When do you plant your corn for a food plot?

[burmjohn]

Just curious when you guys plant your corn for a food plot? We are going to try sweet corn this year so we can pick it for our use, but obviously for the deer as well. My old man picked up a corn planter thing, and we are going to space out the rows at about 30 inches and hopefully get some pumpkin seeds down in the middle of the rows as well.

Anyways, whats a good time to plant the corn? And when do you think the corn would be at the point where it starts falling off the stalks / hardening up (I read that's when the deer really like to consume these guys).

Thanks

[cwhite]

Planting dates depend on the gestation period for the corn you choose. If you're not selling the sweet corn I wouldn't plant it until later in May. You want to make sure that the hard frosts and heavy spring rains are done. If your corn starts to grow and gets hit with a frost you will likely have to plant your field again. If you put your seeds in the ground too early and we have another wet May then you run the risk of your seeds rotting in the ground. (although most seeds nowadays are pretty tolerant of a good soaking)

Most sweet corn is anywhere from a 60-90 day gestation period. If you plant the last 10 days of May you should have corn ready to eat in late July to early August and the kernels will be dented, hard and ready for deer by mid to the end of September.

[SplitG2]

John, what weed control you plan on doing? Sweet corn likes a clean field.

[burmjohn]

Thanks for the info.

Split - Not sure to be honest, haven't thought of that yet. What do you suggest? I was going to pickup one of those backpack sprayers too.

[SplitG2]

well I don't think rr sweet corn is available yet but it's in the works. you can use a row cultivator or a pre/post emergent. Atrazine works the best bet you need to be licensed.

[burmjohn]

I'll look into that stuff now and see what the deal is.

[landtracdeerhunter]

Their planting sweet corn right now here on the ridge on black plastic. Corn by the 4th of July. Get the ground turned over so it will warm quicker. I like to chance first plant by May 1st with treated seed. It will take a little colder ground. About 400 lb of 15-15-15 fert to the acre. Keep an eye on some sweet corn growers around you. That'll tell ya when to go. Also, plant your pumpkins seeds right in the corn row. Space according to packet instructions. Will use the fert. from the planter. Also helps if you need to cultivate. Happy growing.

Edited March 19, 2012 by landtracdeerhunter

[cwhite]

If you don't want to go through the hassle of getting atrazine you could try tilling and disking the ground. Don't plant your corn and let the weeds come in and when they are a few inches high spray them with round-up. Give it a few days and then plant your corn. It won't make your field weed free but it will give the corn a good head start on the weeds that do come back. I know of a few fields that have been done this way and they turn out looking good. Spraying with atrizine is best though.

[G-Man]

The ground temp should be 50 degrees, sweet corn will be ravaged by coon and deer when it is the milk stage, and takes a very long time to dry down. Most field corn i plant is planted in the first two weeks of may, most is 90 daycorn this lets it" black tip" by early october, late sept, when this happens no more moisture is absorbed by the kernal you can see this by taking your thumbnail and snaping off the tip of a kernal, a black or brown scab will be visable. thus it starts to dy n dent, a frost or freeze at this point is not damaging. while deer will eat sweet corn readly it will mold fast if frosted or frozen as moisture is very high, causing many dieseses in the animals that eat them if they even do lots of animals avoid unfit food rather well but in harsh conditions may partake and be effected, 30 in row is very wide, by todays narrow row planting methods,but as you said you would like to plant pumpkins will work nicely, but now you create a weed control problem as many sprays are fine with sweetcorn atrazine/banvil / 2-4 d / round up but are bad for pumpkins. My suggestion is to check with your local wild turkey federation/ safari club/ or other local concervation clubs that give out roundup ready field corn seed for free as long as planted for wildlife and is not harvestable. plant it let it come up 4-6 in then plant your pumpkins and spray round up over entire field( it won't hurt the pumpkins as they have not yet sprouted and emerged from the soil. you can then also fill in rows that havent germinated with pumpkin seeds or more corn seeds, a 40 lbs bag of corn planted 2 in apart will plant approximatley 2.5 acres. so you dont need much corn seed.

[burmjohn]

Wow, thanks guys for all the info to soak up and read, appreciate it. I did not consider the fact that I may need to spray after the corn has already started to grow...

[SplitG2]

Corn is one of the most expensive crop to plant if you want good yields.

[SplitG2]

John, I use dupont cinch on my sweet corn to controll weeds. I also believe it can be used on pumpkins too?