Early Season Strategies
Apr 03, 2026
Kyle Korf, GCC Sales Agronomist
Southwest Kansas is either nearing or in the midst of the 2026 corn planting season. As you get rolling, it’s a good time to touch on a few topics to help set your corn up for a strong start and protect your investment in this year’s crop.
As we know, corn stands and emergence are key to setting crops up for success. Inadequate stands can limit the potential of the season right from the start. Here are a few strategies to help set this crop up for success.
Soil Temperature and Planting Depth
Soil temperature and planting depth are key to ensuring corn gets off to a strong start. Cool soil temperatures can have a large impact on how soon corn emerges and vigor by which plants emerge. Soil temperatures of 60-65°F result in corn emerging in about 8-10 days, while soil temps of 50-55°F can take as long as 18-21 days for emergence. A good rule of thumb is to wait until soil at a 2-inch depth reaches around 55°F for at least three consecutive days before planting.
Irrigation is often necessary after planting, but please keep in mind every time a sprinkler goes across the soil, soil temps can cool drastically. Planting depth also plays a key role. The optimal planting depth for corn usually falls at around 1.5-2” deep. Shallower depths can result in moisture concerns (top drying out) and in some cases early root development issues. Planting seeds too deep can limit the ability of the coleoptile to push through surface, especially if top of soil crusts, also seeds that are too deep can further delay emergence since deeper depths will be cooler.
Fertilizers and Plant Growth Regulators
Fertilizers and plant growth regulators (PGR) applied at planting also can help get plants out of ground quicker and help increase corn plant population. A few key nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen, zinc, along with other nutrients can help with early growth, shoot development, vigor, cell and chlorophyll development, and cell division just to name a few benefits. PGR’s, like Ascend2 for example, have an optimum ratio of auxin, cytokinin, and gibberellic acid to help corn seed emerge faster and more evenly with stronger root systems.
Seed Treatments
Seed treatments, either applied to seeds or applied with planter in furrow, can also have large impacts on increasing plant populations. Insecticide products help control secondary pests, such as wireworms and white grubs, to ensure seeds remain viable and are able to emerge. While disease protection products guard against soil borne diseases that can limit seed germination and/or emergence.
In most cases, a planter or seed treatment may be the only option in controlling corn rootworm larvae, that can become problematic later in the season. The reason a soil applied or seed applied insecticide is so important is due to lack of control options as a rescue treatment. There are a few fertilizer ready insecticides that you can mix with fertilizer and apply in-furrow to control both secondary pests (wireworm/grubs) and corn rootworm larvae.
Early Season Weed Control
Finally, early season weed control is crucial. Even with ideal emergence and strong stands, weeds can quickly compete with corn for water, nutrients, sunlight, and space. Overlapping residual herbicides help keep fields clean and protect early growth. Some studies have shown that not controlling weed pressure or delaying weed control beyond 2 leaf stage corn can negatively impact yields by as much as 10-20% and the lack of weed control on knee high corn plants can decrease yields as much as 20-50%. Maintaining clean fields with effective residual herbicides is essential to maximizing your crop’s potential.
Reach out to the GCC sales and agronomy team, we would be glad to help with best planting strategies, crop starters or other nutrient packages, plant growth regulators, seed or soil applied pesticides, herbicide programs, and any other products or solutions that best support your farm needs.
Southwest Kansas is either nearing or in the midst of the 2026 corn planting season. As you get rolling, it’s a good time to touch on a few topics to help set your corn up for a strong start and protect your investment in this year’s crop.
As we know, corn stands and emergence are key to setting crops up for success. Inadequate stands can limit the potential of the season right from the start. Here are a few strategies to help set this crop up for success.
Soil Temperature and Planting Depth
Soil temperature and planting depth are key to ensuring corn gets off to a strong start. Cool soil temperatures can have a large impact on how soon corn emerges and vigor by which plants emerge. Soil temperatures of 60-65°F result in corn emerging in about 8-10 days, while soil temps of 50-55°F can take as long as 18-21 days for emergence. A good rule of thumb is to wait until soil at a 2-inch depth reaches around 55°F for at least three consecutive days before planting.
Irrigation is often necessary after planting, but please keep in mind every time a sprinkler goes across the soil, soil temps can cool drastically. Planting depth also plays a key role. The optimal planting depth for corn usually falls at around 1.5-2” deep. Shallower depths can result in moisture concerns (top drying out) and in some cases early root development issues. Planting seeds too deep can limit the ability of the coleoptile to push through surface, especially if top of soil crusts, also seeds that are too deep can further delay emergence since deeper depths will be cooler.
Fertilizers and Plant Growth Regulators
Fertilizers and plant growth regulators (PGR) applied at planting also can help get plants out of ground quicker and help increase corn plant population. A few key nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen, zinc, along with other nutrients can help with early growth, shoot development, vigor, cell and chlorophyll development, and cell division just to name a few benefits. PGR’s, like Ascend2 for example, have an optimum ratio of auxin, cytokinin, and gibberellic acid to help corn seed emerge faster and more evenly with stronger root systems.
Seed Treatments
Seed treatments, either applied to seeds or applied with planter in furrow, can also have large impacts on increasing plant populations. Insecticide products help control secondary pests, such as wireworms and white grubs, to ensure seeds remain viable and are able to emerge. While disease protection products guard against soil borne diseases that can limit seed germination and/or emergence.
In most cases, a planter or seed treatment may be the only option in controlling corn rootworm larvae, that can become problematic later in the season. The reason a soil applied or seed applied insecticide is so important is due to lack of control options as a rescue treatment. There are a few fertilizer ready insecticides that you can mix with fertilizer and apply in-furrow to control both secondary pests (wireworm/grubs) and corn rootworm larvae.
Early Season Weed Control
Finally, early season weed control is crucial. Even with ideal emergence and strong stands, weeds can quickly compete with corn for water, nutrients, sunlight, and space. Overlapping residual herbicides help keep fields clean and protect early growth. Some studies have shown that not controlling weed pressure or delaying weed control beyond 2 leaf stage corn can negatively impact yields by as much as 10-20% and the lack of weed control on knee high corn plants can decrease yields as much as 20-50%. Maintaining clean fields with effective residual herbicides is essential to maximizing your crop’s potential.
Reach out to the GCC sales and agronomy team, we would be glad to help with best planting strategies, crop starters or other nutrient packages, plant growth regulators, seed or soil applied pesticides, herbicide programs, and any other products or solutions that best support your farm needs.