Spring 2010: Corn and Cold Weather . . . When to Spray
I'm sure that you've come face to face with the cold weather we've seen over the last few days. This brings me to a very important issue . . .
DON'T SPRAY THE CORN THAT'S ALREADY UP WHEN WEATHER IS THIS COLD!! !
Here's why:
- The corn was growing normally prior to the cold & wet weather system now in place; so were the weeds and grasses. It was appropriate to spray the fields prior to the weather system moving in, however, we should wait for actively growing weeds and a growing crop before spraying again. With good growing weather, the weeds & grasses were developing a very thin cuticle layer, which was really easy to penetrate with chemicals you applied. Remember, the corn plant gets covered with just as much chemical as the weeds do. Cold weather really slows the chemical breakdown process (metabolism) in the corn plant. At the same time, the plant is not actively growing and may struggle to metabolize the chemical which can add further injury to the crop. When it is this cold, weeds are not actively growing either, which is what we chemical companies stress for successful post-application results. The corn and weeds are still alive, yet they are growing at a very reduced pace when it's cold. Keep in mind when temperatures are below 50° degrees F, the corn is not accumulating any heat units needed for crop growth.
- You're probably not going to be happy with your kill if you spray ANY CHEMICAL in these cold conditions, and besides, you might ding your corn. Avoid this heartache.
How long do we have to wait before we can do our post-applications? Opinions vary on this, but a general guideline would be to wait until neither the nighttime nor daytime temperatures drop below 60 degrees. Also, the corn should be allowed at least 48-72 hours to start actively growing before any spray application occurs. Makes for safer corn, deader weeds.
Greg Alexander
Sales Representative
712-395-1026
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