Poor soil corn,

dirtman · #1 04/30/12, 07:52 AM

I have a piece of land that is mostly sand and very little organic matter. I would like to grow field corn on it. I am wondering if I dug trenches about a foot deep and filled them with good soil could I grow decent corn.

sammyd · #2 04/30/12, 08:09 AM

biggest problem in sand is keeping it wet enough.
You could put dirt in trenches and the corn will grow in there but you will have to irrigate as the moisture will wick away pretty quick.

Kazahleenah · #3 04/30/12, 08:46 AM

It would be easier to just build up the soil I would think.

bruce2288 · #4 04/30/12, 10:03 AM

Commercial corn is grown on sandy soil. If you supply enough plant nutrients, either with compost, manure or synthetic fertilize and it has sufficient moisture yes. Corn roots will penetrate much farther laterally and vertically than your trench. A trench 1'x1' with good soil will probably not be enough nutrient.

geo in mi · #5 04/30/12, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtman

I have a piece of land that is mostly sand and very little organic matter. I would like to grow field corn on it. I am wondering if I dug trenches about a foot deep and filled them with good soil could I grow decent corn.

Look around you to see if others are growing field corn. You may need a hybrid or local variety that will do well sprouting in colder soil, then fewer growing days and corn heat degree days.
On sand, it can be done with irrigation, otherwise you risk nubbins as the corn will roll up tight and stunt to cope with lack of moisture. Nutrients will probably have to be anhydrous or urea applications. You could help by planting a legume crop the year ahead of corn.

geo

o&itw · #6 04/30/12, 05:06 PM

I'm thinking that digging 1 foot ditches and filling them with good soil would be a tremendous undertaking for any amount of land. If I am figuring right, that would be a cubic yard of dirt for every 27 feet of row. I agree that finding and incorporating organic material would probably be easier. Still, I you are talking any acreage at all, it would take the manure from half the barns in your county.

oneokie · #7 04/30/12, 10:00 PM

Chemigation would probably work.

janetn · #8 05/01/12, 12:53 AM

Lots of work but it should give you a decent yeild. The Indians taught the Putians to grow corn in sandy soil - they put a fish in with each seed. Your kinda doing the same thing.

You could just go fishin

dirtman · #9 05/01/12, 08:40 AM

I stripped the top soil off this section of land to fill raised beds. I will start sheet composting and cover crops on it this fall but I just wanted to get started growing something on it this year. Maybe the 2012 thing means something and I want to grow as many staples as possible this year even if I only get a couple of bushels as future seed corn.

Kazahleenah · #10 05/01/12, 11:02 AM

try a legume this year and till it in? That would help add to the soil.

geo in mi · #11 05/01/12, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirtman

I stripped the top soil off this section of land to fill raised beds. I will start sheet composting and cover crops on it this fall but I just wanted to get started growing something on it this year. Maybe the 2012 thing means something and I want to grow as many staples as possible this year even if I only get a couple of bushels as future seed corn.

Try some dry beans. You might get a crop, if you innoculate them when you plant. You might beat your climate with a 90 day bean or less. See Johnny's catalog, Page 8, or Johnnyseeds.com Kenearly, for example, is a very good soup bean, 90 days, bush type that stays fairly upright so it won't touch the soil and get wet during drydown. Being a legume, you can also get the nitrogen and humus by turning plants under. Then a cover, winter crop like rye to turn under next spring.......

Or bush squash like acorns or delicata, intercropped with something like oats and crimson clover or vetch--folowed by winter rye......The squash can be planted in oasis-- like tubs in the soil, enhanced by compost or composted manure---or even fish heads, if buried deep enough and covered with a layer of soil below the root zone.

geo

silverseeds · #12 05/01/12, 12:41 PM

LOTS of ways you can go with this....

first its a lot of work, but your idea of digging out the sand in rows to add amendments can maximize the potentials of the amendments you DO have.. Ive done this. except Im in clay not sand... Sand will indeed wick away, but since your concentrating your amendments youd have a bit more water retention in those areas...

Id also point to adding other sources of fertilization throughout the year. A good one is to raise fish, and ad new water to the fish, as you water your crops with the fish water. another is making even low tech compost tea, Ive done both of these on VERY poor soils, and have had good results...

Id also recommend a bit of breeding myself... corn is an easy crop for this... Id get some of the old native american varieties from nativeseeds . org they dont give the best descriptions in that they dont cover all local conditions for their varieties, but with a bit of effort you can find something with anything from very short to long seasons there. this will give you good drought tolerance. the hopi varieties also grow VERY well in sand, and heck they didnt even amend to much...

Id then get a few other selections depending on your locale, painted mountain is a good one, abut truthfully Id basically get some of the older varieties with specific traits, and whatever varieties that are newer with traits you like. Id do the digging out of the rows to concentrate amendments as you are talking about, and fertilize with compost teas or fish water as I said... add new amendments yearly to build up those rows for growing corn and their water holding capacity... Id also use clovers or some other ground cover between your corn rows, to lessen and evaporation next to your water corn rows, and of course mulch over the corn, so your only loosing water one direction, and it happens to be the direction the roots can chase it!!!

If you do a decent job selecting varieties to breed with, after a few years of selecting you will start to form a variety selected for your tastes and conditions. its reall y not so hard with a crop like corn.

silverseeds · #13 05/01/12, 09:34 PM

I reread my post, and just so its clear, you dont NEED to breed to have good results if you supply a good amount of fertilization throughout the season. Im a big advocate though, and it will leave you with something better in the end, and with a crop like corn is rather easy.