When Planting Corn Can There Be More Than One Seed?

Requirements

• Corn seeds designed for planting are large and simple to handle, and they should be planted in rich, fertile, well-drained soil with a pH level of 6 to 6.8, which is slightly acidic. A soil's pH level can be obtained by performing a soil test through a county Cooperative Extension Service office, a testing laboratory or home soil test kit. A heavy feeder, corn's performance improves significantly with the addition of plenty of organic matter in the form of aged compost or well-rotted manure. A frost-tender, warm-season annual plant, corn is grown in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 to 8, which provide the long growing season corn needs. Planting at least three or four short, side-by-side rows of corn, a practice known as planting in blocks, is better than planting one long row of corn, Corn is pollinated by wind, and planting corn in blocks allows the corn leaves to touch, which facilitates pollen transfer among the plants.

Planting

• Select a site that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight per day, and turn over the soil to a depth of at least 12 inches. The soil's temperature must be 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit; corn seeds do not germinate in soil below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. In cool, moist soil, plant corn seeds 1/2 inch deep, and plant them 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep in warm, dry soil. In either case, allow 9 to 12 inches between seeds and 36 inches between rows. The spacing may seem like a lot, but corn plants quickly expand across an area, and the spacing leaves plenty of room to move between corn plants for weeding and harvesting.

Culture

• Corn needs a steady supply of water, especially at planting time and during its flowering and ear formation stages. Use about 5 gallons of water per 1 square yard of soil when the soil appears dry. The soil, however, needs to drain well because corn doesn't do well when it stands in water. When the plants are about 12 to 18 inches tall, apply a 10-10-10 fertilizer as a side-dressing at a rate of 3 tablespoons for every 10 feet of row; a fertilizer side-dressing is placed in a shallow trench on one side of the plants then covered with soil. Cultivate regularly between the rows to control weeds, being careful not to damage corn plants' roots. If regular cultivation is not possible, consider mulching between the plants with at least a 3-inch layer of straw or grass clippings or several layers of newspaper that is weighted down.

Varieties

• Most sweet corn is grown from hybrids, crosses between two or more varieties of corn, combining each variety's desired qualities to produce an improved variety. Sweetness, as well as other characteristics, differs among the varieties and is divided into three types: standard or naturally sweet, sugary enhanced hybrids that contain a sugar-enhancing gene and super-sweet hybrids that are naturally sweeter than standard varieties. Standard varieties include "Golden Cross Bantam" and "Iochief," both of which are ready for harvest about 85 days after they are planted. Sugar-enhanced varieties include "Champ," "Sugar Buns" and "Tuxedo," all of which are ready to harvest in roughly 68 to 75 days. The super-sweet corn varieties "Early Xtra Sweet," "Jubilee Supersweet" and "Excel" all ready for harvest after about 70 to 83 days.