Is it warm enough to plant? It’s a common question these days and one that has many a farmer out checking soil temps often. The tricky part about spring soil warm-up is that the optimal soil temp for germination isn’t necessary the optimum soil temp for sprouting and emergence of the corn crop. Add in a few cold days, and going in too early could even lead to early damage of tender sprouting plants.
In this episode of the Corn School, Ken Currah, market development agronomist with PRIDE Seeds, explains which two soil temps you need to know and how damage can happen if cool conditions persist or come on quickly. Currah also lists a few must-have tools for early season soil and planting evaluation. (Our apologies: there is a bit of an echo with the sound on this video, but the content is well worth getting past that, we promise).
If you cannot see the embedded video, click here.