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Post by DarJones on Jan 31, 2021 21:22:34 GMT -5
Urea is more concentrated so you need less of it. It can easily burn the plants if applied too close to the plants. You can apply a small amount spread over the bed prior to planting, 3/4 of a cup should be enough for a 4X4 raised bed. Don't overdo this as the nitrogen can easily leach out before the plants are large enough to use it. Work it into the soil then plant the seed. When the plants are about a foot tall, apply 1 level tablespoon per plant. If there are 32 plants in a 4X4 bed, apply 2 cups which is 32 tablespoons. When the plants are about 4 feet tall, apply 1 more cup to the bed and you should have enough nitrogen for ear production. Don't overlook the other nutrients. P and K have to be in the soil along with micronutrients which must include copper.
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Post by lindaj on Jan 31, 2021 22:25:21 GMT -5
Thank you DarJones for answering my fertilizing questions. I think I have learned a lot from everyone in this thread to actually get some nice corn. I have what I a think will be my last corn questions.
1. Is there a difference in growing corn in a 4x4 raised bed vs ground. I noted in your first post you said the corn should be spaced 15” apart and the rows should be 3’ apart if I wanted to get good corn production on each stalk. Then in your second post when advising about growing corn in the 4x4 you mentioned no more than 2 stalks per foot for a total of 32 ears. That is a lot of different than the first post. Can I expect more than 1 ear of corn per stalk with 32 stalks in a 4x4?
2. Can corn be planted outdoors before the last frost date?
3. Can I start corn seeds inside to give them a head start on their growth?
4. Can I succession plant the corn to make harvest time last longer?
What zone do you live in? I’m in zone 5. Do you have any experience in growing sweet potatoes? If yes, do I need to start a new thread outside of this corn thread?
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Post by DarJones on Feb 1, 2021 17:03:31 GMT -5
1. I gave the first answer not knowing you were growing in raised beds. Once I knew you are growing in raised beds, I modified my answers accordingly. Keep in mind that growing corn in a raised bed requires high fertility soil and abundant water. 2. While you can plant corn before the last frost date, I recommend waiting Sweet corn in general is a weak germinator if planted into cool soil. 3. If you choose to start early, use 2" X 2" cell trays or similar. It is very important to not let the corn grow more than 3 inches tall and preferred to stay below 2 inches while in the trays. If it gets taller, the plants will be stunted and much less productive. Corn produces a primary root that MUST be handled carefully when transplanting. If the primary root is broken, the stalk may grow but the ear of corn will be smaller. Corn usually reaches 2 inches tall in about 10 to 12 days from seed planting. 4. Instead of succession planting, get seed with different maturity dates and plant it all at one time. For example, a 72 day variety planted near an 80 day variety and a 90 day variety would give you a succession crop. I am in zone 7B and grow sweet potatoes just about every year. Sandhill has some really good information about growing them and they are in a similar climate to you. Pay attention to what Glenn says about heat units. www.sandhillpreservation.com/sweet-potato-growing-information
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Post by nkline on Feb 4, 2021 0:17:41 GMT -5
You might try plastic row covers/low tunnels if you want to plant early then remove once plants are started and frost chance is gone, I have done that before. I wouldn’t try to transplant corn, but putting them on a damp paper towel in a ziplock bag over a warm vent until they almost germinate can save you 10 or more days if planting into cool soils.
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Post by RpR on Mar 9, 2021 19:31:16 GMT -5
I am not a farmer but have been growing corn, sweet, dent , flour and most anything that gets my interest for fifty years. What soil do you have in your raised bed? What does it consist of; I am blessed with Minnesota Black Gumbo which is rich and slightly acidic. I rarely fertilize my corn as it grows but I do haul in trailer loads of Sheep manure, and it is far, far from composted. If you can access farm manure put it on heavily in the fall and let it sit all winter works best; I often get distracted so I put mine on just as often in spring and turn it in with a tiller.
I often plant my corn in six by six blocks, depending on variety of corn I average between 4 to 10 inches between seeds (I do not worry about cross germination as I do not grow seed) so if you are 4x4 , you can go as close as 3 inches between seeds but unless you are going to plant in cluster like American Indians do, closer than two inches, even if you get 8ft tall plants, give you a health crop of giant grass with a few cobs (this is from experience and experimenting)
Mine is in the ground so I have to space rows wide enough so I can walk between them, though I have gone with as little as 2 ft. In a four by four you should be able to put 12 plants in three rows space 2 ft apart. Modern hybrids do not mind crowding but corn does better with space.
I alternate space in my garden betwen corn and potatoes, with other oddball stuff now and then, but when I put in potatoes I cover them with thick mulch, a foot or more of leaves -- which break down during the summer and enrich the soil. I use hay and straw bales on the corn plots to suppress weeds and keep soil moist; I take bail and slice off slabs about two inches thick and lay this between the rows and to a lessor degree between the plants, the latter depends on how far apart they are planted. As with the leaves I turn these into the soil in the fall; I often cut the stalks off as low as possible then take a shovel and turn the stump upside down with the dirt side up. By spring it is most decomposed.
Now again depending on what your soil is I would put in a LOT of Blood Meal and bagged cow manure; they do not leach out quickly (by a lot I mean four to five bags of Blood and ten bags of cow manure. A heavy dose, full 40 pound bag of greensand would help also. Urea is urea so there is no bio or non-bio really but something such a EC Grow UMAXX urea is designed not to leach out as quickly and will give corn a huge nitrogen boost. There are foliar types that work quicker but study up before trying that.
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