My corn is near knee high and I'm going to be side dressing it with blood meal 12-0-0
My question is can I put it on a little heavy? Directions call for 1 cup per 20 square feet or 1 tablespoon for every square foot. I'm thinking if I put this on my ambrosia alittle heavy I wont do any damage right? I know 12-0-0 isnt that strong...
What would you guys and gals suggest? Go by the directions or do what I want since its my money? I just don't want to hurt my corn if I go heavy...[/u][/list]
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luvthesnapper
- Senior Member
- Posts: 168
- Joined: Sat May 19, 2012 5:37 pm
- Location: Delaware
Never used blood meal, but every store has it. I use Azomite, liquid kelp/fish, and just let the compost do the rest.
I might try it as heavy as you planned on just a couple of plants, and see what it does. Use as directed, for the rest. I hear blood meal can be overused, and can burn plants. Maybe that's true. I imagine it's harder on younger plants.
I might try it as heavy as you planned on just a couple of plants, and see what it does. Use as directed, for the rest. I hear blood meal can be overused, and can burn plants. Maybe that's true. I imagine it's harder on younger plants.
Knee-high seems about right for applying fertilizer. I am a little surprised that your corn has made that much growth in Upper Michigan. I understand that you have had quite a bit of warm weather so far this year.
The tallest of my corn is only about 10" high and it isn't sweet corn. The earliest planting of sweet corn has just emerged.
I often have Ambrosia and will have it again this year. Two sowings are all that I can get from it because it will mature too late for the first frost.
It has been quite a few years since I have used blood meal. I found it a little unpleasant to use but since I had a wood stove at that time, I mixed wood ashes and bone meal with the blood. Lately, I have just gone to an organic fertilizer blend.
I don't know about the maximum rates for bloodmeal application. If you feel that your corn isn't already making rapid growth, you may want to go kind of heavy with it. However, if you have 12-foot corn plants and maturity is delayed too long, you may be sorry to have done that.
Steve
edited to add: [url=https://cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/234.pdf]Colorado State University (click)[/url] recommends 5 to 10 pounds/100sqft and cautions against burning
The tallest of my corn is only about 10" high and it isn't sweet corn. The earliest planting of sweet corn has just emerged.
I often have Ambrosia and will have it again this year. Two sowings are all that I can get from it because it will mature too late for the first frost.
It has been quite a few years since I have used blood meal. I found it a little unpleasant to use but since I had a wood stove at that time, I mixed wood ashes and bone meal with the blood. Lately, I have just gone to an organic fertilizer blend.
I don't know about the maximum rates for bloodmeal application. If you feel that your corn isn't already making rapid growth, you may want to go kind of heavy with it. However, if you have 12-foot corn plants and maturity is delayed too long, you may be sorry to have done that.
Steve
edited to add: [url=https://cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/234.pdf]Colorado State University (click)[/url] recommends 5 to 10 pounds/100sqft and cautions against burning
ok thanks so far for the comments.
Id be happy to post some pictures for you guys, I have 6 rows of ambrosia planted on may 13th, and I have 4 rows of bodacious planted on may 23rd
My rows are 20 feet long
as you can see from my 12 inch shoe its a little taller
https://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u486/joed2323/photobucket-49703-1339972814298.jpg
https://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u486/joed2323/photobucket-7674-1339972849055.jpg
https://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u486/joed2323/photobucket-1941-1339972954686.jpg
this picture you can see the younger bodacious
https://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u486/joed2323/photobucket-35821-1339972876470.jpg
Id be happy to post some pictures for you guys, I have 6 rows of ambrosia planted on may 13th, and I have 4 rows of bodacious planted on may 23rd
My rows are 20 feet long
as you can see from my 12 inch shoe its a little taller
https://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u486/joed2323/photobucket-49703-1339972814298.jpg
https://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u486/joed2323/photobucket-7674-1339972849055.jpg
https://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u486/joed2323/photobucket-1941-1339972954686.jpg
this picture you can see the younger bodacious
https://i1070.photobucket.com/albums/u486/joed2323/photobucket-35821-1339972876470.jpg
the bodacious needs to be thinned out, I sow my seed alot different then others.
instead of sticking the seeds in a furrow, I put 3 seeds for every 10-12 inches
this way for me I never get bare spots and if I'm lucky when I thin out I can get 2 stalks if they are far enough apart from one another(basically a double row). Otherwise I always keep them 10-12 inches apart atleast one or two every foot, just if anyone was wondering why I have 3 stalks every foot
instead of sticking the seeds in a furrow, I put 3 seeds for every 10-12 inches
this way for me I never get bare spots and if I'm lucky when I thin out I can get 2 stalks if they are far enough apart from one another(basically a double row). Otherwise I always keep them 10-12 inches apart atleast one or two every foot, just if anyone was wondering why I have 3 stalks every foot
Easy to see that the season is further along than here and it all looks good, Joed.
I do it both and all ways
- single rows at 36", plants about 12" apart in the rows.
- rows at 36", plants in groups of 2 or 3 plants at 30" apart.
Last year, I even tried
- rows at 24", plants in groups of 2 at 30" apart. Yeah, the plants were further apart in the rows than the rows were from each other. I barely had room to walk in there but since it was only a plot, 4 rows wide - I could move around on the outside
.
I have grown sweet corn
- in 4' wide beds, 2 rows/bed, 3 plants at 30"
Adapting to space, variety and circumstance - that's my plan
.
Steve
I do it both and all ways
- single rows at 36", plants about 12" apart in the rows.
- rows at 36", plants in groups of 2 or 3 plants at 30" apart.
Last year, I even tried
- rows at 24", plants in groups of 2 at 30" apart. Yeah, the plants were further apart in the rows than the rows were from each other. I barely had room to walk in there but since it was only a plot, 4 rows wide - I could move around on the outside
.I have grown sweet corn
- in 4' wide beds, 2 rows/bed, 3 plants at 30"
Adapting to space, variety and circumstance - that's my plan
.Steve
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jal_ut
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7447
- Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
- Location: Northern Utah Zone 5
My thoughts are that you could put that on three times as heavy as the instructions say and not hurt a thing.
The saying here is, "Corn knee high by the fourth of July". I think my early planting is going to make it. It is about ten inches now and we had 87° today. I just side dressed it and watered it yesterday.
For side dressing I used Urea which is 42-0-0. It doesn't take very much to make a difference.
The saying here is, "Corn knee high by the fourth of July". I think my early planting is going to make it. It is about ten inches now and we had 87° today. I just side dressed it and watered it yesterday.
For side dressing I used Urea which is 42-0-0. It doesn't take very much to make a difference.
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jal_ut
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 7447
- Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
- Location: Northern Utah Zone 5
I checked out your pictures. Looking good.
If you use the image tags your photos will appear in your answer window.
[img]https://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n289/jloft/spring_4.jpg[/img]
Ya, on photobucket you click on the link that has [img] at the beginning and that copies it, then you just need to paste it here and presto.
If you use the image tags your photos will appear in your answer window.
[img]https://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n289/jloft/spring_4.jpg[/img]
Ya, on photobucket you click on the link that has [img] at the beginning and that copies it, then you just need to paste it here and presto.
I did what Jal said and used 42-0-0 the weekend after Memorial Day when my corn was around knee high. Little water after that and now my corn is tasseling and silking. I will side dress it again today or soon with some more of the 42-0-0 combined with some super phosphate and I should be pulling ears of corn in the next couple of weeks. Or the raccoons will be pulling them for me!