Corn Germination Problem

[B. White]

Last year I was talking to my neighbor about watching for a few acres for sale close by for stuff that takes up the most room in my garden, since the open areas I have and could use have berms and swales and I really don't want to take the chance of it washing. He said he had some old pasture on a creek bottom, if we wanted to use it. Took a look and figured it would take a year or two to get rid of all of the fescue. The good thing is you will never have to worry about watering, but the bad part is it is tough catching it dry enough to plow.

Around June 1st last year we added a few rows of Truckers Favorite and almost nothing came up. Across the road at my place I have never had that problem and usually have a lot of volunteer that pops up the following spring. All I could guess was maybe needed lime, but didn't get a soil test done until the winter. Sowed turnips, mustard and radish in the all and it came up, but was pretty poor.

Got a soil test in January and it needed lime, potassium and phosphorus. Had a lime truck come in the following week and added fertilizer when we planted corn around the end of March. A tiny amount germinated after sitting a long time. Such a small amount I would call it no germination across the field.

I had extra watermelons and cantaloupe I had started in trays, so when I planted mine I took the leftovers over there and they seem to be growing at about the same pace as the ones on my size of the road. Put about 30 hills of squash out and it was germinating about like normal last time I was over there.

There is no crabgrass or any thing I would expect taking popping up like it does at my place across the road, so all I can figure is it is specific to corn and grass germination. I will get another soil test for him before fall, but curious if anyone else has run across a field with this problem. It hasn't been sprayed with anything as far as I know. His daddy had cows on it, but that was probable 30 years ago or more. He has just kept it mowed since.

 

[rrlund]

Poor seed to soil contact?

 

[john in la]

What do the seeds look like.
Germinate but not sprouting.
Rotten
Just sitting there
Or eaten

Since the field was just in sod I’d be checking for wire worms first.

 

[bradley martin]

Last year I was talking to my neighbor about watching for a few acres for sale close by for stuff that takes up the most room in my garden, since the open areas I have and could use have berms and swales and I really don't want to take the chance of it washing. He said he had some old pasture on a creek bottom, if we wanted to use it. Took a look and figured it would take a year or two to get rid of all of the fescue. The good thing is you will never have to worry about watering, but the bad part is it is tough catching it dry enough to plow.

Around June 1st last year we added a few rows of Truckers Favorite and almost nothing came up. Across the road at my place I have never had that problem and usually have a lot of volunteer that pops up the following spring. All I could guess was maybe needed lime, but didn't get a soil test done until the winter. Sowed turnips, mustard and radish in the all and it came up, but was pretty poor.

Got a soil test in January and it needed lime, potassium and phosphorus. Had a lime truck come in the following week and added fertilizer when we planted corn around the end of March. A tiny amount germinated after sitting a long time. Such a small amount I would call it no germination across the field.

I had extra watermelons and cantaloupe I had started in trays, so when I planted mine I took the leftovers over there and they seem to be growing at about the same pace as the ones on my size of the road. Put about 30 hills of squash out and it was germinating about like normal last time I was over there.

There is no crabgrass or any thing I would expect taking popping up like it does at my place across the road, so all I can figure is it is specific to corn and grass germination. I will get another soil test for him before fall, but curious if anyone else has run across a field with this problem. It hasn't been sprayed with anything as far as I know. His daddy had cows on it, but that was probable 30 years ago or more. He has just kept it mowed since.

I will second what John in LA wrote. Old sod very likely has wire worms and other insects to no end. Was your seed treated with an insecticide? Millipedes and seed corn maggots are other common insects that can attack untreated seed.

 

[B. White]

Interesting. Some seed was treated and some was not. Never seen evidence of a wire worm problem on anything excepts sweet potatoes, but that could be.

 

[B. White]

If yall know of a good home treatment for seed, please pass it on. I did a search and most was in high dollar quantities. I'll order something and give a short row a try when it dries out in a few days and see if it makes a difference. I usually grow enough field corn to grind for cornmeal and grits and have several gallon bags left over I can use to experiment with.

 

[Absent Minded Farmer]

Last year I was talking to my neighbor about watching for a few acres for sale close by for stuff that takes up the most room in my garden, since the open areas I have and could use have berms and swales and I really don't want to take the chance of it washing. He said he had some old pasture on a creek bottom, if we wanted to use it. Took a look and figured it would take a year or two to get rid of all of the fescue. The good thing is you will never have to worry about watering, but the bad part is it is tough catching it dry enough to plow.

Around June 1st last year we added a few rows of Truckers Favorite and almost nothing came up. Across the road at my place I have never had that problem and usually have a lot of volunteer that pops up the following spring. All I could guess was maybe needed lime, but didn't get a soil test done until the winter. Sowed turnips, mustard and radish in the all and it came up, but was pretty poor.

Got a soil test in January and it needed lime, potassium and phosphorus. Had a lime truck come in the following week and added fertilizer when we planted corn around the end of March. A tiny amount germinated after sitting a long time. Such a small amount I would call it no germination across the field.

I had extra watermelons and cantaloupe I had started in trays, so when I planted mine I took the leftovers over there and they seem to be growing at about the same pace as the ones on my size of the road. Put about 30 hills of squash out and it was germinating about like normal last time I was over there.

There is no crabgrass or any thing I would expect taking popping up like it does at my place across the road, so all I can figure is it is specific to corn and grass germination. I will get another soil test for him before fall, but curious if anyone else has run across a field with this problem. It hasn't been sprayed with anything as far as I know. His daddy had cows on it, but that was probable 30 years ago or more. He has just kept it mowed since.

Did you germ test the seed after the fact, to see what would sprout?

Mike

 

[B. White]

After the initial failure, I planted on my place and his with the same seed and plants on the same days using the same methods. Everything here grows fine.

 

[john in la]

If yall know of a good home treatment for seed, please pass it on. I did a search and most was in high dollar quantities. I'll order something and give a short row a try when it dries out in a few days and see if it makes a difference. I usually grow enough field corn to grind for cornmeal and grits and have several gallon bags left over I can use to experiment with.

How big a field we talking about.

The organic way is to spear a potato with a stick (so you can find them later) and put them in the ground about 3 feet apart. Come back in 10 days and pull potato with worms out the ground and destroy.

Using insecticide (liquid or granulated) buried 2 inches in the soil pre planting is best. This kills the worms.

Easiest is using treated seeds. This usually only repels the worms rather than killing them so the problem persist year after year.

 

[B. White]

Couple of acres. Looking for seed treatment.

 

[Paul swpa]

Last seed treatment I could get was called Lattitude, came in a little pop top can. Don't know if it is still available. No-till planting in sod we used a granular insecticide in applicator boxes on planter, think it was Lorsban, haven't used it for several years either. Don't seem to need it if it is warm enough for corn to be up in 4 or 5 days.

 

[Fixingfarmer]

The sweet corn we do raise up to 1 3/4 depth but that’s the only thing changed on the planter from the field corn.

Birds and especially chickens will be incredibly hard on the seed if they find it.

I have noticed as well that although the roundup ready sweet corn tastes the same to us the raccoons don’t come after it and the birds don’t steal the seed. I haven’t had to put a radio up the the last couple years but now that we are back to the old varieties I will probably have to.