I plant about 1½ inches deep. Dry soils need a little deeper planting and moistier soils no more than 1½ deep.

You can check into a sample and see how they are coming along. Deep plantings run some danger of being too soggy and cold. In crusting soils, deep planting makes it hard to emerge. If they are too deep, remove some of the soil.

4" is deep for corn. 1-1 1/2" is the recommended depth. But since they are already planted there is little you can do except maybe lightly rake some of the soil off to the side and then wait to see what happens.

I note you seem to have a thing for Shake and Feed. Why? It isn't something that is commonly used in vegetable gardens for several reasons. It is more for established floral plantings as a supplement, not a primary source fertilizer. Just as with the onions (and many other crops) I assume you know that it won't be effective or sufficient for corn.

Dave

I use Shake n Feed because I have several bags of it. It's actually the flower formula with high P, which our soil tests revealed we have a severe deficiency of.

Also, because our well water tests a bit high in nitrates as it is, I get nervous using anything quick release.

Most all well water tests high in nitrates that is one of its many benefits. But that doesn't mean it is imparting a high level of nitrogen in a form they can use to the plants. That isn't the way the nitrite-nitrate-nitrogen cycle works.

But you are short-changing the plants by using it, especially the high nitrogen users. It simply isn't capable of supplying the nutrient levels they need when they need them.

If you have to use it up then it will need to be applied at at least 2x the recommend rate to supply the high-nitrogen plants.

Dave

I worry about the health aspect of the nitrates, but we have an RO system for drinking water anyway, and it tastes great as well as removes almost all the nitrates. So we’re good there.

So what do you recommend? A standard 10-10-10 or 12-12-12? Would side-dressing still be worthwhile even if the corn is already in the ground (vs. raking it in?)

I could get some of that and save the Shake n Feed for the perennial beds.

So this instead?

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Hyponex-13-13-13-40-lb-All-Purpose-Fertilizer-522962/202968728?MERCH=REC--mobileweb_pip_rr-2--202968725--202968728--N

For corn you need something more along this line. Works for onions too as discussed in the onions thread. Urea or Ammonium Nitrate are the 2 most frequently used for corn and they are in the 45-0-0 range. Plus corn requires multiple feedings at various stages of growth.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Pennington-40-lb-All-Purpose-Nitrogen-Fertilizer-451378/204279955

The 10-10-10, 13-13-13 or similar granular products are fine for general garden crops both prior to planting and as side-dressings. I don't use them as I grow organically but unless your soil is low in phos I generally recommend the 13-0-13 ti clients that use synthetics. Application rates are on the labels.

Dave

Why is it so hard to find general purpose fertilizer? Neither your recommendation, nor the one I posted, are available in that particular box box store anywhere near me.

Pretty much just the slow release stuff.

I know supplies vary from region to region but landscapers and gardeners have the same basic needs even in Maryland. So some supplier near you should carry them. Get out of the garden fertilizer section and look in the lawn care section. They are the same thing just bigger bags.

Don't know where you are in Maryland but I did a Home Depot search for MD zipcode 20601 and found Vigaro brand available at 29-0-4 at all of them as well as Lesco 24-0-11 just for starters. Do you have Lowe's or Menards or Farm & Fleet or feed stores of any kind.

And like Jack said, think outside the box. Even Walmart here carries 13-0-13 and blood meal that's 12-0-0 and all the local nurseries and landscaping centers carry urea and ammonium nitrate.

Dave

I need the Phosphorus, but that could probably come from other sources.

So the Vigaro 29-0-4 is half slow-release N. how should I apply (rate/how often) in a corn/onion situation vs a lawn?

So I dug a couple as a test. They're really more like 2.5" deep...maybe the soil settled when I watered.

I'm not sure I would put urea or ammonium nitrate on corn when planting the seeds, I think it would be too much nitrogen and burn the seeds, But I do side dress several times with urea after the corn has come up.

Hairmetal4ever if you need lots of phosphorus and you are in MD could you get a hold of a bunch of blue crab shells for cheap or next to nothing? You probably have hundreds of restaurants there chucking them in the trash every day. Granted it's not really rapid release but if you add some every fall and winter and then till them into the soil during spring

"So the Vigaro 29-0-4 is half slow-release N. how should I apply (rate/how often) in a corn/onion situation vs a lawn?"

I'm not pushing the Vigaro, merely offered it as an example that such high nitrogen fertilizers are available since you said you couldn't find them. I don't use such ferts on my corn as explained above. I use organic supplements instead.

As for dosage that is math you'll have to do based on the label instructions of whichever one you buy. Corn is commonly side-dress fed at the 5-6 leaf stage and again at the 10 leaf stage or when silks begin to develop. You can find recommended dosage for corn for the common fertilizers of urea and ammonium nitrate online. Best I recall if using urea a common recommendation is approx. 1 lb. per 100' of row.

The Vigaro is about 2/3 the strength of urea so you'd use a bit more. But how much one uses also depends on what soil amending was done before planting it and only you know that.

Dave

Dave is right about the side dressing stages, I would just like to add that when I side dress I wait until it is suppose to rain good and then I just throw it on the rows, The rain will keep it from burning, Don't know if that is the proper way to do it but it works for me.

This video by commercial farmers suggests that you should never go deeper than 2.5 inches, so you should probably scoop out the excess soil until the corn emerges: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WvGKJ6GVuJQ

The rain today took care of it. Washed a bit away.

I got very spotty germination. Some areas, almost 100% sprouted, others none.

My soil has good tilth and texture, but tends to crust. I think some had trouble breaking the crust. I was able to "free" a couple seedlings, but I broke off as many (usually at the epicotyl, if I'm using the term correctly) as I was able to "release" from being stuck under the crust.

i oversowed a bit so I should get a decent crop. Is there a way to prevent the crusting at least long enough to get them sprouted going forward?