Corn Planting Time? 4/27/2021

Seize the Day

Weather this week included both cold days with a couple inches of snow and bright sunny days.  Soil temperature measured on April 27, 2021 (a clear sunny day) averaged 60.7° for corn stubble and 54.1° for sods.  (Scroll to see chart for all locations sampled.) May 1st is the traditional start for corn planting season, and with soil temps continuing over 50° we recommend starting corn planting as soon as field moisture conditions are favorable.  Early planted corn can take advantage of the full growing season, and more importantly, completing corn planting before first cutting avoids the need to plant corn and harvest hay at the same time.

Many factors influence the yield potential for a field of corn, like hybrid selection, fertility and weed control.  Plant population and planting depth are important decisions you have to make at planting time.   Populations that are too low or too low both risk sacrificing the yield you want.  Planting too deep early in the season or too shallow in drier conditions late in the season risk poor stands.  The following are recommendations for growing corn in our part of New York.  (https://fieldcrops.cals.cornell.edu/corn/planting-techniques/)

Planting Techniques

Planting depths of about 1.5 inches for silty clay or clay loam soils and 1.75 to 2.0 inches for silt loam and gravelly loam soils are recommended for April or early May-planted corn. Planting depths of about 2.0 to 2.5 inches for silt loam and gravelly loam soils are recommended for most planting dates in May. If soil conditions are dry in the top 2 inches in late May and early June, corn can be safely planted to a depth of 3 inches on silt loam and gravelly loam soils.
The optimal corn population depends on soil type, hybrid selection, and crop use. For many New York soils, numerous Cornell experiments have shown that modern grain hybrids require a harvest population of 26,000 to 28,000 plants per acre (ppa) for maximum economic grain yields. Also, most hybrids require higher harvest populations for silage than for grain production, about 5,000 more plants per acre (31,000 to 33,000 ppa). Hybrids differ in their response to plant populations, so hybrid selection should influence whether the harvest population is at the high or low end of the recommended range for each particular soil condition.

It should be assumed that only 90 percent of the kernels planted actually emerge and survive to become harvestable plants in the fall. To obtain 27,000 plants per acre at harvest on a moderately well-drained silt- loam soil, the planting rate should be about 30,000 plants per acre (27,000 divided by 0.90). In some situations such as a no-till or an April planting date, it should be assumed that only 85 percent of the kernels will emerge and survive. The planting rate in these situations for silage on a moderately well-drained silt-loam soil should be about 36,500 plants per acre (31,000 divided by 0.85).