How to Sidedress Corn With a Cultivator

Sidedressing boosts crop yield and improves the quality of harvest.

Sidedressing is the application of fertilizer and other nutrients and chemicals to the soil next to a growing crop, such as corn. Sidedressing gives corn a second dose of fertilizer to supplement what was applied at the time of planting. Corn growers use different methods to sidedress corn, including application with a cultivator.

Things You'll Need

• Cultivator
• Nitrogen fertilizer
• Water

Instructions

1. Sidedress corn twice per growing year. Sidedress the corn when it has reached knee height and formed silk. Sidedress again when the corn begins to tassel (height varies for this stage).

2. Sidedress before it is forecast to rain. Otherwise, water the crop after application of fertilizer. This will help the soil to absorb the fertilizer at the roots of the crop.

3. Adjust the setting of the coulters, the cutting discs, on the cultivator so they are set to parallel linkage. This will help to maintain depth, releasing the nitrogen 1 to 2 inches beneath the soil surface.

4. Make a shallow furrow or indent in the soil where the fertilizer will be sprinkled. Make this furrow approximately 4 inches from the corn on each side, parallel to the crop.

5. Fill the cultivator with a high-nitrogen fertilizer to sidedress corn. Apply between 60 and 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre, depending on if the corn is irrigated and on the content of the soil.

6. Sprinkle a thin line of fertilizer into the furrow. Gently water the fertilizer in to prevent burns caused by splashing, in case of heavy rainfall.

Tips & Warnings

• Use only 60 pounds of nitrogen if soil is rich with organic nutrients and if the corn is irrigated; use 100 pounds if soil is low in nitrogen due to poorer soil quality.

References

• West Virginia University Extension: Sweet Corn Production
• Farm Press: Corn Side-dress Not Exact Science
• Yetter Sidedressing Strategies
• National Gardening Association: Corn Care