Side Dressing Corn

The stalk must be a minimum of 16 inches tall to begin side dressing.

Side dressing corn. Up to this point corn has taken up around 20 to 25 lbs n acre. But this year some alabama growers are planting corn for the first time in many years because of the market and some may be growing corn for the first time ever. Most of the time the chemical they most need is nitrogen.

This spring s dryer conditions have not lead to high losses of n. That s about 10 percent of the total n it will need by the time it reaches physiological maturity in the fall. Applying side dress nitrogen to corn is not an exact science even for the most experienced producer says charles mitchell auburn university extension agronomist soils.

Use ammonium nitrate or urea as a side dressing sprinkling 1 cup for every 100 feet of row or every 100 square feet of garden space. To find out what to use for side dressing look to the nutrients your plants are lacking. North dakota state university provides a nice summary of considerations and tips for side dressing.

3 choose between using ammonium nitrate and balanced fertilizer like a 10 10 10 ratio for the side dressing. Typically corn is side dressed at the 6 leaf v6 stage. Compost can also be used for side dressing crops and plants.

Corn is now entering a very rapid growth phase. Side dressing fertilizer in corn the greatest need for nitrogen is from the v12 stage to the corn blister stage in a corn plant s life.