Due to its long maturation period, corn is the first crop to hit the fields in the early spring. Farmers plant a huge amount of corn in the Carolinas, mainly for animal feed, but with many acres dedicated to the deer or waterfowl hunter. If grown properly, corn can produce huge crops, well worth the extensive time and effort typical of this crop. Corn requires thorough pre-plant preparation, with herbicides, tillage and pre-plant fertilization. The deer and ducks will come a long way to get a taste of this sweet carbohydrate. But, these golden kernels will not grow themselves even after planting.Nitrogen is the key limiting nutrient for growth in corn. Heavy doses of nitrogen added throughout the growth cycle will produce higher yields in corn, especially during the early to mid-season of the crop’s life. While the early, pre-plant fertilizer application was fortified with nitrogen compounds, nitrogen is very dynamic and will not stay around very long after applied.
Corn plants will benefit with a rush of growth during the vegetative phase, as well as the entire reproductive stage. The nitrogen contributes to the vigorous vegetative growth, taking the corn plants from small, 4- to 6-leaf plants to the larger mid-shoot and whorl stages and then just as the reproductive stages begin. A large plant with large leaves will be capable of producing adequate energy from photosynthesis for their reproductive stage and later corn seed production.
Nitrogen supplements mid-season will benefit these plants with a second wave of vigorous growth. Corn planted in April should receive a heavy dose of nitrogen early this month to receive the benefits of nitrogen.
While liquid forms of nitrogen can be used, the granular form as ammonium nitrate (34-0-0) is the easiest and most efficient to apply. For the best usage, 300 pounds per acre should be applied — and only when the plants are dry. Also, try to apply just before a rain event to distribute the nitrogen into the soil around the root zone.
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