Preparing the Soil

Soil

Sweet corn thrives best in a sandy loam soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8. As a general guide, plant early corn in light soil (sand or loam) and late corn in heavier soil (silt, clay) when there is an option. Light soils warm up faster than heavy soils, so seed germinates more readily. Under hot, dry midsummer conditions, heavier soils have the advantage of holding much more moisture than light soil.

Sweet corn requires rich soil with ample nitrogen and moisture. Amend the soil well-aged manure or compost. Plant corn in an area that had healthy beans or peas the previous year is helpful because these legumes contribute more nitrogen to the soil especially if an inoculant was used.

Land Preparation

Plow and pulverize the soil to a depth of about 20 cm. This may require two to three times plowing, each followed by thorough harrowing at an interval of one to two weeks to allow weed seeds to germinate, the sod and stubble to decay and the corn seedlings a good head start.

Spacing
Corn is a tall plant susceptible to wind and therefore benefits from blocks of at least 4 rows of corn plants for support and pollination. Corn should be spaced at 8"-10" for early cultivars and 9"-12" for late cultivars, within rows spaced 30"-36" apart.

If planting more than one cultivar, space the corn stands at least 250' apart to prevent cross-pollination. An alternate method to prevent cross-pollination of different corn cultivars is to stagger planting dates of the different cultivars by a minimum of 14 days.

Seeding

Sow corn seed 1" deep, 2-3 seeds per 6"-8" within rows spaced 30"-36" apart. Thin corn seedlings to 1 seedling per 6"-8". Gently tamp and rake soil smooth after planting seed.

An alternate method for planting corn is to use hills. Sow 5-6 seeds per hill. Space hills at 36" apart. Thin to 3 healthy corn seedlings per hill.
Fertilizing

All corn plants respond well to nitrogent fertilizers. Most commercial fertilizers are good sources of nitrogen for corn, especially ammonium sulfate and urea. However, before applying any kind of fertilizer, it is important that the soil be aalyzed and in the absence of soil analysis, fertilizers with 60-100 kg o nitro and 30-45 kg of phosphorous per hectare should be applied. For sandy soil an application of 45-60 kg of potassium should be applied.

Go to Caring for the Field

Home