Soybean to corn ratio

[jlane35]

When broadcasting soybeans I used 75 pounds of seed per acre last year. This year I want to mix corn and beans.

I'm plabting realworld beans. What should the ratio be? 50 pounds of soybeans to 10 pounds of corn? Or is that to light for broadcasting?

 

[Wild Thing]

I don't mix them myself jlane35 but I believe LC recommended a 3:1 ratio - 3# beans to 1# corn.

 

[X-farmerdan]

I think a 3:1 ratio by weight will get you a 6:1 ratio of soybean plants to corn plants. If you seeded 30 lbs of soybeans and 10 lbs of corn per acre you'd get 90-thousand soybean plants and 16-thousand corn plants. Just to compare, a full acre of soybeans might be seeded at 180-thousand and a full acre of corn at 28-thousand or more. So 3:1 is a lot like 6:1 and turns out to be 50-50. I know, seeds per pound wonder all over the place. Point is, 3:1 sounds agronomicaly (?) logical. I tried this once. Lots of folks are successful. Me, not so much.

I hope I did my math right. You can fiddle with the numbers and, if your broadcasting, add some extra for germination failures.

 

[BradB]

I planted 50 lbs Eagles and 7 lbs corn/ac last summer and this is what it looked like. May bump corn a couple lbs next year

 

[BradB]

This is what it looked like a few weeks ago

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

I am just curious. But, why add corn to the bean plot? Not being a smart butt, I am just curious as to the reason and not doing corn in the middle of plot and beans as a buffer or vice versa? What is the benefit of corn stalks scattered throughout your beans I guess is the question? Thanks

 

[Elkaddict]

We mix beans and corn with good success. I think the primary benefit is variety. Also, in areas with good deer numbers, the beans give the young corn a chance. As I recall, we used approximately 1/3 a bag of each per acre, sometimes a little more. I've no doubt grain production would be higher with a planter or monoculture plantings, but this has worked for us.

 

[j-bird]

I agree with Elk - diversity and the corn will provide a sense of cover in the plot. It doesn't have to be corn but something to give the plot a closed in feeling seems to help deer feel safer there and prevent being scanned from a distance. I like trying to make that buck have to come take a closer look. I have even used my row planter and put corn in one hopper and beans in the other. set it up so corn was 2 rows on 30" centers and beans where 2 rows on roughly 15" center. Looked funny as all get out, but it worked. I set the planter up for good corn spacing and then got the beans as close as I could and knew the beans would handle a heavier density far better than the corn would. Only real down side was having to fertilize for both. Both where RR seed as well. Since I run a tiller I gues I could broadcast the beans and row plant the corn as well.......hummmmm......

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

Thanks for the reasoning behind it. I always have planted mine individually next to each other but I also do not plant corn. There is plenty of it around me. I like beans for later in the season when all the beans are gone.

 

[Weasel]

This is what it looked like a few weeks ago

Brad how did the Eagles hold up over the winter? Where are you located? I hear the pods tend to shatter. Large Lad or Manager's Mix? I planted Real World last year but they're not coming to the Ohio deer show this year so I will have to pay shipping.

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

Weasel I believe if I remember right that Real World is having some reps going to some of the shows they can't make it to. I know they also have some new distributors scattered around the midwest too. Might be some options for you.

 

[BradB]

There is a fair amount of soybean seeds still in pods but they did not make as many pods as some pics I have seen. They were Large Lads and I am in south Alabama where deer usually do not eat the actual bean seeds much.

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

My Real World beans stalks are still standing tall but there isn't a bean seed or pod to be found. I've got about 4 acres of them on that farm and they did great. I was very pleased with the success I had with them this year on all of my farms.

 

[swat1018]

I have an 8 acre plot in the timber. When I plant pure beans the bucks can skirt around it in the timber and check the plot for does. When I mixed in the corn, it creates enough of a visual barrier that they are forced to come out and look around more. Plus I think the variety helps the attraction.

 

[JDunham]

I have an 8 acre plot in the timber. When I plant pure beans the bucks can skirt around it in the timber and check the plot for does. When I mixed in the corn, it creates enough of a visual barrier that they are forced to come out and look around more. Plus I think the variety helps the attraction.

This has been my experience with the corn/soybean mix. They are a hunting plot that see more daytime activity than other plots for us. Not sure if they feel more secure with the cover provided by the corn or are forced to come out to check it like Swat1018 mentions. Either way they are a great hunting plot for us. We mix ours by weight 2 bags of soybean to 1 bag of corn and the plot looks like Elkaddicts. 3 to 1 is a proven ratio as well and what I use if I broadcast it. I normally plant ours with a No-Till drill.

 

[Weasel]

Weasel I believe if I remember right that Real World is having some reps going to some of the shows they can't make it to. I know they also have some new distributors scattered around the midwest too. Might be some options for you.

I called Real World to see if they would be at the OH deer expo. The guy on the phone said no and really didn't elaborate or give me any other options. A check of the dealer link on their web page showed there are no dealers within convenient driving distance of my home or farm. Oh well, my hunting buddy ended up picking up a bag of Eagle Managers Mix at the show from the Merit Seed booth for my place so we'll see how they do. If shatter is an issue, I'll go back to the Real World's. RW with shipping would have been close to what he paid for the Eagle's but it was a nice gesture of him to get me a bag. Hopefully we'll have good luck with them.