Should I pre-soak my corn seed?

Westonium · May 26, 2005

I've never grown corn. I've grown lots of other things, but not corn. I have a walk-behind single-row seeder I got from the farm store (Wilco), and I am wondering if I should pre-soak the corn. I usually pre-soak other seeds if I want them to germinate faster, but I don't know if a) I should do that with corn, and b) if it will work in the seeder if I do that (assuming I pat the seeds dry first).

guidance?

DUMBDOG · May 26, 2005

It is not necessary to presoak the seeds for the type of planter that you are using. Even if you pat them dry, I do not think that they will work well in the planter if you presoak them enough to do any good. If there is not enough moisture in the ground a good watering after planting will do just as much as presoaking.

Bird · May 26, 2005

I never pre-soaked any of my seed, but everytime I planted any seed of any kind, or set out plants, as I did with my tomatoes, bell peppers, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, I immediately walked down each row watering it with a high volume, low pressure wand. And I think you're talking about the same kind of planter that I used. I figure that not only moistened the seed, but also settled the dirt around them.

thingy · May 26, 2005

You don't presoak corn seed,,,plant in rows,3-4 seeds per spot,about 1 to 2 inches deep,of freshly tilled dirt,after it comes up 6 inches or so,,thin to no more than 3 stalks per spot,[don't want to use the word hill here,cause you don't plant corn in hills],,plant at least at least four rows for polination,,,,,after covering,,,lightly scatter 10-10-10 fertilizer on top of rows,[lightly scatter],,you don't need to water when planting either,[unless you are living in very dry place],,in my area,,I never water it period,,always have pretty good crop,,,peaches and cream,[a bi color],does real well,,,planted my corn about 3 weeks ago,,its already up,,,,we freeze most of ours on the ear,,,just prepare it like you would for boiling and eating,,,,than parboil it maybe a min. to kill bacteria,,,cool it good,,than put in good frezzer bags and into good frezzer,,,will keep for over a year,,and taste about as good as fresh... thingy

coveredbridge · May 26, 2005

Another reason I wouldn't soak seed is because (at least around here) most seed is treated with pesticide which would wash off if the seed were soaked.

I have seen and used a powdered seed starter that is supposed to improve germination. I can't say I ever noticed any difference when using it though.

Also, I think that planting corn in groups of 2 or 3 is just a waste of seed. The germination rate on modern seed is so high that there's really no need to overseed and then thin. I started planting 1 seed every 6" - 10" apart and while I get the occasional bare spot, I'd rather have that than have to go through and thin. A lot of times, when you thin corn, it seems that you disturb the roots on the plant you're leaving and damage that plant as well, so what's the point?

kensfarm · May 26, 2005

Long ago I remember my Dad soaking corn seed the night before planting.. but that was hand planting.

Don't soak it if your using a planter.. my field corn & a set of sweet corn started showing 9 days after being planted.. the week was rainy and cold.

chucko · May 26, 2005

I picked all of mine last night

Westonium · May 26, 2005

I'm planting 5 kinds of corn - peaches and cream is one of them.

I'm also planting bodacious, early sunglow, kandy corn, and silver queen.

Thanks for the tip. It rained every day for several weeks and the temps were pretty cold. Too cold and muddy for planting.

then SNAP pure sunshine starting 2 days ago. It is only 8am here and the temp outside is 74.5 and **20 % humidity ** - can you say D R Y?

I'll have to water these things in.

Chuck52 · May 26, 2005

If you're using the same kind of walk-behind seeder that I have (Gardenway?), watch out for uneven seeding with corn. I love this thing for beans, peas, okra, and other decent-sized more-or-less round seeds, but when I used it for corn this year it over-seeded and uneven-seeded so much that I figure I wasted 2/3 of the seed. Now, part of my problem was due to the lumpy texture of the soil I was planting in. It's a new bed that I just started this year, full of decaying sod and such, so the drive wheel of the planter was bouncing around a bit. However, I think the pointy and unever sized corn seed gives the seeder fits under the best of conditions. I'm planting this new 50x50 foot plot in 25x25 foot sections. After the problems with the first section, I planted the second using a piece of PVC pipe to drop the seeds individually, so I didn't have to bend over, and then pushed them in with a stick. Didn't take too long for the twelve 25' rows, and didn't waste any seed. I probably looked pretty weird walking along with the PVC and the stick, but fortunately there was no one to see! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Chuck