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This is how you make a perfect seedbed for corn
When the temperature rises sufficiently in April, we are ready to sow corn again. After (if applicable) the incorporation of the catch crop and fertilization, seedbed preparation is an important step towards successful maize cultivation. This article shows you how to do it (and how not to).
A good seedbed has a major influence on the initial development of your maize. In practice, however, seedbed preparation does not always receive enough attention. The perfect seedbed for maize is nice and flat, loosely crumbled down to the sowing depth, not too fine on light soils and not too coarse on heavy soils.
In a good seedbed that has been sufficiently warmed up, maize can germinate and grow quickly. The young plant is then much less vulnerable to damage from fungi, insects and birds.
A less good seedbed can cause the following problems:
Wireworm damage
The damage caused by wireworms is increasing every year. This larva of the click beetle bores into the stem base and roots of the young maize. As a result, corn plants lag behind in growth or die completely. On LG corn seed, the seed treatment Starcover Force available as protection against wireworms.
A good seedbed is necessary for the proper functioning of Force! Force has a vapor effect up to about 3,5 - 4 centimeters around the corn seed. Only in a tight seedbed that is not too loose and not too coarse will this vapor effect provide optimal protection.
Bird damage
Regionally, birds cause considerable damage to maize fields in the early stages. Jackdaws, rooks, crows and pigeons are mainly after the germ that emerges from the corn seed. In this phase, the maize is therefore vulnerable. From the 5 to 6 leaf stage, usually about six weeks after sowing, the plants are too large and the birds normally leave them alone.
In a good seedbed, the maize starts up quickly and the vulnerable phase lasts less long. It is also less easy for birds to find and pull the seeds loose in a tight seedbed. In a coarse seedbed, more seeds are often loose and unprotected.
Irregular attendance:
In a good seedbed with sufficient temperature, corn germinates quickly and emerges within ten to fourteen days. In a very coarse seedbed, the danger in a dry spring is that the maize will germinate, but then dry out. The emergence can also be very variable, which causes problems with planning the weed control.
Less successful weed control
The seedbed is also important for weed control. On the one hand because it is easier to plan the moment of spraying weeds when the maize emerges and grows evenly. On the other hand, because large clods in a coarse seedbed create an 'umbrella effect'. Weeds are less affected because they are protected by the clods.
In short: reasons enough to ensure a beautiful seedbed! Tip: with our new digital platform Agrility you can monitor whether your maize is developing well this year. That's how it works >>
