“Now, some people because of lack of rain, lack of moisture in the ground, they’re going to plant deeper. They’re going to plant where the moisture is at. I think you’re going to have to watch yourself on that, but honestly I’ve never had a crop failure at 2 inches. But I think the ideal planting depth is an inch and a half, maybe an inch and three-quarters. Some people will go an inch and a quarter but I still think an inch and a half over all the years and all the university work and data is what we shoot for.”
Mullen told a crowd gathered in Miami County that proper planting will help eliminate runt corn plants, plants that don’t add to yield but steal from neighbors.
Uniform planting for uniform emergence also, in Mullen’s experience, requires lower tractor speeds.
“All of these years looking at it, to me anything from 4-5 ½ mile an hour is where we need to be. I know if we don’t get in that field until that first part of June, or if conditions are that rain is coming and we need to get it planted, I’m sorry. The faster we go is another part of the reason why we’re having issues with uneven emergence and runted plants.”
Mullen, with Seed Consultants, said although planting time is longer at the slower speeds, you should see the benefits in the hopper come harvest.