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Corn, the “queen of the fields” from the Soviet past, is one of the iconic elements of the end of summer. Who in their right mind would refuse only a boiled, fragrant and juicy cob? However, as with most vegetables and fruits, you should not thoughtlessly trust corn cobs purchased in stores or markets. So, you need to grow a culture in your garden. In this article, we will look at how to grow corn on a personal plot, how to prepare grain for planting, what conditions are needed for growing in the Moscow region, and much more.
Soil and seed preparation
As always, it’s worth starting with the preparation of the soil and seeds, since corn is often grown outdoors.
First of all, check what has grown in the garden before. The best predecessors will be legumes, cereals, winter wheat, potatoes. After removing them from the site, proceed to a thorough plowing of the earth to a depth of at least 30 cm, since looseness and oxygenation of the soil are very important for good corn growth. After a few weeks, re-plowing is carried out, combined with herbicide treatment to kill weeds. Fertilizers are applied under plowing.
It is important to properly prepare the seed. Only the largest grain should be selected, without damage. It is from him that the best harvest is obtained. Seeds should be checked for germination – placed in a 5% saline solution for 5 minutes. Floated grain is not suitable for planting on a personal plot. The grains that have settled to the bottom must be thoroughly washed and dried.
The next step in grain preparation is dressing, which helps protect the crop from most diseases. This can be done using a powdered pesticide (3-8 g of the TMTD preparation per 1 kg of grains) or a solution of potassium permanganate (5 g of potassium permanganate is dissolved in 1 liter of water). You can also use hydrogen peroxide, which is heated to 50 ° C, and then the grains are left in it for 7 minutes.
Disinfection can be carried out using hydrothermal treatment. According to this method, for 20 minutes, the grain is first immersed in hot water (temperature up to 50 ° C), and then in cold water.
Fertilizer
For the formation of the root system, good growth of the above-ground part of the plant and the development of cobs, the culture needs good soil fertilizer. Fertilizer for corn must necessarily consist of:
- phosphorus, which helps the grain to germinate;
- potassium in order to strengthen immunity to numerous diseases and promote the set of green mass of the plant;
- nitrogen to support leaf and stem growth;
- calcium, which lowers the acidity of the soil and promotes the formation of root hairs on corn.
For the first time, fertilizers are applied before planting, with deep plowing. For 1 square meter of land you will need: 50-60 g of organic fertilizers, 200 g of potassium, 400 g of superphosphate.
By themselves, organic fertilizers in the form of manure help corn to develop actively, saturating it with all the necessary elements to the maximum. First of all, they contribute to the development of beneficial microorganisms to the soil, which facilitate the absorption of nutrients.
If the cultivation of corn in the country takes place in excessively acidic soil, liming should be carried out. To do this, use 3 kg of lime per 10 square meters.
Sowing technology
Sowing of corn on a site in the Moscow region begins on May 25. By this time, the soil should be fertilized, treated with herbicides against weeds, and the seed itself should be processed and hardened. Soil temperature should be + 10-12 ° C.
First of all, make a markup for landing. There should be about 45-50 cm of distance between the holes so that the root system of each plant does not interfere with the development of its neighbors. There should be at least 4 beds nearby to provide plants with good cross-pollination.
Grain is placed in a pre-moistened hole, 2-3 pieces at a time, for reliability to a depth of 3 cm. The holes are re-moistened, and then covered with a film until the first shoots appear.
If you need an early harvest, then the grain is sown in the middle or at the end of April to a depth of 4-5 cm. The planting pattern is the same as for conventional cultivation. You can also grow low-growing varieties in a greenhouse, then the crop is ready for planting from the beginning of April, as soon as the air temperature is evenly warm.
Remember that manual seeding is only possible in small areas, for large areas you will need a corn planter.
Peculiarities of growing
The technology of growing corn is not much different from the cultivation of other plants. You can use grain for planting without first germinating it, or you can grow seedlings. The second method is suitable for areas with a small area, since it requires a lot of planting costs.
Cultivation from seeds
For growing from seeds, hardened grain is used, which is laid in holes measuring 60 by 30 cm. In this case, a corn seeder is useful, which will significantly reduce the time spent on planting. In the Moscow region, this procedure is done in late April or early May, when the soil temperature does not fall below 12-15 ° C. Several grains in each hole will help you to guarantee at least one seedling. If all 3 grains sprout, then simply remove the weak shoots.
Growing sprouts
The second way of growing is the preliminary preparation of seedlings. Usually it is used by summer residents in the northern regions, where the summer is short and the air temperature is not very high. To get seedlings, the grain is placed in paper cups filled with a nutrient mixture of compost, sand and peat (2: 1: 1). It is advisable to add 200 g of ash to half a bucket of the mixture. Each grain is deepened by 3 cm.
Seedlings need top dressing, which is applied 10 days before planting in the garden – usually it is superphosphate. Regular watering is also important.
Care
Caring for corn, at least for most varieties, is not very difficult. It is necessary to regularly loosen the soil so that the roots receive a sufficient amount of oxygen, thin out seedlings in a timely manner, and also feed them.
With the advent of stepchildren, they must be carefully removed, since they take some of the nutrients from the plant and interfere with the formation of large cobs.
Preventive treatment against Swedish fly, wireworm, moths, bacteriosis and other fungal diseases is important.
Do not be lazy to remove weeds. Despite the developed root system (up to three tiers), weeds, firstly, can become a home for insects, and secondly, they take nutrients from the soil that are intended for corn.
At the 5-8 leaf stage, corn care includes feeding with potassium, nitrate, superphosphate to support root development.
Video “The best variety of corn”
This video is about what kind of corn is best planted in the suburbs and how to grow it.
