Things to consider when planting crops late in the season

In a new video, K-State Research and Extension agronomist Ignacio Ciampitti discusses the best practices for planting corn and soybeans later in the season.

Ciampitti said farmers may find themselves needing to plant later than usual because of untimely rains in the past month that have prevented them from getting into their fields when they would normally do so.

Planting late, he said, may mean increasing the seeding rate. For soybeans, that may be as much as 10% to 15%, according to Ciampitti.

“In many situations, when we shorten the season, these plants will have less chance to grow branches,” Ciampitti said. “And we want to make sure we put more plants so we close the canopy, intercept more light, and yield more.”

Ciampitti also said producers should consider narrowing rows between plants, perhaps to 15 inches.