Corn food plot - when to spray with Roundup?

[BLACKJACK]

I planted two acres of roundup ready corn, how tall should the corn be when I spray it with roundup? How about cultivating, should that be done before or after the spraying (if necessary)?

[loosegoose]

Remember roundup doesn't have any residual so it will only kill the weeds that the spray comes in contact with. If you want to keep it clean you may have to spary it more than once per year. Being it's only a food plot it may not be necessary to cultivate it but if you do wait until after you spray when the weeds start dying.

[lawdog]

I think if you round-up the plot once just so the corn doesn't have as much competition early on you'll be good. For a food plot, the last thing you want is a REALLY clean weed free corn field. Give em some extra cover and let the bugs/other stuff grow in there for the birds.

[BouncinBottom]

I agree with lawdog. You may want to hit it with roundup early to give the corn a good start and then consider cultivating if the weed pressure gets bad and the corn is still short enough. By cultivating the second time, you will only remove the weeds between the rows but you will leave enough other weeds to provide enough cover in your plot.

Good Luck!!

[BLACKJACK]

I don't think 'having weeds for the birds' is going to be a problem, I've been putting grain sorghum in that spot the last few years and the foxtail has a firm hold. I'd like to get max corn production so that it lasts into February vrs the deer having it eaten by Jan 1. Plus its surrounded on three sides by CRP, willows, and a tree belt, even clean corn will draw pheasants. If a farmer leaves a one acre patch of clean corn on the edge of his field, do you suppose the pheasants and deer will use it?

Still looking for an answer on how tall the corn should be when it gets sprayed by Roundup??

[mechanictim]

There is no set standard as to when to spray with Roundup, just check the field for weeds and spray when the weeds are getting a little too big for comfort. You can cultivate and spray till your machinery starts damaging the corn stalks, usually till the corn is 20 to 24 inches tall for a cultivator and a little taller for a tractor mounted sprayer.

[Beeber]

BLACKJACK

Target the weed size not the corn. RR corn is genetically tolerant to Roundup so you do not really have to worry about phyto at rates which will control your weeds. The standard rate for Roundup for most situations is 1 qt/A.

[BLACKJACK]

Thanks for the advice guys. Since I'm planning on having the local coop spray it, I kind of want to time it when they're out spraying other fields, so they can whip in and do my two acres when they're doing other fields.

Kind of excited about this plot. The past couple of years, the cover had been good with the willows, switchgrass CRP and cattails not too far away but it never holds many birds. I'm hoping providing late season food will be the missing link. And I'm sure that this winter my trail camera will be spending some qualtiy time by the plot!

[BLACKJACK]

Talked to a guy at Cenex on Sat, he said not to let the grasses get too tall, over 6 inches, the 'green carpet' from the grass will really knock the corn back. Will be contacting the sprayers in the next week or two.

Glad I don't farm for a living, was looking at the corn last night and the rows are kind of spotty, with quite a few gaps of 3-4 feet. Some of it I can attribute to stripped gophers, I could see where they were going right down the row and digging up the emerging corn, but I have no idea what caused the rest of the gaps? Too deep? Anyway for my food plot it will work but I'd sure hate to have 80 or 800 acres looking like that!!

[Dotch]

Quote:

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Talked to a guy at Cenex on Sat, he said not to let the grasses get too tall, over 6 inches, the 'green carpet' from the grass will really knock the corn back. Will be contacting the sprayers in the next week or two.

Glad I don't farm for a living, was looking at the corn last night and the rows are kind of spotty, with quite a few gaps of 3-4 feet. Some of it I can attribute to stripped gophers, I could see where they were going right down the row and digging up the emerging corn, but I have no idea what caused the rest of the gaps? Too deep? Anyway for my food plot it will work but I'd sure hate to have 80 or 800 acres looking like that!!

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Been a rugged spring for corn emergence with the cool, wet conditions that typified May over much of MN. Many bags of replant corn have gone out the door as a result. Much of it has to do with the hybrid, drainage, and soil type as well as the weather. Planting depth, unless one planted deeper than 2", really hasn't been the issue here anyway. Just glad to see someone putting in food plots, whether it's for deer, pheasants, etc. Like you say, they don't have to be pretty. Sure the critters will reward you for it.