This is the best option for those who prefer to eat natural products. Are there any subtleties of growing corn in the country? Find out now! Boiled corn bought on the market does not inspire confidence - it is not known how it was grown and how many chemicals it contains. So isn't it better to work a little so that later you can be proud of the freshly harvested harvest of the "queen of the fields" (as she was called in Soviet times), and also replenish your body with the necessary supply of vitamins and nutrients!
Agree, corn is an unpretentious plant, but how much use it is! These are not only priceless tasty grains, but also stigmas, about which a lot has been said in folk medicine. They are used in the treatment of liver, hypertension, diabetes and many other diseases, which is described in detail in the article about the beneficial properties of corn. And the plant itself is very majestic, with bright green foliage, will become a real decoration and hedge of a summer cottage or vegetable garden.
Will grow best after legumes, winter crops, fodder and sugar beets, potatoes, buckwheat. Perfectly "gets on" with pumpkin and zucchini. Corn should not be sown immediately after millet, otherwise a common pest, the corn moth, will spread.
Maize growing technology:
1. Soil preparation and fertilization
After harvesting legumes, cereals and other predecessors, the land in the country is immediately dug to a shallow depth, various fertilizers are added, and once again dug up to 30 cm for better development of the root system. After 2-3 weeks, cultivation is superficially carried out to eliminate weed shoots. This is best done with a disc harrow, cultivator, or other implement. It is advisable to repeat the cultivation after the appearance of the 2-3rd wave of weed shoots.
Now about fertilizers. Corn is required most of all nutrients exactly when flowering occurs and cobs are formed. If the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry, then the plant lacks nitrogen. Lack of phosphorus affects growth retardation and reddening of the leaves.
If there is enough phosphorus, then the seeds will germinate faster. The introduction of potassium will increase the resistance of corn to disease damage, and its deficiency leads to an abrupt cessation of growth, the edges of the leaves are affected by burns, the grains become smaller and partially do not ripen. Finally, calcium neutralizes the acidity of the soil and helps the formation of root hairs.
For plowing or digging up organic fertilizers, it is required to add up to 50 g, potassium salt - 150-200 g, superphosphate - up to 400 g. If you do not have time to do this in the fall, then in the spring, immediately before tillage, add the specified amount of superphosphate and potassium salt. Corn is well suited for the nutrients of manure. They help soil microorganisms to develop normally and to better assimilate useful substances coming from land reserves. Optionally, you can add 2-year-old compost (10 squares - 5 buckets), the same amount of sand and ash.
It is better to lime acidic soil by adding fluff lime (10 squares require 2-3 kg). In early spring, the soil is re-loosened to a depth of 10 cm. Later, before sowing, it should be re-cultivated to a depth of 7 cm to eliminate germinating weeds and the formed crust.
2. Sowing corn:
-
Growing from seeds
The technology of growing corn in the country from seeds, or rather, its sowing after cultivation of the soil falls on the end of April - beginning of May. In each nest (60x30 cm) 3-4 seeds are placed to a depth of 6 cm. As soon as the first shoots appear, they are thinned out and left in each nest in pairs. This is done in order to form aerial roots, so the plant will be more resistant to lodging.
Corn can pollinate on its own, especially in windy conditions. Since it is considered a monoecious plant (both male and female), it must be grown in 4 rows for cross-pollination. Otherwise, you will have to pollinate by hand: shake out the pollen in a bag, then open the embryo of the cob and shake it slightly with the pollen. Repeat the procedure 3-4 times, preferably in the morning.
-
Growing seedlings
Some summer residents practice the technology of growing seedlings. This is typical for the northern regions of Russia, where the warm period is very short. For this, the seeds are sown in paper cups filled with a nutrient mixture: compost, sand and peat (2: 1: 1). For half a bucket of the mixture, it is advisable to add 200 g of ash. There is one grain per cup, sown at a depth of 3 cm.
Sprinkle with sand on top, leaving a couple of centimeters from the edge so that you can add soil and water the seedlings. The seedlings are fed about ten days before survival in the ground, after which they are abundantly watered, sprinkled with sand 1 cm thick.
3. Care
For a good harvest, very little is required: to loosen the soil in a timely manner, thin out the seedlings and feed them. As soon as 20-25 cm stepchildren (side shoots) appear on the plants, they should be carefully removed from the base without damaging the stem. Otherwise, they will thin the leaves and create a shade, which will negatively affect the yield of the ears.
Video: protecting corn from weeds
During the entire growing season, corn should be treated against such pests as swedish fly, wireworm, false wireworm, meadow and corn moth, diseases - blister smut, dusty smut and bacteriosis.
To determine ripeness, pay attention to the brush - it should be dry and brown. Dots on the kernels of corn indicate its immaturity (in this case, you should wait a couple more days).
