In certain parts of the state, heavy rains early this spring and later on in the early growing season saturated some soils and in some cases resulted in corn acres being replanted. Flooded areas should be sampled to 2 feet in depth and supplemental N added as recommended by the soil test results. Side-dress N application can be made with urea, ammonia or liquid N solutions. Urea should be applied with a cultivator, or some other means that will not allow the granules to enter the whorl. Urea in the whorl can cause burning of the leaves.
Ammonia is the form of N most often used.
Application should be deep enough to allow for proper application trench coverage. Failure to cover the trench adequately could allow vapors to be lost, decreasing the application efficiency, but also resulting in burned leaves. N application rates are not restricted as long as the application is between the rows and not close to the plants. If the season gets away from a producer and corn becomes too tall to side-dress, dribbling N using a liquid N solution has been successful. This type of application is most successful if significant rainfall occurs within 48 hours of application.