plot but I think it will make ears just in time.

The more mature stalks to the left was planted early June.

Nice. Do you have any plans for it this fall? Or just leave the corn standing and that's it? If it's round up ready, you could spray and sow some smaller seeds (clovers and brassicas) into the corn right before a rain and you'll have some lush growth down low and corn up high. We have the same mat laying on the ground, but weeds took over and we had to spray before they developed seed heads

 

[WilcoKen]

Nice. Do you have any plans for it this fall? Or just leave the corn standing and that's it? If it's round up ready, you could spray and sow some smaller seeds (clovers and brassicas) into the corn right before a rain and you'll have some lush growth down low and corn up high. We have the same mat laying on the ground, but weeds took over and we had to spray before they developed seed heads

This is exactly what I was thinking I would do. I usually cut my corn about Nov 1 but I thought about trying what you said. If nothing else I will plant a 10 yd ring of a fall mix around the whole field of corn.

 

[govols]

I am 6 weeks from germination and the corn is looking OK. About 3 ft tall. The shorter corn is what I replanted about 4 weeks ago. My planter was empty on those rows when I planted on July 1. The mat keep noxious weeds down good but there was so much wheat seed that got layed down it all sprouted with all the rain we've had. Not the prettiest corn plot but I think it will make ears just in time.

The more mature stalks to the left was planted early June.View attachment 191612

I'm not an expert but I'd side dress it again.

 

[WilcoKen]

I'm not an expert but I'd side dress it again.

Yeah it needs it.