Fertilizer for sweet corn?

Hello friends

I have tried growing sweet corn three times... and have absolutely completely failed each time . I mean, not a single cob to show for it, lol.
The first year I planted in one long row so they werent pollinated.
The second year they didn't have enough sunlight
Last year they didnt have enough nitrogen

This year, my crop is going to be freaking AWESOME. So, I need yall's help in order to make that happen, LOL.

Basically, what i'm wondering is: what fertilizer should I use, how should I apply it, and when should I apply it?

My corn is planted 18 seeds long, 6 inches apart on each seed. 4 rows wide, about 1ft between each hill. So, how should I apply the fertilizer between the hills?

Thanks everybody!

I think the first question is have you had your soil tested for pH? That may inform what fertilizer you use.

drewskimac said:

Hello friends

I have tried growing sweet corn three times... and have absolutely completely failed each time . I mean, not a single cob to show for it, lol.
The first year I planted in one long row so they werent pollinated.
The second year they didn't have enough sunlight
Last year they didnt have enough nitrogen

This year, my crop is going to be freaking AWESOME. So, I need yall's help in order to make that happen, LOL.

Basically, what i'm wondering is: what fertilizer should I use, how should I apply it, and when should I apply it?

My corn is planted 18 seeds long, 6 inches apart on each seed. 4 rows wide, about 1ft between each hill. So, how should I apply the fertilizer between the hills?

Thanks everybody!

Click to expand...

Well, when I plant corn, I plant the seeds 12" (1 foot) apart in the row and 12" (1 foot) in-between rows (shorter corn verities can be a bit closer).
I also plant a minimum of 6 rows (length of row doesn't matter as long as it is a minimum of 6 feet).
This way allows for good air circulation and good pollination.

As for fertilizer, everyone has there own ideas on how to fertilize and what to use.
This is how I fertilize my corn, 1 week before planting I till and amend the soil adding about 2 pounds of 16-16-8 fertilizer for every 100 square feed and tilling it in along with well composted manure. When the seedlings are up about a inch or two I side dress them with the same 16-16-8 fertilizer. When the plant are 16 inches tall or have 8 leaves I side dress them again, this time with 46-0-0 fertilizer.

Remember, corn is heavy feeders and they need watered a lot.
I use drip hose and unless we receive a lot of rain or I'm going to be out weeding the corn it's on from sun up to sun down especially during tasseling, silking, and ear formation.

Also get a good soil test done, contact your extension county offices for a kit and send the soil sample off.

Corn is a heavy feeder. But if you go too heavy on the fertilizer when you plant, you're likely to have poorer germination. Depending on the variety, you may want to give it more space. Both of you sound like you are planting it quite close together. That being said, I also plant with tight spacing. I do 1' apart, with 2 rows 1' apart, followed by a wider space, about 2', or even a row of potatoes, followed by 2 more rows 1' apart. I've found that potatoes and corn are great companions.

I "cheat" a bit. I put down a layer of horse and chicken manure from 2 years back that is minimum 12 inches deep and as long as you want your row. Do that for every row. Poke a seed in every foot water daily and wait patiently. I have done that 3 years now and had great results. Then after I harvest I spread my hills out flat and cover with the shredded corn stalks and such. Then next year move the corn to another location and plant something where it was. Rotate yearly.