planting corn 101
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dberg
New member
I use "sevin" brand to dust my green beans to keep Japenese beatle off. As far as the animal thing goes, the coons play **** with my corn, if I don't put my electric fence up the will destroy it in a night or two and they know when it is ready to pick, last year while on vacation, my corn was ready and I did not have my fence up, the coons took every ear of corn. I usually put up a electric fence with 2 or 3 strands starting 2 or 3 inches off the ground and then putting the next one about 6-8 inches higher.
How large is your garden, dberg? Is there a size for the hobby farmer when it really becomes impractical to put a fence up around the garden/crop?
Someone over on CBN said they plant twice as much as what they use.. they said they weren't joking. I'm assuming that was a garden with no fence. I was going to start with planting about 1/4 more than I *think* I want and decide next year if I should plant more or maybe even fence the area.
Tough call never having done this before. The corn crop that was here the season before I moved in was probably 6-7 acres and wasn't fenced.
Someone over on CBN said they plant twice as much as what they use.. they said they weren't joking. I'm assuming that was a garden with no fence. I was going to start with planting about 1/4 more than I *think* I want and decide next year if I should plant more or maybe even fence the area.
Tough call never having done this before. The corn crop that was here the season before I moved in was probably 6-7 acres and wasn't fenced.
Here is a picture of the sidedresser I was talking about. Would of had it posted sooner, but had tech difficulty with my lovely computer and scanner. Imagine that! Anyway, picked up a copy of Heavy Equipment Trader the other day and found an add for the exact single row Covington planter I had discussed for $830. This is the first time I've ever seen one advertised. The Two row is going for about $2,100. Hope this helps if you're interested.
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Help, billbill or anyone with a walk behind planter from TSC.... I can't get it to work worth a hoot.
I retilled my field today and it looks smooth, but in all reality it has its up and downs, anyway, the planter is dropping as many kernels as it wants, sometimes covering them, sometimes not, sometimes 5-6 at a time, sometimes a couple feet without any. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Walking speed doesn't seem to affect it at all and the wheel has a steady rotation in spite of the uneveness of the ground, but it's spitting out kernels whenever it feels like and as many (or not) in such a way that it has me stopping, picking up the kernels and starting all over to see if things will change. They haven't and I hope someone is around who can help me out. It's supposed to rain late this afternoon and I want to get this stuff planted.
Help /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
I retilled my field today and it looks smooth, but in all reality it has its up and downs, anyway, the planter is dropping as many kernels as it wants, sometimes covering them, sometimes not, sometimes 5-6 at a time, sometimes a couple feet without any. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
Walking speed doesn't seem to affect it at all and the wheel has a steady rotation in spite of the uneveness of the ground, but it's spitting out kernels whenever it feels like and as many (or not) in such a way that it has me stopping, picking up the kernels and starting all over to see if things will change. They haven't and I hope someone is around who can help me out. It's supposed to rain late this afternoon and I want to get this stuff planted.
Help /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Indydirtfarmer
Platinum Member
Sounds to me like the wrong seed plate. (One with too big of a "hole") Also, I've found that those walk-behind planters DO NOT like wet ground...
Just a guess on my part though.
Just a guess on my part though.
Thanks for the quick response, Indy.
I looked at the other plates, but the ledges that grab hold of the seed are much closer spacing than the corn one.
I can spin the "working" wheel by hand and it grabs 1 most of the time, sometimes 2 and sometimes misses, so it must be my ground, which happens to be dry right now. I just son't know how to correct it.
I don't want to harrow it if I don't have to, but do I have to? Also, do these things work on freshly tilled dirt?
Of course there is no trouble shooting in the owner's manual...
I looked at the other plates, but the ledges that grab hold of the seed are much closer spacing than the corn one.
I can spin the "working" wheel by hand and it grabs 1 most of the time, sometimes 2 and sometimes misses, so it must be my ground, which happens to be dry right now. I just son't know how to correct it.
I don't want to harrow it if I don't have to, but do I have to? Also, do these things work on freshly tilled dirt?
Of course there is no trouble shooting in the owner's manual...
Indydirtfarmer
Platinum Member
I've used one in fresh tilled dirt too many times to count.
Most of the seed plates are made to use "average sized seed". Sounds like you may have smaller corn.... That might be a problem.
I use a Deere #71 2-row planter for my sweet corn. There are over 30 different sizes of plates made just for corn, to fit that planter. That should give you some indication as to how many SIZES of seed corn you can run into.....
Good luck!
Most of the seed plates are made to use "average sized seed". Sounds like you may have smaller corn.... That might be a problem.
I use a Deere #71 2-row planter for my sweet corn. There are over 30 different sizes of plates made just for corn, to fit that planter. That should give you some indication as to how many SIZES of seed corn you can run into.....
Good luck!
Chuck52
Veteran Member
I think I posted about this earlier in this thread, but maybe it was another one. I have the same planter and had the same problem. The planter works great for the more-or-less round seed, but I think corn is just too angular. I had to thin the Silver Queen patch I planted with it eo much that I wasted at least half to two thirds of the seed. Then I went to the PVC and stick approach. Takes a bit longer, but you get even spacing and no loss of seed. My son helped me with another patch of Incredible Sunday. I dropped the seed through the PVC and he pushed it in with the stick....much faster than alone! If I was doing much more than 25x25 patches, I'd try to come up with some kind of automated methid, but that size patch only takes a little walking, and talking, if you have help.
Chuck
Chuck