Planting corn for a deer food plot

[hunter7504]

I wanted to ask for some sugestions on planting corn. I have looked over other postings, but not able to find details on the best way to plant for the purpose of a food plot. I have planted food plots for the last many years, but never corn. I purchased a new 20 acre parcel of land last year and it has three plots of corn of around 1 acre of size already on it (also has 3 other food plots, pines, swamp, and a section of woods). I want to keep planting the corn, however not sure how. I have a atv with a disc, spreader, sprayer, and roller. Based on looking at Ed's book, I was going to broadcast the seed around mid May. I was thinking of brodcasting the seed, I know it would be thicker, not sure if this would limit the growth. I was going to use 200 lbs of 20-10-10 fert- I need to check around to see who has it. My questions-
1- so far, am I on track?
2- Do I just use field corn? or Round-Up ready corn? pro's/con's
3- Do I need to spray? with what and when ? I don't mind the weeds but will spraying give me a better crop?

Thanks for any help that can be offered!

[Taxidermist]

I would spend the money and buy RR corn this way you keep good weed control. I am looking into using Pheasants forever corn and using a pre emergent weed control. A membership cost $30 and you get the seed and fert for free so if I spend a little more $ on chemicals I will still be cheeper in the long run. You should think about doing one plot in RR soy beans the deer love them and they are high in protein. For corn or beans till, broadcast,lightly disk,roll and watch. The main thing is weed control, if you have Ed's book it will get you headed in the right direction.

Also welcome to the site and please fill out the rest of your profile so we know what part of the state your from.


Rob

[Ferg]

But - I'm not sure you can 'broadcast' corn - I planted some last year and only got in the ground about an inch or 1.5" and had trouble with 'wind' blowing it over - seems the roots did not get deep enough into the soil or something - I'm going to try again this year and plant about 2.5 - 3" deep and see that 'fixes' the problem -

thoughts?

ferg....

[mwp]

Ferg,good thing you mentioned that because thats what I was going to do this year,just broadcast it around.I'll "go deep" now and hope for some tall standing deep rooted corn.

[NorthJeff]

Ed Spin has some GREAT ideas and practices for growing corn with limited equipment and has a lot of experience doing it...just do whatever he says and pray for rain!

[farmlegend]

At the Mid-Michigan Branch Food Plot Day last September, I toured 25 acres of sweetcorn which Ed had planted by discing, broadcasting, and cultipacking. Unless you walked right into the plot and carefully noted the location of the plants, you could not distinguish the corn in this plot from corn that had been drilled. No kidding.

[ThumbBum]

Hey FL
Let me get this straight
Did you say discing, broadcasting, then cultipaking???

Do I understand correctly that there was no discing of the seed into the soil like Ed recomends in his book????

Was this a typo or do I start doing the hapy dance

[Munsterlndr]

I would spend the money and buy RR corn this way you keep good weed control. I am looking into using Pheasants forever corn and using a pre emergent weed control. A membership cost $30 and you get the seed and fert for free so if I spend a little more $ on chemicals I will still be cheeper in the long run. You should think about doing one plot in RR soy beans the deer love them and they are high in protein. For corn or beans till, broadcast,lightly disk,roll and watch. The main thing is weed control, if you have Ed's book it will get you headed in the right direction.

Also welcome to the site and please fill out the rest of your profile so we know what part of the state your from.


Rob

Rob -
Is the Pheasants Forever corn RR? If not, does anyone know of a source for RR corn seed, either mail order or located in Northern Michigan?

Thanks,

[Taxidermist]

No our branch corn is not RR corn but you can get a pre emergent herbicide to treat for weeds. Any seed elevator has irr corn or can get it it is what most farmers use these days. I was also at the spin farm and man was that broadcasted sweet corn DAM!!!!! good if I was a deer I would just sit in them patches all day and get fat!!!!.




Rob

[Bmac]

Some PF chapters will have the RR corn or Liberty Link corn. (Liberty is similar to Roundup.) A few may also have limited quantities of RR soys. Also not all chapters provide fertilizer for free. My local chapter, Montcalm Cty. PF, sells it at a reduced price. While we are on the subject, if you need to buy some, you might want to do so soon. I'm hearing of a hefty price increase.

[farmlegend]

Thumbbum, my point was that the seed was not drilled. You'll note that I used the word "and"(describing the activities performed), not "then"(which would indicate a sequence), as you did. The corn was planted generally in the manner that Ed described in his first book, with discing performed for after broadcasting seed.

[wild bill]

i have planted RR corn the past 3 years using eds directions. i start out discing the area good, broadcast seed, re disc lightly, drag and cultipac. i was using a 3-point disc so i would set it about 3 inches and make a couple passes. then go over it with a spike drag to level it out better for cultipacing. you will see some seed on the top of the soil but dont worry theres plenty more below the surface.

i would also look at planting RR soybeans also if you have the room. soys have been my best gun season draw yet. unless there allready gone and then its the corn. i plant the soys the same way as corn and there a lot cheaper too. each year my corn and soy plots get bigger and bigger but its still not enough even with heavy doe harvest.

[KrazyKletus]

hunter7504,
You have all of the tools necessary to do the job. I would also recommend RR corn for weed control. Last year I disked the ground, broadcasted the seed and fertilizer, and then disked it all in. I sprayed Roundup on the fields when the corn was 2-3" tall. (probably a bit early based on the amount of additional weed growth). I didn't seem to have any problems with the wind blowing over the corn, however, my fields are somewhat protected from the winds. I also agree with everyone else regarding RR soys.
I definitely would add these to your mix. Here are some pics of my fields in July. The majority of this work was done with a 4-wheeler and some basic implements.....and a lot of time.....I definitely need to buy a tractor:lol:
Pic 1: Corn field surrounding woods
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/539/medium/FPlot_11July24_05a.jpg
Pic 2: RR soys with Corn field in background
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/539/medium/FPlot_7_July24_05a.jpg
Pic 3: North RR soys field with small corn field in background
http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/539/medium/FPlot_4_July24_05a.jpg

[Ed Spin04]

KrazyKletus, you shold feel quite proud of your efforts. I not only like your corn and soybean growth and appearance (your dark green corn indicates adequate fetiizer) but your method of plot location. that corn next to woods works wonders for me. I can be up in a tree stand right next to the corn and have deer mosey on by and not have a clue that I'm drawing on them even if it is for practice.

Deer for some reason feel very secure in corn, in fact they stop being deer and lose most of their alertness, believe it or not. This corn width needs to be a minimum of 30 feet wide with 45 being better.

Thanks for the pics.

[Tom Morang]

Even though the corn ( about 35 ft wide by 300ft long next to the woods) on our "farm" pleased the deer it only lasted until the last of November - if that. Would have been nice to have a little left in December. The brasica (sp) sure did well and they are using it well into Jan..........tm

[oldguy]

Ed,

I know you already told us this out at your place during the foodplot tour, but can you refresh my feeble brain? What was your recommendation regarding adding urea (when/how much) to the corn after it was established?

Thanks.

Jim McD

P.S., The kids still talk about how sweet that corn was!

[KrazyKletus]

Thanks Ed! The stars aligned this year and it finally worked. I tried planting corn the year before, however, the unbelievable rainfalls destroyed that crop. It's very interesting how wildlife patterns will change with food and cover. This portion of my woods was "dead" before I planted the corn. (very little wildlife sign) This year with the corn in, I noticed several different does, fawns, and 1.5yr old bucks coming in and out of the corn constantly (almost every sitting). Not only that, I found quite a few turkey feathers in the woods and I never knew I had so many squirrels and raccoons hanging around my property. I even had a couple of rooster pheasants visiting my property. The deer didn't destroy it as I had suspected, however, I believe the awesome nut crop and my soys are partially to blame for that. The corn is still standing and providing winter food for all sorts of wildlife. I hope to expand next year, as I'm very happy with the outcome.

[ThumbBum]

Thanks for the clarification FL
Sorry that I forced you to revert to lawyer-speak though :lol:

"You'll note that I used the word "and"(describing the activities performed), not "then"(which would indicate a sequence), as you did."

I think the Alito hearings are getting to everybody these days.

Im going to make my first attempts at corn and soy planting this spring and Im a little shaky on the whole "disc lightly" thing, especially with an older tractor and a 3pt disc. I had just about resigned myself to use my rototiller instead because I can controll till depth better while working in the seed, but it will take a heck of a lot longer. Thoght I saw a little ray of light there.

[Ed Spin04]

You say that you have a rototiller and are not sure if it should be used to incorporate large seed, (corn, soybeans, sunflowers, lab lab etc), I can't think of a better tool to really mix the fertilzer and seed with accurate depth control. and with a single pass. With a three point hitch and hydraulic control you can control that incorporation depth within a half inch. I mention discing as a means of tillage and incorporation due to the common use and knowledge of discs. I have stated before and still find that rocks and rorotillers do not mix well, while discs will just ride over them.

Think about it, that fertilizer is mixed and mixed well to the proper depth, it dosen't get any better. There will be fertilizer right next to the seed but not in such a large amount to hurt its germination and emegence, but it is there next to the seed to act as a plant starter, an important feature. As FL stated the sweet corn that was planted by my Grandson and completly with an ATV using a spreader, sprayer, disc and cultipacker looked good. I personally believe as FL hinted that the simple method using the process mentiond above was at least as good as any, plus I know for sure that there were areas in my standard , (John Deere model 7000 planter) corn plantings, that my Grandsons results were much better and his was in poorer soil. Seeds that were near the surface even germinated due to the double cultipacking passes. It takes longer but how many of you are planting 25 acres of corn?

As to the question of adding more fertilizer after the corn has emerged, by all means do it. I wait about four- five weeks after planting and only if corn has grown to a height of at least three inches, (drought may delay the operation). I will wait for decent rain to be forecast or has already taken place. If the corn is RR I will spray RR and fertilize 100 lbs of urea per acre the same day and many times both at the same time. Do not be concerned about smashing the young corn stalks, or any young plants for that matter, they will spring right back.

The planting of corn can be so simple and productive that its hard to believe.

One more important thing, deer love to bed in corn and I find that they prefer the haphazard plantings created by broadcasting the seed versus the row plantings. Perhaps they feel more secure having tall plants completely surronding them. Plant sorghum with a drill, (7 inch rows) and you will find this to be the case, they just love that thick growth of tall plants. Sweet corn is easily knocked down due to its low lignin content, (lignin is the compound that keeps plants standing tall, unfortuatly it also makes the plant less palatable) never the less, I recommend that field corn be used for plantings next to woods or lanes used as hunting ambush sites.

Getting complicated isn't it? Yeah, but it sure is fun when it works.

[BarryPatch]

Would I need a cultipacker for broadcast seeding or could I use one of the large plastic drum rollers they sell @ TSC? Where is a good place to find a cultipacker (cheaper is better)?

I have a 33hp New Holland tractor with a 5' roto tiller and a 3 pt. spreader. I was planning to box blade or till some rutted portions of my property including trails and was planning to get a roller to compact the soil after I level it out. Would a cultipacker compact the soil enough to walk on comfortably? I could reduce the weight of the roller by draining most of the water but it wouldn't leave those furrows. The ground I want to plant this year is dead level so erosion isn't a concern. This is my planting area from last year. I intend to plant about 3x as much ground this year and would like to try corn this year as the farmer across the road is doing beans this year.

Thanks

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/539/Plot_1.JPG

[BarryPatch]

Here are some pics of my fields in July. The majority of this work was done with a 4-wheeler and some basic implements.....and a lot of time.....I definitely need to buy a tractor:lol:



Tractors are a lot of fun - and create a lot of work. There's just so much more you can do.

[hunter7504]

Does anyone have a good place to buy the RR corn seed?

[Taxidermist]

Does anyone have a good place to buy the RR corn seed?
I belive the feed mill in reed city has them. Also I rent a lime spreader and get lime at a place there in Reed city but I cant think of the name of the place.

[Setter]

Pullen's in Hersey does the liming for me and are quite reliable. They will also send in your soil samples for testing.

[bowhntr222]

Can anyone tell me? I intend to broadcast 2 food plots with RR corn. and 3 with RR beans. I do not have a tractor nor a 4 wheeler spreader. Can I use a hand speader if it is large enough to handle the seed? RR corn seed I have found is very expensive and I want to put plenty in but dont want to overcrowd one plot and under cut the other. I turned the soil and put down urea as was told to by the co-op where I bought the seed, next I plan to drag with a harrow and then spray, wait a week and then put the seed down, was told I might consider putting RR soy beans on the outer edge and then on the inside put the corn seed. Does this sound like a good idea. the soy I planted last year a 4 acre plot the deer came in to very well but actually ate every single leaf off the plants, all 4 acres were nothing but stems sticking out of when looking over the field. I was amazed. However it did produce about 40 bushel an acre still. I want the corn to last till the winter months. Do you think the deer will eat it before it even gets a chance to grow? obiviously there are a ton of deer that live in this area. I'd just like to get the biggest bang for the buck so to speak. thanks for any helpful ideas anyone might give and good hunting to all.