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Corn is traditionally a southern crop, therefore, it is grown on an industrial scale only in regions with a favorable climate. However, in the middle lane, you can grow it in a summer cottage. Planting corn with seeds in open ground is not difficult, but there are quite a few nuances of cultivating this crop.
How much corn grows
Corn is an annual herb of the Cereals family. Its growing season lasts 3 to 5 months, depending on the variety. Powerful erect stems can reach 3 m or more. Caryopsis seeds ripen at the end of the shoot.
They are rather large, rounded-cubic, tightly pressed against each other, collected at the end of the shoot in the so-called cob. Seeds grow in even rows, each ear can contain up to 1 thousand caryopses.
The best predecessors of corn
Cereals and legumes are considered the best precursors for corn. On an industrial scale, these crops often alternate with each other. In the garden, cereals and legumes (with the exception of peas, beans and beans) are rarely grown. Therefore, usually corn seeds are planted after potatoes or tomatoes, and in the south - after melons.
Dates for planting corn in open ground
Heat-loving corn is planted as seeds in open ground only after the soil temperature reaches + 10-14 ° C. Usually this time falls on the end of April or beginning of May. If by this time the soil does not have time to warm up to the desired temperature, then you can try to grow corn in the country in a seedling way. For this, the seeds are germinated at home, and then, when the temperature indicators reach the required values, the seedlings are planted in open ground.
According to the lunar calendar 2019
Many gardeners are guided by the lunar calendar when planting seeds of various crops. Indeed, the phases of the moon have an impact on the growth and development of plants. The table below shows the recommended planting dates for corn seeds according to the lunar calendar.
Month | Auspicious days | Bad days |
March | 7-20 | 3,5,31 |
April | 6-18 | 5 |
May | 6-18 | 20,29,30 |
June | 4-16 | 3,11,25 |
Depending on the variety
There are quite a few varieties of corn. Like other garden crops, it is divided into several groups, depending on the timing of ripening.
- Early... The growing season for such corn lasts 75-85 days. This includes such varieties and hybrids as Trophy F1, Jubilee F1, Landmark F1, Lakomka 121.
- Mid-season... The varieties of this group mature in 90-100 days. This group includes Delicacy, Pearl, Mermaid.
- Late... Ripens in 100 days or more. These varieties include Bashkirovets, Polaris.
Depending on the purpose of cultivation
Depending on the purpose, all varieties of corn are subdivided into the following types:
- Sugar... Used in food and cooking.
- Tooth-shaped... It is characterized by a high starch content. Used for technical purposes.
- Siliceous... Raised for livestock feed.
- Floury... It is used for starch production, molasses and bioethanol production.
- Bursting... Due to its special structure, the grain bursts when heated, forming a soft white substance. The main purpose is the production of popcorn and other confectionery products.
- Filmy... It is grown exclusively for forage purposes.
Corn is also classified according to sugar content, seed color and some other parameters.
How to plant corn seeds in a vegetable garden
It is possible to plant corn with seeds both manually and using technical means. Before planting, you need to decide in advance on the place of cultivation, since the site will require preliminary preparation. It is also worth evaluating the weather conditions and the possibilities for planting care. It is also necessary to take care of the purchase of seeds in advance, which must be examined before planting, and, if necessary, cull them.
Choosing a landing site
The best place to plant corn seeds is in a light, well-sheltered area with loose, fertile soil that is well sheltered from the cold wind. Optimally, if there are pumpkin or legumes planting nearby. Wide pumpkin leaves protect the soil well from overheating by the sun's rays, and legumes enrich the soil with nitrogen, which is necessary for corn to grow normally.
Soil preparation
Corn prefers loose, fertile soil, so it is better to start preparing the site for planting in the fall. You need to dig it up, choose the roots of plants-weeds, and also apply fertilizer - rotted manure. In the spring, the soil must be re-loosened and cleaned of weeds. When the required temperature is established on the street, it will be possible to start planting.
Soaking and germinating corn seeds
Before planting, corn seeds are kept in the sun for several days, previously wrapped in a piece of cloth. After warming up, they are disinfected. To do this, they are immersed for half an hour in a solution of potassium permanganate, diluted to a rich pink color. Then the seeds are washed with clean water and dried. After that, they are germinated. To do this, the grains are placed on a clean plate, alternating layers of seeds and gauze, which is moistened with water from a spray bottle.
Seeds placed for germination are harvested in a warm, dark place. The plate can stay there for several days until sprouts appear. You just need to monitor the temperature and maintain the required humidity. Sprouted seeds are planted in open ground. If for some reason it is not possible to germinate the seeds, they can be planted in dry form, having previously subjected only to disinfection with a solution of potassium permanganate. In this case, the similarity will be worse, and the sprouts themselves will appear later.
Open field corn planting scheme
Correct planting of corn seeds, depth and spacing of rows depends on the chosen pattern. The most commonly used are single rad, double, or lowercase.
Single Lane
With this method, the seeds are planted in 1 row, seeding the seeds to a depth of 7-8 cm and placing adjacent holes at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other. This method does not create problems in care, it is quite easy to visually observe the plants.
Double row
A double row is the best way to plant corn in terms of pollination. With this method, two single rows are placed on the bed, the distance between which is 0.5 m.
Row row
Otherwise, this method is called square-nested, or chess. In this case, when planting in open ground, a gap of 0.3 m is left between adjacent plants in a row, and a gap of 0.6 m is left between rows. Seeds are planted to a depth of 10 cm.This method provides ease of maintenance and uniformity of planting illumination, but requires large acreage.
Planting corn in the spring in the country - in a short video at the link:
Seeder for planting corn
To grow corn in the country from seeds, it is not necessary to use a seeder, it makes sense only with a significant amount of sown area. It is unlikely that such a unit will be needed when planting seeds in a small area, if only 1-2 beds are planned for this crop. If a large area is allocated for it, then in this case it is impossible to do without means of mechanization. Seeders for corn are manual, trailed and mounted. The former are driven by muscle power and are intended for small areas. The latter are towed by self-propelled machines (tractor, walk-behind tractor) or hung on them. With the help of such devices, large areas can be sown with seeds in a short time.
The advantage of seeders is not only speed and productivity. The mechanized method allows much more accurate adherence to the seeding rate of corn seeds in open ground, optimally placing them in the field and planting them exactly at the required depth. This significantly saves planting material and also increases yields.
What can be planted next to corn
The space between adjacent plants can be used to grow other plants, such as beans. Peas will feel good in a corn field, high stalks will serve as an additional support for it. For the same reason, you can plant corn next to cucumbers. This method is a good alternative to growing cucumbers on trellises. Grow well next to corn pumpkins and zucchini, as well as potatoes.
Tall plant stems give a fairly strong shade, so light-loving crops next to them will systematically lack solar energy. This will oppress them. It is not recommended to plant the following plants next to corn:
- beets;
- celery;
- white cabbage and cauliflower;
- sweet and bitter peppers;
Tomatoes also do not tolerate the neighborhood with corn. This culture is a pronounced selfish, therefore it is grown separately from all other plants.
Outdoor corn crop care
The technology and conditions for growing corn in the open field by an industrial method do not require mandatory measures for the care of crops after planting seeds in the open field. The only exception is the treatment of plantations from pests and diseases. However, when growing corn on a personal plot, especially in an unfavorable climate, some activities will not be superfluous. These include:
- weeding;
- watering;
- loosening the soil;
- top dressing.
If all activities are carried out on time and in full, then it will not be difficult to grow a good corn crop on the site, even in a not very suitable climate.
How often to water the corn
Watering corn outdoors is only necessary during dry periods. It should be rare but abundant. A good result is given by drip irrigation, but its arrangement requires significant costs.
Top dressing
The need for top dressing is determined by the color of the leaves. A pale green color indicates a lack of nitrogen, a purple tint indicates a phosphorus deficiency. Lack of potassium leads to leaf deformation and brown discoloration of leaf plates. To avoid such problems, top dressing is applied in dosage, observing certain time intervals.
The first time the plants are fed 2 weeks after the emergence of shoots, infusion of mullein diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. After the appearance of 5-6 full-fledged leaves, the procedure is repeated, using a solution of ammonium nitrate as a top dressing. The third top dressing is carried out after another 15-20 days, using complex potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.
Loosening and removing weeds
As a rule, maize crops are weeded only at the initial stage of its growth. Tall plants with powerful stems and deep-rooted roots will do a good job of suppressing weeds themselves. It is worth regularly loosening the soil, destroying the upper crust for better air access to the roots. In adulthood, when the root system grows strongly, loosening is stopped so as not to damage the roots located close to the surface. Before this, the plants are spud to increase the number of adventitious roots and retain moisture.
Protection against diseases and pests
Despite the fact that many varieties have good disease resistance, plants can get sick in unfavorable climates. The danger for them is, first of all, fungal diseases. These include the following:
- dusty smut;
- bladder smut;
- fusarium;
- stem rot;
- southern helminthosporiosis.
As a preventive measure, the seeds are treated with fungicides. Often, the disease develops on unharvested plant debris, so it is very important to put the beds in order after harvesting, removing all excess green mass from them. Affected plants are also subject to destruction.
One of the causes of diseases is the appearance of insect pests on plantings, which can be carriers of fungal spores or pathogenic bacteria. Most often, the following pests appear on corn:
- stem moth;
- root aphid;
- swedish fly.
They fight insects by spraying plantings with fungicides, insecticides and biological agents.
When to harvest corn
There are two types of maize ripeness: dairy and biological. When the milky ripeness is reached, the corn grains become soft, their color becomes light yellow. At the same time, it is still quite difficult to separate the leaves from the cob. Milky-ripe cobs with caryopses are best suited for boiling and canning. If the grain is intended for technical purposes or for processing, then you should wait until it is fully ripe. A ripe ear of corn is easily peeled of leaves, and the kernels in it have a bright rich yellow or orange color.
Conclusion
Planting corn seeds in open ground will not be difficult even for an inexperienced gardener. Further care of the plantings is also uncomplicated. If there is some free space on the site, it is quite possible to take it for growing this cereal. After all, boiled corn cobs are a favorite dish of many, especially children.
