Ordinary gardeners value corn for delicious cobs, and farmers for its highest yield potential and versatile use. This southern, thermophilic culture is now successfully grown in different regions of Russia. Learn how to plant corn seeds and seedlings, and how to grow it in a temperate climate?
Features of corn as a garden plant
Corn belongs to the family of cereal (bluegrass). Botanical signs of corn:
- The plant belongs to monoecious. Pollination is cross. Inflorescences are dioecious.
- It has a powerful root system - the roots are deepened by 1.5 m. The plant near the soil surface forms special roots - supporting. Thanks to the latter, corn is very stable. Supporting roots also intensely absorb and retain moisture and nutrients.
- The stem is erect, very strong. Depending on the variety, it grows from 60 to 600 cm. On average, the height of corn is 3 m.
- An adult plant has leaves 1 m long and 10 cm wide. The color of the leaves is light green. Their surface is smooth, slightly pubescent on the outside. On one stem - from 12 to 23 leaves.
- Ears of corn are a complex spike. At the top of the cob - a male inflorescence - it looks like a whisk. In the axils of the leaves are female inflorescences.
- The fruit is a caryopsis. Depending on the variety, they differ in color and size. The weight of ears is from 35 to 500 g.
Corn, unlike all other cereals, does not have a hollow stem.
Corn is one of the most cultivated crops in the world. Here are just a few facts to judge its importance and scale of cultivation:
- Corn is a food product, animal feed, raw materials for the production of manufactured goods.
- Its crops occupy 150 million hectares in 160 countries.
- It accounts for 36% of total grain production.
- Russia takes 14th place in the list of the largest producers of corn. We grow 0.9% of the global volume.
Corn was brought to Europe from America, where it has long been grown by the Indians. After a long selection, various species and varieties were developed that, differing in purpose and characteristics, have common features.
Corn is very different from its distant ancestor. She was so domesticated that she lost the ability to reproduce on her own. If the ear is on the ground, then next year it will not germinate, but simply rot over the winter.
How to choose a variety of corn for growing?
Today, there are several types of corn, dozens of varieties and many hybrids. They differ from each other in purpose, type of ears and grain composition.
Subspecies of ordinary (sowing) corn
Common or sowing corn (Zea Mays) is the most common type.
Subspecies of common corn:
- Sugar. The tastiest. It is her who is most often raised for fresh food. It has many varieties and hybrids. Upon reaching ripeness, a lot of sugar accumulates in the grains. The grains have a wrinkled surface, at the cut - glassy. Used for canning.
- Waxy. The grains have a matte and smooth surface. The cut surface resembles wax.
- Tooth-like. The grain is shaped like a tooth. This subspecies forms the basis of corn production in the USA (producer of 35% of world corn). Purpose - livestock feed, raw materials for flour, cereals and alcohol. It has a small leafy volume, but large cobs. Varieties differ in the color of ears.
- Semi-dentate. Crossbreeding of flint and toothy corn. It serves as a raw material for the food industry.
- Siliceous or Indian. It has an increased concentration of hard starch, is characterized by increased early maturity and productivity. The most popular flint corn is the Pioneer hybrid.
- Starchy. High starch hybrids. Have a plentiful green mass. Grown in America. Purpose - the manufacture of alcohol, molasses, flour, starch.
- Bursting. They have abundant greens and several ears of corn with medium-sized grains. Used for making popcorn, flour, cereal, cereal.
There is also membranous and starchy-sugar corn, but they are unsuitable for food use. The first is occasionally grown for food, the second does not even find industrial use.
Varieties and hybrids
Common corn is represented not only by varieties, but also by many hybrids. The advantages of hybrids over varieties:
- increased immunity;
- high productivity;
- resistance to difficult weather conditions;
- good crop safety.
Hybrids have one minus - their seeds are more expensive than conventional varieties.
Popular varieties and hybrids:
- Sundance. This is sweet corn - one of the most delicious varieties. The plant is low, with 2-3 ears. The cobs are 20 cm long and 5 cm in diameter. The ripening period is 70-95 days. The grain is yellow, elongated, flattened. The variety is good for canning.
- Gourmet-121. This hybrid is popular because of its high yield and disease resistance. Height - 1.5 m. The length of the ears is 20 cm. The taste is juicy and sweet. Suitable for freezing and canning.
- Spirit. High yielding hybrid. The cobs are very sweet, with golden grains. Ear length - 20 cm
- Dobrynya. Early ripe sweet corn. Large-fruited hybrid. Height - 1.7 m. One plant gives 1-2 ears of corn.
- Early Gold 401. Low-growing disease-resistant hybrid. It tastes good after freezing and canning.
- Lingonberry Variety with thick and sweet ears. Diameter - 6 cm, length - 21 cm. Yellow and sweet grains retain their taste after processing.
- Pearl. This variety is characterized by increased sweetness and versatility. Grains are tasty after any processing.
- Polaris. Late grade. Height - 2m. The cobs are massive, golden, 23-24 cm long. Resistant to lodging and many diseases.
- Bashkirovets. A hybrid with very high stems - up to 3 m. The length of the ears is 23 cm, the thickness is 5 cm, and the weight is 350 g.
- Pioneer. High-yielding mid-season hybrid of the grain direction. It is cultivated in the forest-steppe and steppe zone.
- Sugar F1. A widespread hybrid with medium early maturity. Height - 1.8 m. The length of the ears is 20 cm. The taste is soft and sweet.
You can see the listed varieties of corn with their description and photo in this article.
Features landing for different regions
Thanks to selection, corn has become an unpretentious plant, and it is cultivated in almost all regions.
Features of growing corn in the regions:
Region | How to grow? |
Moscow Region, Leningrad Region and the Middle Strip of Russia | Can be planted with seeds in open ground. The sowing date is mid-May. Frosts by this time are already excluded, the soil is warmed up and dried up. Varieties resistant to cold are sown. When disembarking in early May, landings are covered with film. |
Southern regions | Here, corn is grown only in open ground. Sowing begins in late April. |
Siberia and the Urals | Here cultivation is difficult. In open ground, the culture is practically not grown. The seedling method is used. Planting seedlings - in mid-June. |
For all regions without exception, the rule is true - corn is planted in soil, heated to at least 10 ° C.
Then is it better to grow corn?
For corn, it is not so much the predecessors that are important as the quality of the soil and the timing of planting. But under the same conditions, the highest corn crops are harvested from the fields on which they were grown:
- gourds;
- legumes;
- potatoes,
- table, sugar or fodder beets;
- cereals and crops.
In arid regions, corn is not planted after beets and sunflowers - these crops are especially severely dried and depleted of soil.
In ordinary gardens, corn can be grown for several years in one place.
Precursors not allowed for corn are millet and sorghum. All three cultures have the same diseases and pests.
The best conditions for growing
Corn is demanding of the following conditions:
- The soil. It should be loose, air and water permeable. Corn grows best on chernozems, dark gray loams, on the soils of river floodplains. It also grows well on sandy and sandy loamy soils if they are well fertilized.
Corn is contraindicated in saline, heavy clay and strongly acidic soils, as well as close occurrence of groundwater. Do not sow crops on soils littered with wheatgrass, pink mustard and other rhizome weeds. - Warmly. Seeds germinate at 8-10 ° C heat. But under such conditions, germination is difficult, many seeds are affected by diseases and rot. Therefore, seeds are sown at a time when the soil warms up to 10 ° C at a depth of seed placement.
Shoots are sensitive to frost, but they can recover after a temperature of minus 2-4 ° C. But autumn frosts at a level of minus 3 ° C destroy adult plants. When the average daily temperature drops to 10-12 ° C, especially in the initial period of growth, it delays the growing season. - Moisture. Corn yield is affected by soil moisture and rainfall. The culture is less sensitive to atmospheric dryness than others, while being responsive to moisture.
- To the light. Corn is a short daylight plant. Its duration is 12-14 hours. In case of shading, the sheet surface is half as much as in high-quality lighting.
How to grow corn seeds and seedlings?
Corn is grown in two ways:
- Planting seeds in open ground. It is used in regions where warm weather persists for at least 4 months, and frosts are excluded or at least unlikely. The main condition is warmed up soil. The soil is prepared in the fall or a few weeks before planting, applying mineral fertilizers.
- Seedling method. In regions where there is a threat of freezing frost, and the summer is short, sowing in open ground is a risky and irrational matter. We have to grow seedlings. But corn does not tolerate transplanting - enough small damage to the roots so that the plant does not take root.
Choosing the right site
Requirements for the area for planting corn:
- Good lighting. Lack of shadow.
- Protection from through winds.
- Slightly acidic and well-fertilized soils.
- Good neighbors are cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkin, beans, and beans. Corn is a good support for beans and cucumbers. Bad neighbors - celery, beetroot.
Planting dates for seeds and seedlings
Corn planting dates depend on:
- Planting methods - seedlings or seeds.
- Climate and weather conditions.
- Household Necessity.
- Soil temperature.
Based on these conditions, determine the approximate dates:
- For planting seeds. The earliest is the end of April or the beginning of May. By this time, the soil is already warming up to 10-12 ° C.
- For planting seedlings. Seeds for seedlings are sown in early May. Seedlings are planted no earlier than mid-June.
How to prepare the soil before planting?
All work is carried out before frost. Features of soil preparation for corn:
- In the autumn, they dig the soil 30 cm deep. Under digging make organic fertilizers.
- During digging, weed roots are carefully selected.
- Fertilizers for corn are applied twice:
- In the fall. For 1 square. m - humus (5 kg), potassium salt (100 g), double superphosphate (200 g).
- In the spring. For 1 square. m make 50 g of nitrophosphate. 2 weeks before planting, the soil is loosened.
- In soils with high acidity add lime - 2-3 kg per 10 square meters. m
How to plant grains in open ground?
How to prepare corn seeds for planting:
- Choose the largest grains without damage to plant.
- Check the seeds for germination. Place them for 5 minutes in saline. Floated grains are unsuitable.
- Rinse and dry the grains after testing in a salt solution.
- Dress seeds in powder pesticide (per 1 kg of grains - 3-8 g of TMTD) or in potassium permanganate (per 1 liter of water - 5 g).
- Disinfect grains using hydrothermal treatment. For 20 minutes, place the seeds in hot water (up to 50 ° C), then in cold.
- 5 days before sowing, warm the seeds to t + 35 ° C and place in warm water - change it twice a day. The seeds will swell and germinate.
Prepared seeds can be planted. Gardeners prefer a square-nest planting scheme. The procedure for planting in open ground:
- Make markup. The distance between adjacent holes is 50 cm. Or prepare the furrows.
- Plant at least 4 beds so that the plants have a good cross-pollination. The distance between the rows is 1 m.
- Deepen water a little water.
- Put the seeds in the ground. In the holes - 2-3 pieces, in the furrows - at intervals of 40-50 cm. Deepen the seeds by 5-7 cm. Pour them with moist soil, and then dry.
- Water the plantings again, and then cover with a film - until emergence.
- In 10-11 days, shoots will appear.
- When the seedlings appear, tear out the weaker ones, leaving one plant, the strongest.
An experienced gardener in his video talks about planting corn seeds in open ground:
Manual sowing is only suitable for small areas. If you want to sow a large area, you will need a special seeder for corn.
To get corn throughout the summer, use the conveyor method of planting. Varieties with different ripening periods are planted and sown with an interval of two weeks.
Seedling method
Seedling of corn is a forced measure. It is used only for small-scale cultivation. In order for the ears to grow and mature before the onset of cold weather, it is necessary to sow seeds and plant seedlings in time. Early hybrids are most suitable for this purpose.
In order for the seeds to sprout rather, they are soaked for 12 hours in warm water and planted already swollen. Then the shoots appear 5-7 days earlier. Germinating seeds are wrapped in wet tissue.
The procedure for growing corn seedlings:
- Prepare cups for sowing - paper, plastic or buy special cassettes.
- Prepare a soil mixture to fill cups from:
- compost - 2 parts;
- sand - 1 part;
- peat - 1 part;
- ash - 1 part.
- After thoroughly mixing all the components, fill them with sowing containers.
- Plant seeds to a depth of 2-3 cm. Put only one grain.
- Pour cassettes with warm water with Fundazole (10 g - 4 g). This drug disinfects the substrate (soil mixture) from harmful microorganisms. Or use a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- Keep seedlings in a well-lit place.
To increase the moisture capacity of the substrate or soil mix, you can add a hydrogel to them. This reduces the number of irrigations by 3-5 times - crystals that absorb water will gradually release water into the soil.
Crops must be taken care of:
- Water sparingly. On a sunny day - several times.
- Feed with water soluble fertilizers. For example, Teraflex.
- 10 days before planting, feed the seedlings with superphosphate.
Planting scheme depends on the agricultural technology of subsequent cultivation:
- If drip irrigation is used, then seedlings are best planted in rows. The interval between the corn ribbons is 120-140 cm, and between the rows - 45 cm. In this case, the drip tape is located in the middle of the corn tape. Such a scheme significantly saves both drip irrigation tapes and water
In adjacent rows, corn is planted in a checkerboard pattern - to improve lighting and photosynthesis. Planting depth is approximately 8-10 cm. The distance between adjacent plants in a row is 40 cm. - If watering is done under the root, a square-nesting method of planting is used. The layout of the holes is 60x25 cm.
Seedling planting order:
- Carefully remove seedlings from cups, being careful not to damage fragile plants.
- The holes should be 2-3 cm deeper than the length of the earthen coma extracted from the cup.
- Place the seedling in the hole with a lump of soil.
- Moderate and sprinkle sand in the wells.
Below is a video of planting corn seedlings:
Corn Care
Corn, among inexperienced gardeners, is known for its unpretentious culture, weeding and watering - this is the maximum that they give the plant. In fact, this culture requires serious care, otherwise the soil will be depleted, and there will be no crops.
Weeding and hilling
The results of loosening and weeding corn:
- soil breathability improves;
- increased protection against pests and diseases;
- moisture is better preserved in the soil;
- weeds are destroyed.
In addition to loosening, corn needs hilling. The stalks of corn are thick and long; they can break in the wind. Thanks to hilling, during which the soil is raked to the roots, the stability of the stem increases.
When grown on a large scale, no one weeds corn crops by hand - there is a technique for this. At home cultivation, weeding and cultivation are carried out with a usual chopper, plane cutter or hiller.
Watering and feeding
Moisture-loving corn. A day she is able to "drink" 2-4 liters of water. But waterlogging is unacceptable. If the soil is moist, there is a lack of oxygen in it, the roots die off due to this, the leaves turn blue, the yield decreases. To prevent this, the humidity in the area is maintained at the level of 70-80%. And the norm of watering for one plant is 1-2 liters.
If corn is grown on non-irrigated soils, it is necessary to loosen it more often so that moisture remains in the soil as long as possible.
Features of watering:
- Watering, after planting seedlings - moderate.
- After the appearance of seven leaves, the rate and frequency of watering is gradually increasing. When inflorescences appear, the building is stopped. When the threads on the cobs darken, the plants are watered sparingly.
- The best way to water is drip irrigation. Water, along with the nutrients dissolved in it, is supplied directly to the roots - this saves water and fertilizer.
Fertilizing the soil during preparation for planting does not mean that during the growing season corn will not need additional fertilizing. This culture, unlike others, does not stop growing greenery during the growing season, so it needs top dressing from spring to autumn. Moreover, at each period of development she needs different fertilizers.
The strategy of fertilizing corn:
- In the spring make nitrogen. The bulk of nitrogen fertilizers, the plant must receive before the formation of inflorescences.
- Potassium is needed in the 1st half of the growing season. Then the outflow of the element into the soil occurs.
- Corn needs less phosphorus than nitrogen and potassium, but it is introduced throughout the season - from soil preparation to cob ripening.
Also, micronutrients are used for top dressing. Corn needs zinc and manganese, somewhat less - in boron, calcium and copper. On alkaline soils, usually there is not enough boron and manganese, in acid - calcium. To compensate for the lack of trace elements, corn plantings are sprayed - foliar feeding is used.
The first time the corn is fed during the appearance of 3 and 4 leaves. Make a solution of manure or bird droppings. The second time the culture is fed with ammonium nitrate (20 g per 1 sq. M), potassium salt (20 g per 1 sq. M) and superphosphate (40 g per 1 sq. M).
When symptoms appear that indicate a lack of individual elements, appropriate nutrition is added. So, for example, if white stripes have formed on the leaves, the plants are treated with a solution of zinc, if fertilization is delayed, with a solution of boron.
Pest and Disease Control
Corn has many pests and diseases, and in order to get a decent crop, it is necessary to treat it with pesticides and pesticides on time.
Pesticides processing schedule:
- The first time sprayed at the beginning of the growing season. Alpha cypermethrin, Thiram, and Tebuconazole are suitable.
- When insects appear. A proven drug will work - BI-58. It is effective against almost all pests.
- Before flowering. They are sprayed with Tiram - this will protect plants from mold and smut, prevent root and stem rot.
Diseases and pests of corn and control measures:
Diseases / Pests | Symptoms | Control measures |
Fusarium | On the cob - pink plaque. Affected grains darken and collapse. | The disease is not treated, but is prevented by treating the seeds with fungicides, and sowing is done in well-heated soil. |
Helminthosporiosis | Gray and brown spots appear on the leaves and ears, with a soot coating in the center. Spots grow and leaves perish. The causative agent is stored on the seeds. | For prevention, it is necessary to observe crop rotation, plant stable hybrids, seeds are treated with fungicides, weeds and the remains of corn are removed from the site. |
Stem rot | Spots appear on the stem and internodes. The stalk rots and dies. | Similarly |
Dust smut | It affects inflorescences and cobs. May kill up to 40% of the crop. | Similarly |
Rust | On the inside are light yellow spots. The leaves dry, the whole plant becomes infected. | Similarly |
Nutcracker (wireworm) | Beetle larvae - yellow worms, eat seeds and sprouts. | For prevention, they are sprayed with Guacho. If infection has occurred, they are treated with Barguzin. When digging, lime or ash is made during spring digging. |
Swedish fly | The egg lays eggs on stalks and leaves. The larvae suck out the juices and eat the plant fibers - it is depleted and dies. | For prevention, the soil is disinfected, weeds are destroyed. When a fly appears, treatment with insecticides. |
You can get more information about the diseases and pests of corn here.
Harvesting and Storage
Harvesting begins when the ears reach milk ripeness. Focus on such signs:
- The outer wrapper has dried up and its color has become lighter.
- Threads on the cob completely dried up and acquired a brown tint.
- If you press on the grain, a milky white drop appears.
- The grains became smooth, the rows are tightly closed, the color corresponds to ripeness (depending on the variety).
If you are late for harvesting, the corn will oversize and lose its taste. The grains will become shriveled, tasteless, poorly digested.
The order of laying the ears for storage:
- Peel the cobs of leaves without cutting the wrapper.
- Remove the corn stigmas - thin threads at the top of the cob.
- Weave cobs in pigtails and hang them to the ceiling - so that they are completely dry. The drying room is dry and ventilated. To check if the cobs are dry, shake them, dry grains spill out easily.
- To store corn for a long time, husk the grains. Pour them into plastic or glass containers, into cloth bags or cardboard boxes. Keep popcorn grains in the freezer, folded in plastic bags.
Milk ripeness corn - for cooking, stored at 0 ° C for no longer than 3 weeks. If you store it at a higher temperature, 1.5% of sugars are lost daily. It is most advantageous to store milk corn in frozen or canned form - only such conditions can save its nutritional value.
If the freezer is large, corn can be frozen on the cob:
- Each spad, cleaned of stigmas and wrappers, dip in boiling water for 2 minutes, and then in cold water for 2 minutes.
- Dry the cobs by spreading them on a cloth.
- Wrap each ear with cling film and place in the freezer. Here they can be stored for up to one and a half years.
Useful tips for beginning farmers
Experienced gardeners give recommendations to beginners:
- Remove the side shoots from the corn so that the plant does not waste energy on them. Then the cobs will be large.
- In order not to grow half-empty ears, do not plant corn in one row, the minimum number of rows is two.
- Do not allow the earth to dry out during flowering, otherwise the stigmas will lose their ability to pollination.
- When the corn blooms, shake it so that the pollen gets from male flowers to female faster.
Corn is a unique crop, its versatility and ability to adapt to different climatic conditions is simply amazing. The agricultural technology of its cultivation in open ground is simple and does not require much effort. It is more difficult to grow corn seedlings, but this is quite realistic if you use early varieties and hybrids, and strictly comply with the requirements of the seedling method.
Posted by
12
Russia. City Novosibirsk
Publications: 276 Comments: 1