What seed rates would people recommend maize is drilled at ?
Maize
- Thread starter Benji Smith
- Start date
- Location
- Ceredigion
45.000
www.hmseeds.co.uk
We supply above varieties
And Pioneer
Forage Maize Seed | Hurrells Seeds
We stock an extensive selection of Forage Maize Seed. Maize offers a high dry matter content, consistent forage quality, high yields, high animal intakes and much more. Defra Approved Certified Seed: 1062
www.hmseeds.co.uk
And Pioneer
Last edited:
- Location
- Wiltshire
I’ve played around over the years, 42000 used to be popular but the difference between that and 45000/ac is only about 1seed/m2. So i am back to 45000. Quality of seedbed/ soil temperature is far more important if it was iffy i’d be putting the rate up. Also some N down the spout.
Bg
Bg
- Location
- Shropshire
45,000 would be the middle ground.
On heavy land we can and do go up to 50,000 but last year we dropped some of the better land to 40'000 from 43,000 with no reduction in yield.
A friend of mine knows someone who's down in the high thirties, again allegedly with no yield penalty but we haven't been that brave.
Every season, and seedbed is different.
On heavy land we can and do go up to 50,000 but last year we dropped some of the better land to 40'000 from 43,000 with no reduction in yield.
A friend of mine knows someone who's down in the high thirties, again allegedly with no yield penalty but we haven't been that brave.
Every season, and seedbed is different.
ollie989898
Member
Heavy dirt, indifferent seedbed- 45,000.
If you are in Shropshire and can actually make a worthwhile seed bed: 42,000 or 40,000. I don't think you would gain much from going lower, that's grain maize territory really.
In adverse conditions and really heavy old clart I've known people sow at 50,000 but it adds cost to something that is already costly.
Outside of sunny Cornwall then you may want to consider early vigour. You must use starter fertiliser (phosphate- DAP etc at 40-50kg/acre) under the crop. Nitrogen- chuck it in the seed bed if you really must, I'm not hugely convinced big doses of N do much for you with maize if you're already hammers the land with manure and slurry anyway but it's your cash not mine.
Soil test any land you are suspect of ahead of time and correct any problems with pH or P and K before you begin.
Seed bed, fertility and soil temperature are what make the crop.
If you are in Shropshire and can actually make a worthwhile seed bed: 42,000 or 40,000. I don't think you would gain much from going lower, that's grain maize territory really.
In adverse conditions and really heavy old clart I've known people sow at 50,000 but it adds cost to something that is already costly.
Outside of sunny Cornwall then you may want to consider early vigour. You must use starter fertiliser (phosphate- DAP etc at 40-50kg/acre) under the crop. Nitrogen- chuck it in the seed bed if you really must, I'm not hugely convinced big doses of N do much for you with maize if you're already hammers the land with manure and slurry anyway but it's your cash not mine.
Soil test any land you are suspect of ahead of time and correct any problems with pH or P and K before you begin.
Seed bed, fertility and soil temperature are what make the crop.
Last edited:
- Location
- Ceredigion
I never had much success growing Beet so I switched to Swedes , but I can imagine it's a wonderful crop if yiu can grow it
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
- Location
- Wiltshire
42k seeds
We have high indexes and where we have a fert pipe blocked we can see it all year. We tried just N down the spout and went back. Used a small amount of protected P starter fert last 2yrs (less than the recommendation) and this year I want to look into P releasing agents.... although that's all new to me and I'm only looking into it
We have high indexes and where we have a fert pipe blocked we can see it all year. We tried just N down the spout and went back. Used a small amount of protected P starter fert last 2yrs (less than the recommendation) and this year I want to look into P releasing agents.... although that's all new to me and I'm only looking into it
ollie989898
Member
I don't quite understand why anyone would use that micro/protected fertiliser stuff- it's the same money for far less phosphate. What is the point. Sooner spend the money on actual starter fertiliser at a proper rate, ideally containing DAP + zinc, manganese and copper added. If you really want to put nitrogen on, throw it on to the seed bed but the phosphate MUST be under the seed where the adventitious roots can find it very very quickly.
The maize starter fert i had wasnt micro was same size granules and sowed at 25kg/ac, had zinc mag etc, I'm trying to get away from chucking a pile of DAP onto high indexes land like we always used to when half of it doesn't seem to even get to the plant, but I have tried without any P other than muck and it definitely has an effect. Last year it worked out simular money per acre, year before the starter fert was much cheaper than DAP (when the world was a mess)
ollie989898
Member
That umostart stuff is a complete con- best avoided.
You aren't putting a shed load of P on to the land using starter fertiliser- the crop will remove all of that and far more.
- Location
- Lorette Manitoba
ollie989898
Member
That's the plan, got loads of muck, dropping p indecies a touch without effecting crop yield will suit me
Never used umostart
The problem with soil phosphate is that it can be difficult for the young plants to find as it's availability is affected by cold/wet soils and it isn't helped by poor seed beds, either.
If someone has high P and K indices then really they probably shouldn't be putting any more dung or manure on. The modest amount in 50kg/acre of DAP will be more than taken off by the crop, although I would agree with the comments in another thread that RB209 is hopelessly out of date and if you want a classic example of this then maize would be the crop where RB209 is even weaker.
Good broad spectrum soil test results will show up and potential nutrient deficiencies but many of these are usually offset by a good seed bed and the fact that maize can root so deeply- provided it has found enough phosphate to do so earlier on.
Do you top up the N through the season?
I agree with this, intend to run some trials on this, with different rates of N to check the impact.
We have high P and low K in some fields, it's a hard one as the FYM is fantastic for K but can't apply without the P.
One option is to make sure you put on less P in the FYM than you are removing with the crop, so you reduce the index over time.
- Location
- Wiltshire
Yes usually about 110kg in total depending on season and accounting for any Fym/slurry
Bg
RB209 allows up to 150kgN/ha (total crop available N inc. artificial and organic) for a 40t/ha fresh weight yield, so we normally target that.
But I am not convinced we need it all.
We usually work any N into the seedbed pre-drilling, but think we'd be better to apply less and do some foliar in-season...