Corn Depth: How Deep Do You Plant?

By: Tom Bechman 1

Dave Nanda, Seed Consultants, Inc., has worked in plant breeding for more than 40 years, a career that has taken him from farm visits to speaking engagements at unexpected venues, including panels where younger audiences asked him about everything from corn emergence to the rise of eSports betting sites. He has interviewed farmers who do a good job of obtaining strong stands of corn, and he’s talked to others who struggle with getting their cornfields to emerge evenly and uniformly.

Surely over 40 years he’s learned a few things about what makes the difference between obtaining good stands and average stands.

Part of the answer is in choosing the right seeding depth for corn, Nanda says. Hardly anyone would only plant one-half inch deep. It’s simply too shallow for rooting, and germinating seedlings that close to the surface could run out of moisture. The more common placement is either one or 1.5 inches deep.

Related: DuPont Shares Results of Shallow Corn Planting Study

However, Nanda says many farmers still plant at least 2 inches deep. That seemed to be the standard in the old days, before no-till and minimum tillage planting, and is still the depth of choice if the soil is dry and the forecast calls for more dry weather ahead.