06/18/2026
Hello! It is mid-June, and the weather has finally warmed up… well, for the most part. I have been out scouting corn, and many plants are at the V6 growth stage. During this stage, your corn has put on enough leaves and collects enough sunlight that a plant can put out a new leaf about every 3 days, depending on the temperatures and the sunshine. The corn is also at a stage where stalk elongation is starting to happen fast! Your corn has decided how many kernels around the ear it will have. The corn is pretty small when it determines how many kernels the ear will have. It is about knee-high or a little shorter at V6. That is why it is important to have adequate plant nutrition at the beginning of the year, because the front end of the year is when your corn plant is deciding how many kernels it can get to viable seed, aka how many kernels the plant can successfully get to harvest. At V6, the plants are just now starting to determine how many kernels long the cob will be. When people talk about flex ear hybrids, they are talking about the ear's ability to put on extra kernels lengthwise.
Speaking of nutrients, your primary root system should be a decent size by now and able to absorb more and more nutrients every day. There have been a lot of people asking if it is time to side or topdress. South Dakota State University says the most effective time to side or topdress is between V6 and V8.
If you are wondering if you have Northern Corn Rootworms that may affect your yield, now is a great time to look. I was digging some corn yesterday, and I did see a Northern Corn Rootworm larva (worm) on a kernel of corn. A good standard for Northern Corn Rootworm scouting is when you start to see lightning bugs or the cottonwoods have fluff flying; the Rootworm larvae have hatched. If you have any problems in your field or want to know more. Call Jody at (507)380-6291
