I have some customers who put about 1/3 of their N on as urea aloing with all p & k preplant in spring strips ahead of corn then side dress the balance as nh3 on 60" centers. This is a very efficient system due to the cost benefits of nh3 and the abiltiy to place the N nearer to the time when the plant needs it.

However this system works best on large flatter fields with lots of straight rows and in certain climate areas. Personally I have strip tilled all N (30-32 gal/a) as 28% in the strip (about 3x3 from the plant as you describe) in our test strips a day ahead of planting. In my hills and side slopes, side dressing is difficult. I may end up causing more damage than good if the side dress tool, whether coulter or shank, gets too far off center.

I had very good luck with this spring strip till all-N as 28% approach last year. This year more corn on corn and same approach. Very wet ground - let it grey off a day between stripping and planting. Broadcast all P & K early this spring due to pasture and hay ground. Corn gets 32 gal/a of 28% (about 95 units of N) there was about 20 units of N in the broadcast blend.

If I can maintian yields seen last year with this all-N-in-the-spring-strip approach it is much better than side dressing in the hills. jmho.

Jim at Dawn