Correct Conditions When Planting Early

Hello Members,

The “Hot topic” that we are going to address today is the correct conditions for planting early. This is a topic that I feel often gets thrown into conversations this time of year. What I hear sometimes is “I just plant when it feels right.” if that is the route that you choose to go, you may struggle with emergence. If you want the most successful crop, then you need to look at these key things in your operation. Just because your buddies are planting it doesn’t mean that your ground is ready too. As bad as you might be itching to get going, you need to check these things first: soil temperature, moisture levels, germ quality of the seed, and what your Growing Degree Days GDD are.

The soil temperature needs to be at least 50 degrees for best results. You want it to be 50 degrees for 5 days. Hopefully the temps continue to rise in those 5 days. Ideally, in the perfect world, you would be planting your corn and beans at the same time. Granted, not every operation has the capacity to do that, but if you can do it, If you choose to plant before the soil temp is 50 degrees, you are at high risk for needing to replant due to poor emergence and standability issues. Some may have got the itch to plant this past weekend because of the high temps. Then look at what happened yesterday. We had a big temp drop yesterday, just 50 degrees, but that doesn’t mean that’s what the soil temp was. Then if we look at the rest of the week: 36;63, 56;77, 44;79, 34;60, 38;61, 42;63. These temps are inconsistent and not to mention the chances of rain sprinkled in there (no pun intended). Yes, the moisture is good for the crops but they’re too cold. Now, we all know how soybeans are, they are very sensitive to change. Soybeans need it to be at least 55-60. With the temps that I gave I just don’t think that it’s in one’s best interest to plant beans. Not to mention soybeans struggle to bounce back from stressors and agronomic pressures, that is what a perfect picture of what I just presented to you today.

Now let’s talk about moisture levels. The moisture levels for your fields should be between 50-70% of field capacity. This means that the soil should be wet enough to form a ball in your hand. But one thing that you need to look at is making sure that water isn’t seeping outside the ball, that would indicate that the field is too wet. Moisture temperature is vital for corn germination and emergence. Just as a reminder we did have a freeze over Memorial Day in 2021. Unfortunately, we can’t predict the weather, but there are tools to help For example, the Midwestern Regional Climate Center and the Midwest Climate Hub created a Freeze Date Tool to assist you.

Finally, the last couple of things that you should look at are the Growing Degree Days of your crops, for example, 110-day corn means that roughly 110 days after planting you will harvest your corn. Most soybeans require 130 days of GDD. So, you need to think about this so that you have enough time to harvest everything. The germ quality will be listed on the label of the corn and beans. This information would be something that you need to consider when picking your seed.

I hope that you feel more comfortable about making your planting date decisions now. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

I will be working through the middle of May, mainly in the Harlan Warehouse. Stop in and say hello!