Corn in the Urals and Siberia: cultivation in the open field in the country

Corn is a thermophilic crop. In Our Country, on an industrial scale and on household plots, it is grown in the Kuban, the Caucasus, and the Lower Volga. Planting corn in Siberia, the Urals, the Moscow region, the Leningrad region became possible due to the development of frost-resistant varieties, zoned in a cold climate.

The best varieties of corn for Siberia, the Urals and the Moscow region

For planting in regions with a temperate climate, early-ripening varieties are chosen. Culture should have time to mature in a short summer. The plant is heat-loving, does not tolerate a decrease in temperature. Only vegetables are grown. Forage varieties are not cultivated in Siberia and the Urals.

Many hybrids have been bred that are zoned in cold climates. The best varieties of corn for Siberia cultivated in the open field include:

For planting in open ground, breeders offer the best varieties of corn for central Our Country and the Urals:

1. Landmark F1 – early variety, frost-resistant, tolerates temperatures down to +4⁰C, matures in 65 days. Plant of medium height, produces cobs 18 cm long with bright yellow grains. The taste is sweet, the flesh of the seeds is juicy, well suited for cooking.
2. Jubilees F1 – mid-season variety, ripens in 95 days. The plant is tall – up to 2,5 m, forms 15 cobs 20 cm long. The seeds are bright yellow, the shell is thin. Long shelf life, suitable for conservation. It has a high immunity to infection.
3. The sweet varieties of Bonduelle include a hybrid F1 bonus – early ripe, with a good taste, the fruits are used in the stage of milky ripeness for cooking, and the ripe ones are used for conservation. The culture is planted for the food industry and on a personal farmstead. The grains of corn are dark yellow, the shell is thin.
4. Ladozhskaya 191 – popular corn in the Leningrad region, it is grown in household plots and farm areas. Mid-early variety, often found in the Urals. The culture ripens in 3,5 months. The plant is 1,7 cm high, the cobs are up to 20 cm, the grains are bright yellow.

The best varieties of corn for the Moscow region, which can be planted in open ground:

1. Trophy – a variety of sweet varieties of Dutch selection, ripens in 70 days. Tall culture – up to 1,9 m, forms cobs 25 cm long, 40 cm in diameter, weighing 220 g. The grains are light golden with a thin peel, suitable for canning and cooking.
2. Hybrid Andrea – with a vegetation period of 2,5 months. A medium-sized plant – up to 1,5 m, gives ears of a conical shape, 18 cm long. The seeds are large, the fruits at the stage of conditional maturity are boiled, after ripening – for canning.
3. Gamma – a variety of ultra-early ripening, you can pick corn in 70-75 days. The height of the plant is up to 2 m. The cobs reach up to 28 cm, the average weight is 270 g. The grains are large, bright orange.

Along with vegetable species, the low-growing corn variety Volcano is popular among gardeners. Grains with a high concentration of liquid burst after heating.

When to plant corn in spring in Siberia

Planting culture is oriented to the climatic features of the area. It is not worth rushing with a mortgage of seeds, if the soil has not warmed up, the plant will not germinate. In the middle lane, corn planting dates are at the beginning or middle of May, the soil temperature should not be lower than +16⁰ C. Early-maturing varieties have time to ripen, late ones are not cultivated in temperate climates.

Sowing corn in the Urals, Siberia 2 weeks later, planting is carried out in late May or early June, depending on the temperature regime. After the appearance of sprouts, it is recommended to cover the culture with dark material. Black color attracts ultraviolet, the material will protect the plant from night frosts.

What temperature can corn withstand?

The historical homeland of corn is South America, the culture is thermophilic. Standard variety seeds do not germinate at soil temperatures below +10 C. Panicles will not bloom if the minimum value is +15⁰ C. Favorable conditions for vegetation – +23⁰ C. Frost affects seedlings. Even at zero temperature, the growth of young shoots stops. In all respects, planting and growing in Siberia and the Urals is practically impossible.

Through many years of work, breeders have been able to create varieties that meet the requirements of a temperate climate. Seeds of hybrids after planting in open ground can withstand temperatures down to -2⁰ C. This is not a record, single varieties are able to withstand frost down to -4⁰ C.

Germination of culture in a warm climate zone – within 8 days, at a fairly high temperature. Early varieties adapted to the weather conditions of Siberia and the Urals germinate in the same period at relatively low temperatures.

Selection and preparation of a site for corn in Siberia

Planting corn in any place you like will not work. The plant is whimsical to the composition of the soil. On swampy, high salt concentration and high acidity soil, the culture will not grow. Landing provides for soil loose, fertile, enriched with oxygen.

Before planting a crop, it is necessary to prepare the site:

1. The soil is loosened in the fall, weed roots are removed.
2. Make organic, potash and phosphate fertilizers.
3. You can sow winter rye, dig in the spring along with seedlings.

In the spring, 3 days before planting, the site is loosened again, nitrogen-containing agents are applied.

How to grow corn in Siberia and the Urals

In the conditions of the cold climate of Siberia, the Urals, the Leningrad region, corn can be grown in two ways:

• planting seeds in the ground – this applies to mid-early varieties;
• seedling method – for the culture of early ripening.

Planting corn seeds in open ground

Growing corn in Siberia by planting seeds in a garden bed is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. Furrows are filled with a depth of 7 cm, watered, planting begins when the moisture is completely absorbed.
2. The spacing is 55 cm.
3. The distance between the nests is 35 cm.
4. 3 seeds are placed in each well.

The plant forms male and female flowers, it needs pollination. Planting crops in one row will reduce productivity. Form a bed of at least 4 rows. After germination, one strong sprout is left, the rest are removed.

Planting corn seedlings

To increase productivity and reduce the growing season in an open garden, it is recommended to grow corn seedlings in the middle lane. This method pays off in colder regions. Landing begins in the second half of April in Central Our Country. Sowing corn for seedlings in Siberia begins in the second decade of May. The scheme of planting seedlings is no different from sowing seeds.

How to care for corn in Siberia

After planting, the plant requires standard care for rapid vegetation in short summer conditions. Agricultural technology consists in watering, fertilizing, getting rid of weeds.

Watering

After planting the seeds, watering is carried out when shoots appear. The schedule depends on precipitation, the plant is thermophilic, but not drought-resistant, the topsoil should not be allowed to dry out. Excess moisture for the culture is also undesirable. Watering is increased at the time of formation of cobs. If precipitation falls 2 times a week, this is enough for the culture.

Weeding and loosening

Loosening is an indispensable element of agricultural technology; plant growth after planting depends on how much the root system is enriched with oxygen. The first weeding is carried out when the shoots grow up to 10 cm, the subsequent ones – as needed, preferably after each watering. When the plant begins to throw panicles, it is recommended to spud it to better retain moisture.

Additional fertilizing

It will not work to grow a good crop of corn in Siberia in the country without applying fertilizers to the soil during planting and subsequent feeding. Feeding is given in 3 stages:

• after the formation of the 4th leaf, a solution of bird droppings or manure is added under the root;
• after 21 days per 1 m² scatter the mixture: saltpeter (20 g), potassium salts (20 g), superphosphate (40 g);
• when 8 leaves are formed, they give a complex remedy, which includes manganese, zinc, copper.

Diseases and pests of corn in Siberia

For prevention, seeds are disinfected before planting. During planting, the Planriz solution is added to the well. If the measures did not work, and the plant develops a fungal infection, the culture is treated with drugs:

• “Vincite”;
• “Optima”;
• “Sternifag”.

Affected plants are removed from the site and burned. The landing site is watered with boiling water.

If, after planting, the plant grows slowly, waviness is noted on the leaves, the cobs are underdeveloped with seed rudiments, there is a sign of the development of helminthosporiasis, then the cause is a nutrient deficiency. Immediately after planting, potassium-containing fertilizers must be applied. If the disease has developed, feeding is repeated.

Parasitic pests:

• wireworm;
• aphid;
• scoop;
• shell.

For prevention, crop rotation is observed, repellent plants, such as soybeans, are planted nearby. When planting and growing crops in the Urals and Siberia, it is not recommended to use chemicals; contact bioinsecticides are used against pests – Aktofit, Bitoxibacillin.

When corn ripens in Siberia

Planting seeds in open ground slows down the vegetation and ripening of cobs for 15 days, the seedling method speeds up the time. The ripening time depends on the variety of plants planted. The cobs are removed for consumption at the stage of milky-wax ripeness, approximately at the end of August and until mid-September.

In the Urals and in the middle lane, hybrids are used for planting, which do not provide a full-fledged planting material. In the conditions of a short summer in the Urals and Siberia, the culture does not have time to reach biological ripeness.

Conclusion

Planting corn in Siberia, the Moscow region and the Urals is possible with the right choice of variety. Specially created hybrids for temperate climates are frost-resistant. Early ripe species after planting have time to mature in a short summer. On a personal plot, a dacha, a culture of sweet varieties is bred for cooking and canning.