Cultivating Corn

[Amos1]

Hello all you guys, and gals if there are any....

This board is great - I've learned so much from many of you already - thanks :thumbsup:

I plan on planting Sweet and Field Corn patches next spring (they'll be well-separted, so no cross-poll problems)
I've plowed some ground recently and will let it "percolate" over the winter.
Next spring I'll disc and look for a harrow to level things up.
I recently bought a 1-row JD 71-Flex planter.
I may look into a 1-row cultivator, and if so, I may have to have it custom-built (a guy near me does such a thing) Due to the width of my tractor tires, I am almost locked into 38" rows. (I could change the tire width somewhat, but don't know if I want to go through that)
BTW - I have an 861 ford and the outside width of tires is apprx 70 inches; inside width between tires is about 44". I used some graph paper to try to figure out how to plant the rows, and it looks like my 2nd pass will require my tractor tires to be right on the edge of the rear planter tire from the first (and subsequent) rows. (I will include a picture of the graph if anyone is interested)

My question is: How close should I cultivate to the corn - how many inches? (I'll use this # to possibly have a cultivator made to fit my tractor and row-widths) I looked at the 1-row cultivators at Tractor Supply, but am not sure if it would be wide enough to effectively get close enough to the corn. I plan on going back with a tape-measure and checking the total width as well what spacing I can get on the tines. Anybody have a King-Kutter or County-Line 1-row cultivator that might have those figures? (I think they're the same cultivator, just different names)

I may just use my rear-tine tiller to cultivate, although it's width is only 16 inches and would probably (depending on your answer/s to question above) have to make 2 passes between each row. (the total area of my corn patches will be about 1 acre)

As always - thanks for your input!

P.S. Went ahead and included the graph picture (each square is 4 inches)

 

[deere5105]

I use my JD 5303 to plant and cultivate corn. Before that was using my JD 5105 for the same. We used to use a two row planter and had a specific tractor set up to plow the two rows. Over the years this tractor became unreliable and we quit planting. The tractor was later sold. All of this took place when I was younger. As I got older I decided to start planting some again. None of this is big plots, just enough for personal consumption and sharing. After considering all my options, I wound up purchasing a single row cultivator and we had the two row planter cut down to two single row units. I measured and planned until I was blue in the face. In the end I wound up following my tracks during planting and did the same later cultivating. No major issues experienced doing it this way. The only drawback I saw was that the rows were 36" to 38" and the cultivator wasn't wide enough to eliminate all of the grass. I added some sweeps to the standard field points and that helped some. I wound up removing them on the inside most tines because I kept pulling up the plant. You have to be careful and focused when cultivating. It is very easy to plow up a part of the row before you know it!

On another note, we have had issues with the planter skipping. The past couple years we laid out rows with the 3PT planter laying fertilizer at the same time. We came back behind that with a push planter and put in the seed. This has been working pretty good until last year when the raccoons decided to dig up most of my seed.

 

[rambler]

A Ford 100 series tractor is designed to straddle 2 rows, not 1. You'd do better with a 2 row planter & cultivator.

If you are stuck with the 1 row planter: offset the row to one side so it is 19 inches off-center, drive north to plant, turn around and plant to the south in the exact same tracks. This will give you 2 rows 38 inches apart, and allow you to straddle the rows for cultivating.

You will need to set up a 1 row cultivator with the same gap offset so you can do the same cultivating.

This is basically what the other person said, but in a different way.

You can easily set up your wheel spacing and offset the planter 15 inches, to be at 30 inch spacing, if you want 30 inch.

In any case, don't think you will be happy trying to plant with one row centered on your tractor - in effect you would be setting up for straddling 3 rows by doing so and that won't work out well.....

Really be better to have 2 row planter for that tractor, but with the offset you can make a 1 row work - pretend it's a 2 row with offsetting.

Edit: Looking at your graphpaper again, you have way too much wheel traffic way too close to the plants - corn hates compaction, no good. As well, you can't do that pattern with a cultivator, be running over growing corn. You have to offset & use the same tracks, keep your wheels away from the rows.

--->Paul

 

[bilrus61]

If this is your first year just see how using the rear tine tiller works. Hate to be a party pooper however! With my 16 inch troy bilt pony I have to double till my sweet corn as it leaves a center strip un-tilled. By tilling it wider I lap it and that takes out the untill strip on my next pass. If you plant your corn patch heavy in rye and then till that in.......wait 10 days and till it again to get the weeds that germinated, you can almost do away with the cultivating. On my late patch of sweet corn I had tilled it 3 times in the spring and then planted it. It still had to tilled with the pony when the corn was about 1.5 feet tall but the amount of weeds BETWEEN the corn plants was greatly reduced and it never needed hoeing out.

 

[Amos1]

A Ford 100 series tractor is designed to straddle 2 rows, not 1. You'd do better with a 2 row planter & cultivator.

If you are stuck with the 1 row planter: offset the row to one side so it is 19 inches off-center, drive north to plant, turn around and plant to the south in the exact same tracks. This will give you 2 rows 38 inches apart, and allow you to straddle the rows for cultivating.

You will need to set up a 1 row cultivator with the same gap offset so you can do the same cultivating.

This is basically what the other person said, but in a different way.

You can easily set up your wheel spacing and offset the planter 15 inches, to be at 30 inch spacing, if you want 30 inch.

In any case, don't think you will be happy trying to plant with one row centered on your tractor - in effect you would be setting up for straddling 3 rows by doing so and that won't work out well.....

Really be better to have 2 row planter for that tractor, but with the offset you can make a 1 row work - pretend it's a 2 row with offsetting.

Edit: Looking at your graphpaper again, you have way too much wheel traffic way too close to the plants - corn hates compaction, no good. As well, you can't do that pattern with a cultivator, be running over growing corn. You have to offset & use the same tracks, keep your wheels away from the rows.

--->Paul

Thanks for the info, Paul... I appreciate your insight...

I bought the 1-row planter (and just received it about a week ago and haven't even unpacked it yet). I bought the 1-row for 3 reasons: 1) cost, didn't think I could afford a 2-row, 2) didn't think I'd be planting enough to justify a 2-row, 3) I could get the 1-row delivered fairly cheap via UPS and not have to fool with having to find someone to freight it.

I'm gonna forget about a cultivator - I'll just use my rear-tine tiller and avoid possibly having to deal with adjustment issues and tearing up any corn... Plus, it's paid for - might as well use it.

I saw on the oldfordtractors.com site that the wheels on my 861 will adjust from 52" to 76". I don't know that I have the expertise, tools nor confidence to try and adjust them myself, but if I were to have someone narrow them for me, what width would you recommend? I also use the tractor to plow (2-bottom), disk (6-foot 3-point) and bush-hog (6 foot, going to a 5 foot when old one is shot).
Since I'd be narrowing my wheel widths to accomadate my row plantings, obviously only once a year, I'd like to find a "happy medium" that would still work well with my other implements. Are there any "concerns" with going too narrow and having issues with my other implements? (i.e., problems with my swing-arms and stablizer bars being impacted?)

I can deal with 38" rows, but would prefer 30", but I'm more concerned with ease of planting (where the tractor tires fall). Unfortunately, the Tool Bar that came with my planter is not very long, and it looks as if I'd only be able to move the planter about 3 inches either way. I guess I could get a wider bar and use that. (May even be able to send the short one back and trade it for a different style that would more readily adapt to my planting situation...)

Thanks again... I'm interested in hearing back on your opinion. Anyone else? Feel free to jump in on this!

- Dennis

 

[rambler]

Do you have a manual for your tractor? They explain the wheel tread adjustments very well, and safely. I'm used to my 960 Ford tractors, I have not worked with the lower wide front models, so my info may be slightly off, but in general....

The front axle you jack up one side, take a few bolts out, move axle 1/2 in or out to where you want it, and bolt back together.

The rear axle may have 2 designs, power adjust, or bolted on dished rims.

The power adjust you take off the 4 bolts holding the cast clips that lock the rim to the center, and drive the tractor forward or backwards to screw the rim in or out. The rim center is a bit screw-shaped, and will stay in the 4 guides on the rim.

The bolted dished rims, you have to take the dishes apart from the rim, and reposition the dish, or the side of the rim, or swap one side to the other, to adjut the width. It's not as complicated as it sounds, but it is much more work than the power adjust!

A plow needs the right wheel set up just right on a tractor, if you move that right rim, you'll need to put it back where it is for plowing. For the rest only concern is the narrower the tractor, the easier it can tip on hills and such.

Hum, a planter that isn't adjustable but 3 inches. That's kinda a bummer. Going to be much harder to make this work. No offsetting.

I'm a farmer, corn & soybeans. My goal is to produce the best crop I can. I probably realistically only get 50-60 chances to make a crop in my lifetime, I need to make each chance count. Corn is a fussy crop to do well tho easy to grow any old way, it likes even emergence, it likes no weed competition when it is small, and it prefers to have a low-compaction zone on at least one side of it for the roots to grow and suck up nutrients. In my world, those are the important things, and I've used up over 1/2 of my chances to get a perfect crop..... So my goals might be a little different than if you want a fun hobby of growing a little sweet corn & deer plots.

Since you are one row and I assume harvesting by hand, you can use other common spacings, 15 inch, 18, 20, 22, 30. 36,38, 40, 42 But, the narrower you go, the more passes you make planting, so likely won't help the problem. The 38 inch as you drew out is probably as good as anything, and if you don't plant when it's muddy will likely work out.

--->Paul

 

[Amos1]

Thanks Paul!

I might investigate moving the wheels in, although if it requires me to move one or both back out to plow, I'll most likely go with the width I have... (I have the bolted, dish rims) I'm not really concerned about space, and 38" rows will work ok for me, especially since I've decided to use my tiller to cultivate.

I went out and unpacked the planter and boxes (glad I did, one of the brackets that holds a spring on was broke... I'm sure the guy I bought it from (RDH) will send me a new one) Anyway, I measured the tool-bar and the width of the bracket that attaches to it, and see I have enough room on either side of the center-brace for the top-link to mount the planter on one side or the other. Doing some Jethro Bodine Ciphering, I figured I could make 32" rows.... Only problem, I would have to plant one row and go all the way to the end to start a new row to maintain the 32" spacing... I figure I'll just mount it in the center and go with the 38" rows... I hope the planter rear wheel makes enough impression in the soil that I can see where to align my tires to start the 2nd row. I'll do a dry run - if I can't see the planter wheel mark, I'll fashion some type of row-marker to go by....

As I said, thanks a lot for your input! Thanks also to Deer5105 and Bilrus61 for their input, too!

 

[SandburRanch]

If you could go back in time when a Lister was used to plant corn I think you would like that method and what you are looking to do is very close.

When corn was listed in, the field was nothing but Lister ridges with valleys between ridges with row spacing similar to what you are needing. After the plants were up and about 6" tall the ridges were worked for the first time which rolled a little soil towards the plants covering any small weeds that were in close proximity to the corn plants.

With this method it wasn't necessary to cultivate very close to the young plants and it also left the soil next to the plants soft for young roots to develop in. As the season progressed the depressions were filled in more which helped support the stalks during high winds of thunder storms. By the season's end the ridges were nearly worked back flat and even to the valleys.

 

[deere5105]

Thanks Paul!

I might investigate moving the wheels in, although if it requires me to move one or both back out to plow, I'll most likely go with the width I have... (I have the bolted, dish rims) I'm not really concerned about space, and 38" rows will work ok for me, especially since I've decided to use my tiller to cultivate.

I went out and unpacked the planter and boxes (glad I did, one of the brackets that holds a spring on was broke... I'm sure the guy I bought it from (RDH) will send me a new one) Anyway, I measured the tool-bar and the width of the bracket that attaches to it, and see I have enough room on either side of the center-brace for the top-link to mount the planter on one side or the other. Doing some Jethro Bodine Ciphering, I figured I could make 32" rows.... Only problem, I would have to plant one row and go all the way to the end to start a new row to maintain the 32" spacing... I figure I'll just mount it in the center and go with the 38" rows... I hope the planter rear wheel makes enough impression in the soil that I can see where to align my tires to start the 2nd row. I'll do a dry run - if I can't see the planter wheel mark, I'll fashion some type of row-marker to go by....

As I said, thanks a lot for your input! Thanks also to Deer5105 and Bilrus61 for their input, too!

Good luck on your planting adventures. I went through some of the same questions you are dealing with. I agree that a multiple row set up is better, but for the "hobby" gardening I do it just wasn't justified. If I do anything different, I will probably invest in a Farmall Super A to plant and cultivate with. These little tractors allow for tight rows and the cultivators are in front of you so you can see what you are doing. For the time and effort, it was just easier for me to pick up a one row cultivator, line the planter in the center, line the cultivator in the center and move on. I do loose some garden space, but it was worth the loss. It doesn't take long of working rows by hand to get old. During growing season I just leave the cultivator on and make an after work trip through the garden to keep the grass down. I am able to make my last trip and lay-it-by at about 18" to 24".

Like most things, there are plenty of different ways to do it. Good luck!

 

[babypp2]

If this is your first year just see how using the rear tine tiller works.