Seedbed Preparation & Planting Depth

It’s hard to believe that April has snuck up on us and is already halfway over. With nights still dropping to the high 20’s, soils are remaining in the low 40’s even with the warmer days. The USDA estimates that an extra 3.5 million acres of corn will be planted this year across the U.S. compared to 2018.

With a few more weeks left before planting, take the time to read up on seedbed prep and proper planting depth. Make sure your machinery is working efficiently, and your cropping crew is up to speed on the road rules and safety procedures. While springtime may be hectic, making sure safety is our #1 priority is essential. A safe 2019 season makes for a prosperous 2019 season.

Seedbed preparation is one of the most influential factors for successful germination and establishment. Tillage helps establish proper seed – to – soil contact. Why is proper seed – to – soil contact important? Well, it helps the seed utilize the moisture available in the soil and provide the necessary nutrients to the plant later as it matures.

How does tillage establish the necessary seed to soil contact?
Loosening the soil surface
Eliminating existing weeds or vegetation
Incorporating your fertilizer
Providing a firm seedbed for seeding

There are several tillage practices that work to create proper seed – to – soil contact. Whatever practices you choose to implement, the common goal is the same – to create a smooth and uniform seedbed and to reduce weed pressure and debris. We don’t need our crop to be competing with weeds for sunlight, moisture, or nutrients.

Whether you’ve chosen to use tillage on your ground, or chosen a no – till system, the next step is understanding planting depth. Different crops require different planting depths for optimum growth and yield. Making sure your planter is working the way it should be is essential to a successful planting season. Checking the down pressure and spring systems for wear are critical to proper planting depth. Take a look at the planting depths below. Keep in mind the moisture of your soil at planting. The drier and coarser your soil is, the deeper you’ll want to plant – but don’t go too deep! If you’re planting into wet and fine textured soils, you’ll want to plant shallower – but not too shallow!

Soybeans: 1 – 1.5 inches
Corn: 1.5 – 2 inches

Shallow planting may cause the root system to develop at or even above the soil surface, allowing the roots to be affected by environmental stresses (i.e. frost, hail, or bird feeding damage). Shallow planting may also lead to a condition known as Rootless Corn Syndrome in which plants lack a strong nodal system often resulting in downed corn. Shallow seed may also be exposed to herbicide residues increasing the potential for herbicide injury. Uneven emergence and decreased populations may also be contributed to by shallow planting. If no – till planting is not closely managed according to field conditions, it can  be troublesome to achieve the ideal seed planting depth.

The reality is that the ideal planting depth should be based on a number of factors that should be determined at the time of planting. Management decisions may vary drastically if you are employing no – till, strip – till or conventional tillage systems. Field conditions in our geography may vary so much that planting depth could warrant being adjusted each time we pull a planter into a different field. Logistically, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense and time is working against us to get crops planted. Finding and maintaining the planting depth that allows for good seed – to – soil contact and provides the seed with the best opportunity for moisture intake and emergence will make all the difference. Be sure to monitor seed depth and make changes as needed. We only get one shot to establish a seeding the way that it should be the first time, let’s not rush over things or neglect how important the factors that we can control are when planting crops. Good luck and well wishes for a successful and SAFE 2019 crop season!