Corn Depth: How Deep Do You Plant?

By: Tom Bechman 1

Dave Nanda, Seed Consultants, Inc., has worked in plant breeding or more than 40 years. He has also interviewed farmers who do a good job of obtaining good stands of corn. And he’s talked to some who don’t do such a good job of getting 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.