Corn N Requirements

Fergienewbee · May 1, 2014

I read it takes 1 pound of N to produce 1 bushel of corn. Is that a guide you guys follow? I plan to start my food plot, .3 acres, with 100 pounds of 12-12-12 and 25 pounds of 46-0-0. That will give me 23.5 #s of N. I'll side dress with another 25 pounds of N later in the growing season. Should theoretically produce around 120 bushels per acre.Make sense?

Larry

Eric in IL · May 1, 2014

I'm confused.

100 lbs. @12-12-12 = 12 lbs. N

25 lbs. @46-0-0 = 11.5 lbs. N

Side dress:

25 lbs. N =25 lbs. N

total =48.5 lbs. N

48.5 lbs. N /.3 acre = 161.67 lbs N per acre

Where did I get lost ?

Fergienewbee · May 1, 2014

Yup. I goofed. Should have been 25 #s of 46-0-0 which would be 11.5 pounds of N for a total of 35# of N or 116.67 pounds to the acre.

Anonymous-0 · May 1, 2014

A few years ago the "rule of thumb" was 1.3 lbs per bushel. That might be a little high but tried the 1 lb per bushel and it cost us big time because we had a lot of rain and too much leaching. Side dressed and used a N stabilizer. So in a "perfect year" or if you utilized multiple N applications the 1.0 or even a little less might work. But my experience is that the downside potential is too great and with these somewhat elevated corn prices I'll going to stick around 1.2 lb per bu unless otherwise mandiated.

paul · May 1, 2014

Previous crop also counts, a legume like old alfalfa can have 120lbs there already, soybeans can have 30-40, if it was plowed up grass likely not too much credit for anything.

I think a bu of corn might have .6 lb of N in it, but you need another .3 to .4 of N to grow the stalk and roots, and some might get lost along the way, so that is how they get to the 1 to 1.3 lbs of N to grow a bu of corn.

Paul

Fergienewbee · May 1, 2014

Paul;

One plot had oats that were not harvested. I plowed under the stbble. The other had cowpeas so I might not need quite as much. The deer and rabbits grazed them pretty good so there may not be much N value there.

Larry

Anonymous-0 · May 2, 2014

Does a food plot really require a good yield? Just put down 400lbs of 19-19-19 in a 2x2 and be done with it. Eventually the old rules of thumb run out, you wont get 300 bushel corn by putting on 300lbs of N, takes alot more than just N to grow corn, however it gets all the attention.

Fergienewbee · May 2, 2014

Dan;

Doesn't make much sense to me to plow, disc, level, plant and cultivate a time or two and not try to get a good yield. I do rotate my plots, plant cover crops and green manure, and try other practices to build up the soil. These fields hadn't been farmed in over 30-plus years or longer.

Larry

Anonymous-0 · May 3, 2014

fair enough.

Ecnerwal · May 3, 2014

Grazing (or harvesting, for that matter) Legumes (beans, peas, clover, alfalfa) still leaves quite a bit of N behind, since the nitrogen fixing bacteria live down in the root nodules and put it into the soil.

Corn N Requirements

Fergienewbee

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Eric in IL

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Fergienewbee

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Anonymous-0

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paul

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Anonymous-0

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Fergienewbee

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Ecnerwal

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