Do I need to soak corn before planting in open ground

Lisa
How to soak corn properly before planting?

Many gardeners grow corn on their plots without presoaking, since this is the natural method for most crops growing (not only in plots, but also) in the wild. But with the help of the seed soaking procedure, you can achieve faster and more friendly seedlings and, in addition, "reject" non-germinated specimens. Next, we will talk about how to properly soak corn seeds before planting.

How to soak seeds

Before starting to soak the seeds, you must first select the best seed. To do this, simply dip the corn seeds in a small container of cold water. In just a few minutes, most of them will sink to the bottom, and some will remain on the water surface. Floating seeds must be removed immediately.

Now you can start directly to soak the seed. We need fabric. It is better to use natural materials that are dense enough (so that during germination the seed roots and sprouts do not catch on holes in the tissue), but at the same time they are permeable.

Corn seeds

Fold the pieces of fabric in several layers and put them on a thick layer of cotton wool, laid on the bottom of the soaking container. Now you can spread the seeds on the prepared cotton-fabric "pillow".

Advice. When spreading seeds on a cloth, be sure to leave some distance between them so that when they are pecked, they do not intertwine with each other.

Now you need to properly moisten the seeds with prepared water (it is better to do this with a spray bottle so as not to displace the seeds from their places). Moisten the corn seeds until the water partially covers them. But, nevertheless, it is not worth completely covering them with water so that they have access to air.

Recipes for soaking corn before planting

Now let's look at the most effective recipes for soaking corn (and not only) seeds:

• Melt water. It is very simple to prepare it: we place the previously purified water in the freezer until it freezes completely, then we take it out and wait until the ice melts by half. We will use this particular part of the water that has melted, the rest will not be useful. At the time of soaking, the water temperature should be no higher than 20 degrees.
• Water with honey. We use, of course, purified water, to which we add honey. Based on a glass of water, you need to use 1 tbsp. a spoonful of honey. We moisten the seeds with water and completely dissolved honey.
• Water with aloe juice. To prepare this composition, again, purified water and aloe juice are needed. We take the components in a 1: 1 ratio.

The duration of soaking corn seeds is about 10-12 hours. When the amount of water decreases, it is necessary to gradually make up for its lack.As soon as the seeds hatch, you can immediately sow them in open ground.

How to grow corn: video

Both children and adults love to eat sweet corn. There is always a place for planting a crop, it can be either the border of the hedge or the middle of the site. The main thing is that there is a bed well lit by the sun's rays. Beginning gardeners should familiarize themselves with the peculiarities of agricultural technology before starting planting work. Taking into account the region, it is necessary to decide whether or not to be afraid of frosts in spring and plant corn, be sure to take this factor into account.

When to plant corn in the spring in the Moscow region, Siberia and the Urals?

You should not rush to plant seeds in open ground, they will not germinate in cold ground. In the southern part of Russia, planting in summer cottages begins in early May.... For the middle zone and the Moscow region, the terms are often shifted by 2-3 weeks. Cold-resistant varieties provide for early sowing, however, to protect young shoots from freezing, it is recommended to use a covering material at night. If weather conditions do not allow starting sowing, the seedling method of growing crops, which is typical for the Urals and Siberia, should be used.

Seedlings have hardened in the ground

The weather conditions of Siberia make it possible to obtain the fruits of milky-wax ripeness; full ripening does not occur due to climatic features. They begin to plant in late May or early June. Experts do not recommend soaking the seeds; it is enough to do with the planting of good quality corn. And in order to germinate the shoots faster, a black agrofibre shelter is used. It attracts the sun's rays, creates a favorable environment for the development of sprouts.

The landing dates are indicative. You need to start work taking into account the temperature of the soil warming up. It should be in the range of 10-12 ° C.

Can the plant tolerate frost and what temperature does it withstand in spring?

Corn under the snow

The homeland of corn is considered to be South America and the middle strip of the continent, which testifies to the thermophilicity of the culture. The breeders had to make a lot of efforts to breed varieties and hybrids that are resistant to spring frosts... Seeds planted in open ground and seedlings withstand a minimum temperature of -1-2 ° C, and some hybrids even up to -4 ° C. This is a great achievement, because the optimal temperature indicators in which the sprout develops are 12-18 ° C (the biological minimum is determined by the range of 8-10 ° C).
Depending on the temperature regime, the germination rate of seedlings changes. The biological minimum ensures the germination of shoots in 18-20 days, while at + 20 °, the shoots appear above the soil surface in 5-8 days.

When planting corn seeds for the first time, you need to focus on the average monthly temperature. As a safety net, you should prepare a covering material that will protect the seedlings from spring frosts.

How to properly plant corn outdoors?

To grow the crop we want, we have to follow some rules of how to grow the crop. Sow seeds on time, plant seedlings on time, remember that corn, like any other inhabitant of the garden, is afraid of frost, can hardly endure it (after all, Siberia is not Ukraine), as well as loosen the ground and feed the plant in time. It depends on how it will grow and how many fruits from the summer cottage will appear at the home.

Sowing corn seeds

How to plant seeds and grow seedlings

You can plant a crop in open ground by seed and seedlings. For correct sowing of seeds for seedlings at home, cassettes (cells with a volume of 45 cm2) or peat pots (diameter 12 cm) are used. The containers are filled with fertile soil mixed in equal proportions with humus or compost. To reduce irrigation work, a hydrogel is added to the soil mixture.This component allows you to increase the moisture content of the substrate, reducing the number of procedures for moisturizing seedlings by 3-4 times.
In the spring, before sowing, the seeds must be soaked, they are spent in a damp cloth for 5-7 days. After soaking, the swollen grains are buried in prepared containers by 3-4 cm (3-4 pieces are placed in the pots, 2 pieces in the cassette cell).
Seed germination is slow. At this stage, it is important to maintain the desired temperature and good lighting.... With a lack of natural light, daylight lamps are installed, so they will grow faster. After the formation of 3-4 leaves on the shoots, weak shoots should be removed, leaving only strong-looking seedlings. A week before transferring seedlings to open ground, it is necessary to harden daily to adapt to their natural habitat.

Seedlings can be grown in a film greenhouse or greenhouse

Landing in the spring in the ground at their summer cottage, scheme

For corn beds, choose a place without shading. The plant is drought-resistant, one of the main conditions for the growing season is a sufficient amount of sunlight. Compliance with the planting scheme is considered an equally important point, because corn is a cross-pollinated species. For this reason, the bed is formed from several rows, otherwise there may be problems with pollination. Experienced gardeners use the following planting options:

• rows with 2 seeds per hole (distance between holes - 35 cm, row spacing - 45-50 cm);
• square-nesting method (the interval between plants is 45 cm on all sides or 9 shoots per 1 m2).

  We plant corn in open ground

Preparing the soil in the country for growing crops

The area for the garden bed must be carefully cleaned, removing all plant residues and weeds. It is better to do this in the fall, so that after digging, the larvae and pests would freeze out at the first frost. The soil will be ready for planting corn if legumes or pumpkin crops, potatoes, cabbage were grown in front of it.
Of the fertilizers, rotted manure is most suitable.... Complex mineral products that enrich the soil with micronutrients are also suitable. The structure of the soil must be loose so that the root system can develop unhindered. Heavy soil is diluted with chopped straw or sawdust.
The earth is first loosened, then the locations of the holes are outlined. The immersion depth of the seed is determined taking into account two factors: the degree of soil moisture and the condition of the seeds (dry or germinated). Swollen grains are embedded in moist and warm soil to a depth of 3-4 cm, dry ones - by 5-6 cm.

The development of each culture is facilitated in particular by the proximity to other plants. The following companions are suitable for corn: cucumbers, pumpkin, beans and other beans. If it is planted between rows, such as cucumbers, it is important to leave enough space to ensure that both vegetables are adequately nourished.

Preparing the soil for planting corn

Care after planting so as not to be afraid of frost

Many people consider corn an unpretentious plant that requires only weeding. However, it is not. To get a good harvest and ears with excellent taste, you will have to follow simple rules of care.

Watering

Corn loves moisture, it can absorb up to 4 liters per day. But this does not mean that the garden needs to be poured. Waterlogging slows down the development of the root system, changes the color of the leaves (a purple tint appears). These factors jeopardize the yield of the crop, so irrigation should be carried out taking into account the degree of soil moisture. The optimum soil index is 70-80%. During irrigation, 1-2 liters of water are consumed for each bush. In the absence of the possibility of regular watering, it is recommended to periodically loosen the ground. This procedure is popularly called dry irrigation. Loosening essentially prevents the soil from drying out.But the best way to maintain moisture in the beds is to use a spot irrigation system.
Water consumption rates are different at each stage of plant development. After planting the seedlings, moderate watering will be required, after the formation of 7 leaves, the amount of liquid increases to 1.5 liters per bush. After the fibers on the cobs begin to darken, irrigation is carried out less frequently or the amount of water used is reduced.

Loosening row spacings

Weeding, loosening

Weeding prevents thickening of the beds, which so attracts pests, creates favorable conditions for the development of diseases. Therefore, sprouted weeds are periodically removed from the site.
It is rational to combine this procedure with loosening the soil and hilling. This increases the air permeability of the soil, allowing oxygen to feed the deeper layers. With this care, the root system develops better, the plant's immunity is strengthened. As the stem forms, the corn becomes more resilient, allowing it to withstand both gusty winds and heavy rainfall.

Top dressing

In addition to fertilizing the soil at the stage of preparing the beds, it is necessary to feed the plants. This is due to the build-up of green mass throughout the growing season. Complementary feeding is introduced in several stages, and nutrients for each of them are strictly defined.
The first top dressing consists of slurry or poultry manure solution, applied after the formation of the 4th leaf on the shoot. After 2-3 weeks, a second feeding is introduced, consisting of 20 g of ammonium nitrate, 20 g of potassium salt, 40 g of superphosphate per 1 m2. After the appearance of 7-8 leaves, the plant needs nutrition with zinc, boron, copper and manganese.

Top dressing of corn

When using fertilizers, you should not increase the consumption rates. An overabundance of minerals is as dangerous for shoots as their deficiency.

Agricultural technology of corn is simple. One of the main issues requiring attention is the temperature regime, the observance of which creates favorable conditions for the growing season of the plant.

It is no secret that you can buy any kind of fruit and vegetables on store shelves and open markets all year round. Meanwhile, many amateur gardeners and gardeners prefer to grow some vegetables themselves. It is not for nothing that many prefer berries from their garden, then you know exactly what you fed and under what conditions this plant was grown.

The birthplace of corn is America; Columbus brought it to Europe at the end of the 15th century, after he discovered this continent.

Before planting itself, you need to decide in what way we will grow this plant - the queen of the fields. It got its outlandish name thanks to Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev.

In 1959, having flown to America, he was so shocked by this cereal that he gave the order to grow corn throughout the former territory of the Soviet Union, which, not surprisingly, given nutritional value and usefulness not only grains, but also leaves, stalks, cobs, which have been successfully used in the household.

And how much do you and I know about the beneficial properties of corn? After all, we are all accustomed to the fact that this is a delicious, aromatic and simply appetizing cereal. Corn grains contain many useful and healing substances, as well as vitamins PP, E, D, K, vitamins of group B (B1, B2), salts of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron. Also, scientists have proven the presence of such valuable trace elements as tryptophan and lysine.

The main methods of planting corn in the ground

There are two main methods of planting crops in the ground:

1. Growing seedlings for subsequent transplanting of seedlings into the soil.
2. Direct planting of seeds directly into the soil.

The first method is used to obtain an earlier harvest, therefore, the seeds are planted for seedlings in April. In the second case, May is suitable.

Planting corn seedlings

It is necessary to plant seeds in a large container filled with peat and sand or sawdust. It is better, of course, to use paper cups, so that later when transplanting, you do not damage the root system of the plant.

It is also possible to grow seedlings in a greenhouse. Then in March you need to make a greenhouse on the site so that the ground has warmed up to the temperature we need. When growing seedlings, the following mandatory requirements must be taken into account:

• The temperature regime should be about 18-20 degrees. In April, the sun even warms up, but it is still not good enough, so it is better to install fluorescent lighting lamps, preferably fluorescent ones. Moreover, the lamps need to be installed not when the seeds germinate and release several leaves, but immediately upon planting. If the seedlings do not have enough heat and light, they will be pulled out after the light from the window, the sprouts will turn out to be tall and with each watering they will lie down and hurt, and die from the slightest draft.
• Be sure to water the seeds well.
• During the period of intensive growth it is necessary to feed the seedlings fertilizer solution. The optimal fertilizer for weekly feeding is the Kemira fertilizer and the Epin growth stimulator. In early May, seedlings can be planted in the ground.

In this case, you need to water well the holes previously dug for the grown seedlings, and then sprinkle with sand so that a crust does not form on the ground.

Planting corn seeds

If you decide to plant corn with seeds, then you need to wait until the ground warms up to the desired temperature. As a rule, this is the month of May.

Before landing, many recommend soak the seeds in a solution mixed with wood ash. Make an envelope of cheesecloth and open every day, stir and close again until the grains germinate. As soon as the grains sprout, stirring must be stopped.

Before planting the corn grains themselves, you need to prepare the soil, remove old weeds, loosen the soil, feed with fertilizer, or rotted manure. The best soil for growing corn is considered to be the soil on which various types of legumes and pumpkin plants have previously grown. Before boarding the earth needs to be loosened, keep in mind that the best soil for seedlings is black soil. After the soil has been loosened, we make small pits about 10 cm deep, the distance between the pits is about 50 cm.

It is best to plant corn in more than one row, since then there may be difficulties with pollination. It is better to do several rows, the ideal number is 6-7. Germination of grains occurs on the 12th day. After the appearance of seedlings, you need to break through the beds and leave the strongest ones.

Growing corn requires compulsory care for seedlings until they are not sufficiently strong, includes hilling and watering. Hilling makes it possible to form sufficiently strong adventitious roots, and timely watering helps the plant to develop well, and in the future it will, of course, also have good productivity. During the growth of corn, it is necessary to loosen the ground several times, weed it so that there are no weeds.

Do not forget that the choice of place plays an important role in planting corn; it must be borne in mind that corn is a heat-loving plant, so the place should be sunny and not shaded.

Types of maize ripeness

Usually ripe corn has two types of ripeness:

• milky white, when the grains are even raw soft, ripens at the end of July;
• when the grains are deep yellow in color and the cob is almost ripe, it is usually August – September.

Milk-ripe corn is very tasty and is loved by children, just like most adults. By including corn dishes in your daily diet, you will save yourself from diseases such as diabetes, heart attack, problems with the gastrointestinal tract and simply improve your immunity... Therefore, do not give up growing this crop.

Ripe corn has brown threads and dried outer leaves. After the grains are finally ripe, the ears are broken out of the stalks. In order to preserve the corn as seed for the next planting, it is necessary to separate the diseased ears, and let the good ones dry in the sun or in a well-ventilated area. You can store such corn in bundles in a suspended state.

The delicate and rich taste of sweet cobs, densely stuffed with juicy grains, yellow, like little suns, have been loved by everyone since childhood. But growing corn on a personal plot seems ungrateful to many gardeners. To collect a generous crop from its bushes, which has reached technical ripeness, you will have to work hard, and first of all, get the necessary knowledge about agricultural agricultural technology.

Requirements for growing conditions

Corn loves warmth. It is mainly cultivated in the southern regions of the country. But it is possible to breed a culture in a temperate climate and even in the much harsher conditions of Siberia. The main thing is to choose the right place for the corn and provide competent care for the plantings. Outdoors, it grows best in areas with maximum sunlight. In the shade and with a lack of heat, the development of its bushes slows down, and the grain on the cob does not ripen to milk ripeness. Plants are sensitive to cold winds and drafts, so it is important to reliably protect the beds from them.

Sweet corn has no special requirements for the quality and structure of the soil. The ideal option for her is light, fertile soil with low acidity, rich in humus and well-drained. It is better to plant corn bushes in a personal plot next to legumes, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin. It will be unsuccessful to place them near the beds with table beets and celery.

They begin to prepare a place for future corn beds in the garden in the fall. This is especially important when cultivating early maturing varieties. The soil is carefully dug up, choosing the roots of weeds from it. It is correct to do this early, before the first frost. Then the site can be watered abundantly so that the weed seeds that have fallen into it will sprout, and then weed them out. If these recommendations are followed, the spring preparation of the garden will be easier, and planting maintenance will require less time and effort.

Sweet corn responds well to fertilization. Preparing the soil for the beds, they are brought in twice: in autumn and spring. Before winter, they are scattered around the site (by 1 m2):

• humus (5 kg);
• double superphosphate (0.2 kg);
• potassium salt (0.1 kg).

Fertilizers are buried in the ground by digging to the depth of a bayonet shovel. Spring preparation of the site is less intensive. Before planting corn kernels, the soil is fertilized with nitrophos (50 g of the preparation per 1 m²), and then slightly pushed. The procedure is carried out 2–2.5 weeks before the planned date of sowing the seeds. The earth with high acidity is additionally limed.

Sowing corn on the beds

Planting corn with seeds is a simple and quite effective way of growing a crop. Its terms are determined by the characteristics of the local climate. To get friendly shoots, corn grain is sown when the weather is warm and the threat of frost has passed. The thermometer should not fall below 10-12 ° C during the day. In Siberia, you can start planting corn closer to mid-May.

The result will be better if the seeds are prepared before placing in the ground. Professionals advise to soak them. There is nothing complicated in this procedure, for it you will need:

• a piece of gauze, burlap or any other fabric;
• some wood ash;
• the corn itself.

You need to soak the seeds according to certain rules. The fertilizer is thoroughly dissolved in water heated to 22-25 ° C. Then, corn seeds are dipped into this nutrient composition. They do not keep them in it for a long time, 12 hours are enough.An envelope is made of gauze, it is abundantly moistened with a prepared solution and the planting material is placed in it. The condition of the seeds will be checked daily to ensure they are supplied with oxygen. If they have not yet hatched, they are mixed, if necessary, moistened and covered with gauze again. Finish these manipulations when the first shoots appear.

The sprouted corn grain is placed in a slightly loosened soil, having previously marked grooves in the garden, the interval between which is made equal to 0.5-0.6 m. At a distance of 40 cm from each other, holes of medium depth (6-7 cm) are dug in a row. 3-4 seeds are laid out in them. The square-nest planting scheme is optimal for maize: with this arrangement, self-pollination is successful in adult plants and the yield increases. Then the hole is filled with wet soil, and a layer of dry earth is poured on top as mulch.

Sweet corn springs up pretty quickly. If the seeds are soaked, then young shoots will appear in 10-12 days. If you do without preparation, you will have to wait 5-7 days longer. When corn sprouts appear from the soil, only one more powerful one is left in each of the planting holes, and the rest are pulled out.

Growing seedlings

The seedling method of growing a crop is also popular, in which the crop on plants ripens faster. In this case, planting of corn is carried out earlier - in April. For sowing seeds at home, deep containers filled with a mixture of peat and sand or sawdust are suitable. But it is much more convenient to arrange the corn grain in separate cups. This will save time in caring for the seedlings and reduce the likelihood of damage to their roots when moving to the beds.

Advice

You can also get corn seedlings in the greenhouse. It will be correct to install it at the summer cottage in March, so that by the time the seeds are planted, the soil is warmed up enough.

For germination, corn seeds need temperatures around 18-20 ° C. Fluorescent lamps will help provide them with enough light and heat. Better to install them before sowing. If you ignore these guidelines, young sweet corn will stretch out a lot, and care for its long shoots will be difficult. After watering, they will bend down, practically lying on the ground, and hurt. Any draft will be disastrous for them.

Caring for corn seedlings consists of watering and fertilizing. They need a lot of water, it is impossible to allow the soil to dry out in containers. When the seedlings begin to develop intensively, the time will come for feeding them with a solution of mineral fertilizer. They will also respond well to growth stimulants. Young corn is provided with additional nutrition every week.

It can be placed in open ground from the first days of May, if weather conditions permit. By this time, 2-3 powerful leaves will appear on the seedlings. In regions with a colder climate (in the Urals, in Siberia), the procedure is carried out later - in the last week of spring. It is permissible to postpone it even until the beginning of summer. Pits are made in the permanent area before planting corn bushes. They are watered abundantly. To place plants in the beds, the same scheme is used as for sowing seeds. Correct planting of corn is completed by mulching the surface of the hole. It is sprinkled with sand, which will not allow the soil to become covered with a hard crust.

After landing

It takes little for sweet corn to produce a rich harvest. Planting care includes:

• watering;
• top dressing;
• loosening the soil;
• hilling;
• weed removal.

Sweet corn loves clean beds and light, porous soil through which its roots can breathe freely. It is especially important to follow these rules at the initial stages of the development of its bushes. During this period, loosening is indispensable, but they are stopped as soon as the adventitious roots are formed in the corn. Then the time comes for hilling, which will make the bushes more resilient.They will need to be completed at least 1-2 times per season.

Corn on the backyard is closely monitored, removing weak shoots and stepchildren from the bushes. It is not worth breaking them out, there is a safer and less traumatic way to the stem - carefully cut them with scissors. If this is not done, they will take away the strength and nutrients from the corn, which are necessary for the grain to be poured and ripen on the cobs. The formation of numerous stepchildren is a reason to think about whether the watering of the beds is carried out correctly. This is how sweet corn most often reacts to a lack of moisture.

But an excess of water will not benefit the plants: depriving the flow of oxygen, their roots may die. Determining waterlogging is easy. The leaves of the corn take on a purple hue and the development of the bush slows down. As a result, the plant is dwarf in size, and its ears do not fully ripen.

Watering and feeding

Planting is watered once a week or even less often - once every 10 days. The signal for the next moistening is the state of the soil. It's time to start the procedure if it has dried out to a depth of 5 cm. If corn is grown for grain, it needs abundant watering. The soil should be at least 10-12 cm wet. 1.5-2 buckets of water are spent on each hole. It is this dosage that is necessary to obtain ears densely stuffed with tasty grains.

Advice

During the flowering period of corn, which begins closer to mid-summer, depending on the timing of planting and the selected variety, it is recommended to lightly shake the brushes located at the top of the stems. The procedure is carried out in the middle of the day. There is one more way - do not touch the brushes, but just gently knock on the base of the stem. This care helps the plants to pollinate.

Tall bushes of corn in open winds are best tied up. The harvest will be more plentiful if the plantings are generously fed. During the season, the beds are fertilized with organic and mineral compounds at least three times. At the germination stage, as soon as the young sweet corn releases the first leaves, the plants are watered with manure or dung dissolved in water.

The second feeding is carried out at the stage of flowering corn bushes. It's not scary if this time was lost. Mineral fertilizers containing many trace elements are then applied at a later date - during the formation of the first ovaries on corn. During this period, plants will benefit from wood ash. It can simply be scattered over the surface of the ground. For the full development of corn, 1-2 glasses of fertilizer are enough. Further care for her involves the introduction of drugs, which contain a lot of potassium and phosphorus. They begin to it as the cobs grow.

The technology of growing corn is not complicated. With the knowledge and desire to get the long-awaited harvest of ripe ears, even beginners in the gardening business will be able to. Their taste and usefulness were appreciated even by the ancient Indian tribes - the Mayans and the Aztecs. Despite the southern origin of the culture and its tender love for warmth, its zoned varieties are successfully cultivated in unfavorable conditions for it in the Urals and Siberia.

Corn grain has a rich chemical composition. It contains many vitamins, minerals, amino acids, carbohydrates, proteins. It is nourishing and healthy, and neither adults nor children can resist the unique aroma of juicy freshly boiled ears. But other parts of the plant can also be used on the farm. Livestock loves to feast on its stems and leaves, so certain varieties of the crop have long been grown for silage. The plant is also used in folk medicine: corn silk has a beneficial effect on the liver and helps to reduce appetite. Aren't there enough reasons to make growing corn in your dacha on your to-do list for the coming season?