Corn is a herbaceous heat-loving plant, which is grown by many summer residents. Of course, in order to get a good harvest of this wonderful crop, certain agricultural practices should be observed. First of all, you need to choose the right one. You should also decide where exactly it will grow on the site. And, of course, in the process of growing this crop, like any other, you need to properly feed and water it.
general description
Corn is an annual plant. In nature, there are only 6 of its varieties. However, only this variety is cultivated as a garden and agricultural crop, depending on the variety, it can reach a height of 1.5-3 m. Unlike most other representatives of cereals, the stalk of corn is not empty, but filled with tissue. Its thickness is usually 3-7 cm.
In the lower part, this plant forms supporting aerial roots. The leaf length of corn can reach up to 1 m, and the width - up to 10 cm. The flowers of this plant are unisexual. Males are collected in panicles and grow at the very top of the stem. Female flowers form cobs, located in the axils. The color of corn seeds is usually bright yellow. But there are varieties with white, red or black grains. The shape and size of the seeds of this crop may be different.
Popular varieties
Corn is a southern plant, the ripening of the cobs of which occurs over a long time. Therefore, for the Urals and Siberia, it is worth choosing mainly its early varieties. The most productive hybrids, yielding crops by mid-August, include the following:
Sugar F1.
Sundance F1.
Also, under certain conditions in the country in the middle lane, you can get a good harvest of mid-ripening corn. Such, for example, as:
Lingonberry.
Late varieties of this crop are mainly suitable only for Ukraine and the southern regions of the Russian Federation. The most popular maize hybrids of this group are Russian poppy and Polaris.
Variety Sundance F1
This powerful early-ripening hybrid produces mature cobs in 60-65 days after planting. Sundance F1 grain for food is usually used in the stage of milk maturity in fresh or canned form. This variety received good reviews from summer residents, first of all, precisely for the excellent taste of the ears. Also, the Sundance F1 hybrid is praised for its drought and frost resistance. However, this variety does not like shading and poor soils. Corn is sown (photo can be seen below) Sundance F1 in early May.
Hybrid Trophy F1
The growing season of this variety is 75 days. The Trophy F1 hybrid should be planted in a well-lit place, without thickening. The ears of this variety are very long (up to 23 cm) and sweet. The grain has a honey color. Cobs can be eaten both fresh and boiled. Some housewives also preserve the grain of this variety for the winter.
Sugar F1
This is a very popular good variety of corn, the fruits of which begin to ripen already 70-80 days after planting. The grains of the Sugar F1 hybrid are very tender, juicy and sweet. The cob of this corn has an average length (up to 20 cm). The variety has earned its popularity not only for its good taste, but also for its resistance to such a disease as blister smut.
Hybrid Lingonberry
This mid-season corn begins to ripen 85-89 days after planting. The cob of Cowberry is rather short - 18 cm. But the grain of this variety is very large and has a pleasant bright yellow color. Like many other varieties of corn, Lingonberry does not tolerate shading at all. The site for it should be chosen with light fertile soil. Cowberry cobs are best eaten boiled or canned.
Hybrid Pearl
The ripening period of this corn is 80-85 days. Her cobs have an average length (up to 20 cm) and are distinguished by a bright yellow color. You can use pearl corn grains for cooking or canning. Among the advantages of this hybrid, summer residents, among other things, include high yields and resistance to various fungal and bacterial diseases.
Corn Mermaid
This variety is perhaps the most popular among summer residents of the middle part of Russia. Its main advantage is simply phenomenal resistance to disease. It is almost never necessary to treat Rusalka corn. The cobs of this variety begin to ripen 80-90 days after the appearance of the first shoots. Their length is average - up to 20 cm. The color of corn seeds of the Rusalka variety is lemon.
Late varieties
Hybrid Russian bursting ripens on 90-95 days after planting. Her cob is very thin, it has a conical shape. A characteristic feature of the variety is the cracking grain of popcorn. Soils Russian bursting prefers light, fertile, well-moistened. This variety is usually grown for flakes and popcorn.
Long (up to 23 cm) cobs of the Polaris hybrid are excellent for canning and fresh consumption. This variety is valued by summer residents, including for resistance to diseases and lodging. Polaris grain is long and has excellent taste. This corn should be planted on light fertile soils.
How to choose the right place
Corn is a crop that prefers, above all, very well-lit areas. Therefore, it is usually planted on the south side of the garden or vegetable garden. At the same time, the largest crops can be harvested by placing corn on a hill. The best predecessors for this culture are:
How to cook a garden
The site chosen for corn should be dug up in the fall. At the same time, manure and phosphate fertilizers should be applied to the ground. It is desirable to improve acidic soil with lime, chalk or dolomite flour. In the spring, just before planting, the corn bed only needs to be loosened a little.
When to sow
In open ground, it is usually produced immediately after the air temperature outside warms up to +12 C. In Ukraine and in the southern regions of Russia, this is approximately the end of April. In the middle lane, sowing is usually done in mid-May. In the Urals and Siberia, the best planting time is the beginning of June. Cherries are also a sign that it is time to sow this plant.
Corn is a relatively unpretentious crop, which can be grown both by conventional technology (planted directly into the ground) and by seedlings. In the latter case, the seeds are placed in cups with pre-prepared soil mixture in mid-April (for the middle lane). You can take ordinary garden soil by adding well-rotted manure to it. Keeping cups with seeds in a very warm room is not recommended. Good seedlings of corn can be obtained only at an air temperature of no more than 20 degrees. It is best to install cups on the south window. If the seedlings do not have enough sunlight, they will begin to stretch and grow very weak.
How to properly prepare the seeds
Before planting, corn grains must be laid out in the sun for about 5 days. Then they need to be placed in warm water for an hour. The seeds are then dried. Before planting the grain, it is advisable to dust it with hexachlorane or granosan according to the instructions. This will prevent infection of young seedlings with pathogens, fungi or harmful insects.
How to plant
Being late with sowing corn is highly discouraged. This can lead to a significant reduction in yield. The seeding depth during planting on light soils should be 6 cm, on heavy soils - 4 cm. The optimal distance between individual plants for most varieties is 35 cm. The only exception is very high corn. Seeds of such varieties are planted at a distance of 45 cm from each other. The space between the rows of corn should be approximately 70 cm. 3-4 grains are placed in the hole. Thinning is done after 7-8 leaves appear on the plants. At the same time, the strongest bush is left in the hole.
How to water corn
The soil under this crop should not be moistened too often, but plentifully. After watering, the soil under each plant should get wet by at least 10 cm. Half-empty ears and low yields are the main consequences of insufficient watering of a crop such as corn. The photo below clearly demonstrates the result of overdrying plants.
How to feed
The first time the corn is fertilized is about 20 days after planting. In this case, a mullein solution is usually used, prepared in a ratio of 1:11. You can also water the plants with diluted bird droppings (1:20-25). Additionally, phosphate-potassium fertilizers should be applied to the ground. This will be especially useful if the corn leaves have become wavy at the edges. This form of them speaks just the same about the lack of potassium.
Weeding and pinching
Corn is a plant under which weeds usually have to be removed only in the first couple of weeks after planting. This culture is very strong and takes a lot of nutrients from the earth. Therefore, no weeds usually grow under it. In the phase of active development of green mass in corn, side shoots must be removed. The fact is that they take a lot of vitality from the plant. And this, in turn, greatly affects the yield.
After the corn grows to about 20-30 cm, it is advisable to mulch the soil in the garden. It is best to use well-rotted horse or cow manure for this purpose. You can also cover the soil under the plants with ordinary dried grass.
Harvest in the country and harvesting corn for silage in the fields
When it is best to pluck the cobs is, of course, a matter of taste for the owner of the site. Some people like unripe sweet corn. Others prefer ripe, cooked cobs. In any case, it is not recommended to store fresh corn for too long. Cobs should be eaten or preserved no later than 20 days after they are plucked.
At the dachas, the grown crop, of course, is harvested simply by hand. Farmers who cultivate this crop on large areas use special machines for harvesting corn. This technique is something like a small combine with a special harvester. The cutting unit is usually located in front of the machine. Since corn is usually grown on agricultural land for livestock feed, it is cut off completely - the green mass along with the cobs.