Side dressing N in corn

[optimistic and young]

Looking for info on Sidedressing N, I've found that it always pays to do it, but can you expect a yield bump? Is this the missing link on higher yielding corn ? Assuming you have proper fertility, population, etc. ?

[idleriver]

There is no missing link.  N managment is very important though.  900 dollar NH3 needs to be put where it can be used most efficiently.  I work in some dry N in the spring, Put down some 28 with the starter and sidedress NH3. 

"never let your corn crop have a bad day."

[Pupdaddy]

I love Idleriver's quote "Never let your corn have a bad day". That is one of the best prescriptions for a good corn crop I've ever seen.

I might have another for you..."Side dressing is more about insurance..than it is yield bump". You can put all your nitrogen on in the fall...and then have 10 inches of rain in the spring before planting..and lose 50% of your nitrogen....or, you can spread your applications out, pre, planter applied..and post. It's your call...do you want to pay for valuable product that you never get an opportunity to use...or make an effort to use every input that you pay for..it's that simple.

[Red Steele]

you might want to look at some of the articles about side dressing in Successful Farming over the last year....many are about studies that show a yield bump of up to 40-50 bushels per acre.

Splitting it probably is the best policy...some should go on pre-plant to make sure you don't get caught not being able to get any applied later.

[Crossley Grain]

When side dressing you are applying the N when the crop needs it.  It is the best option no matter what you are currently doing.  You can go 1 step further and pull tissue samples when the corn is 5" tall and know exactly what you need to apply.  It doesn't get any better then that!!!   Check into tissue samples, they are very cheap and very fast to get the results back.

[centralillinois]

Soils that have some clay and are poorly drained like some of mine probably respond the best to splitting the nitrogen up with some dry in the fall, 15 gallons of 28 or starter in the spring, followed by sidedressing the rest.  The better soils that are well drained might not be soils to sidedress.  This year the price increase of nitrogen might negate any benefit of sidedressing.  Every year is different. 

[Mike M2692830]

Just don't put all your eggs in one basket. Select the fields that would respond the best to sidedressing and do those. Your better drained fields that will hold its N could be left out of the side dress equation. It always seems we farmers have the best intentions during the winter when we have too much time on our hands to think out our planting season. Then spring rolls around and the weather gets the best of us and now we wish we had done things a little different. Sidedressing and spraying seem to fall in the same time frame. Leave yourself some time to do all the jobs...MikeM