Foliar applied Nitrogen on Corn

[highyields]

Has anyone else ever tried the foliar applied nitrogen on corn???  I did this spring but I saw no additional "greeness" after appling it and I really don't think it paid for the cost of the nitrogen.  It was a18% slow realease and12% availabe right away if i remember correctly.  

Thought if anyone else has ever had any experience with foliar fertilizer.  I'd like to think that its the future but i'm not sold yet. 

[Jim Meade / Iowa City]

My agronomist keeps pushing it and I keep refusing to use it.  University tests don't show it is profitable.

My question is, why put stuff on the leaf when the plant is designed by nature to uptake through the roots?  It simply doesn't make sense.

[highyields]

I haven't combined the corn yet that i applied it to but just looking at the ears, and kernel counts, ear length  I saw no bigger numbers.   I got to thinking, I applied it at v5-v7 stage cause the thought around here is give the plant a boast at ear sizing stage and then get a bigger ear, well I have wide rows yet and I'm not at complete canopy at that vegetative stage, and its a foliar applied fertilizer, get my point.   i think if you are spraying fungicide then that would be a better time to apply the foliar fertilizer to corn.  

[Pupdaddy]

..even getting it on when you have a full canopy doesn't guarantee success with foliar applied fertilizer in corn. It's been a real hit and miss type of story...some people have seen results..and the same number haven't. It's your call, do you want to spend the money on a 50% chance of it working, or spend some extra money on pre-plant or side-dressed nitrogen, where you generally "can" see some benefits.

[pan ag]

Jim, when you mention that your agronomist encourages foliar application, I was wondering if you do business with Big Country Seeds of Tiffin?

[Jim Meade / Iowa City]

Yes, do you?

[pan ag]

Yes I do.  I buy bluegrass seed for turfgrass sod production and specialty fertilizer and micronutrient products from them.  Because they are a few miles away from me, I buy my seed corn and beans more locally.  Dan Steines is the guy behind Big Country and I think a lot of him.  I got to know him back when he was with Amana Farms.  He worked/works his butt off and came up from almost nowhere and now seems to have built quite a business.  He's always been a real straight shooter and a friend to me.  That being said, he's always been quite a promoter of foliar feeding of just about everything to just about anything that grows.  I try some of the recommendations.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  I guess that could be said about any farming practice.