How to properly plant corn outdoors

Variety selection

It is important to choose the right variety that works best in your area. Yes, despite the general species similarity, some varieties grow better in the southern regions, some can only be grown in the northern regions, and some have the ability to take root anywhere, as long as there is fertilizer and sun.

Corn can be planted in the same place every year, the main thing is to properly care for the beds.

In the suburbs, the Dobrynya variety gives a good harvest. It is an early ripening variety with large ears with a sweet grain. "Dobrynya" is extremely resistant to mosaic, rust of leaves and stems, and fusarium. Moreover, of all early maturing varieties of corn, it ripens the very first. The seeds of this variety are highly valued for their resistance to fungal diseases even during storage.

In terms of sweetness, “Dobryna” is not inferior to another early-ripening variety - “Lakomka 121”. "Lakomka" is characterized by high yield and immunity. The ears are suitable for consumption at the stage of milk ripeness, as well as for canning at any stage of ripeness. Often, in addition to taste, “Lakomka” is valued for seeds that germinate well in a year.

“Early Gold 401” is a mid-season variety with ears up to 19 cm long. Its seeds are well suited for both outdoor planting and greenhouse cultivation. At the same time, plant care is needed minimal, especially in terms of saving from fungal infections. The seeds are well stored, suitable for early planting after a year.

And finally, a variety that grows well both from seeds and by preliminary cultivation of seedlings - Spirit F1. It is a very sweet variety that bears its first crop 2 months after germination.

Soil preparation

If the soil is properly processed and prepared, corn can be planted in any region. The place must be protected from cold winds and stagnant water so that the culture can reach its potential. The soil is prepared in the fall, when the predecessor crops are removed. It is necessary to dig up the ground at least 30 cm in order to provide the developed root system of the plant with sufficient oxygen supply and free space for growth.

The soil should be neutral or slightly acidic and well fertilized - these two indicators will help to grow a rich crop every year.

The culture is unpretentious to fertilizers, so feel free to add humus (and here the more, the better), phosphorus, potash and nitrogen mixtures. They will provide a good start for the next year, significantly speeding up the growing season of maize.

It is recommended to treat the soil in autumn and spring with herbicides, and also not to forget about preventive treatment with fungicides and insecticides every year. This care will help keep your harvest safe and sound.

Landing technology

In open ground, planting of corn takes place when the soil warms up to +12 ° С. On the eve of sowing, you can loosen the soil to a depth of 10-15 cm so that the seeds receive more oxygen, and therefore germinate faster.Also mark the holes in advance, so that there is 45-50 cm of free space between them, and at least 60 cm between the beds.

Sowing of maize is usually done in 4 rows to provide better pollination during flowering and ease maintenance. 3-4 grains are placed in each hole to a depth of 3-4 cm to ensure higher germination. After planting, the holes are watered and mulched with dry soil.

When shoots appear, only the strongest shoots are left in the holes, and the rest are removed.

Joint landing

Planting corn does not mean that nothing can be grown on neighboring beds, rather, on the contrary, every year you can change neighbors in order to get a stable and beneficial effect of different crops on it. For example, you can combine corn and cucumbers, which get protection from high winds. Carbon dioxide, which is released from the soil during the growing season of corn, helps cucumbers develop, and the thick leaves of cucumbers shade the soil, retaining moisture in it.

Joint planting of corn and pumpkin in the open field is very common. Corn roots, since they develop faster and on a larger scale, reliably protect the pumpkin from insect pests and mechanical damage. The pumpkin, in turn, shades the ground, helping to retain moisture for longer.

Planting corn with tomatoes, beans and beans is wonderful. Each year, the beans will saturate the soil with nitrogen, which is good for corn in the early stages of development, and then the corn stalks will become the support for the legumes.

But it is better not to plant corn with beets and celery, since they do not get along well.

Care

Since corn germinates slowly during the first weeks outdoors, the holes must be carefully weeded.

When the first real leaf appears, you need to feed:

• phosphorus, which nourishes the sprout with strength;
• potassium to strengthen immunity and active set of green mass;
• calcium, which, firstly, lowers the acidity of the soil, and, secondly, helps to form root hairs.

You can also combine corn maintenance with watering using liquid mullein.

It is necessary to carry out top dressing no more than 3-4 times a year, so as not to oversaturate the soil and culture with nutrients.

Further caring for corn is similar to caring for any other crop: it is necessary to loosen the soil in the aisles (and the higher the stem, the shallower the loosening depth should be), water the beds and weed them from weeds. When stepsons appear, they must be removed, covering the open cut with lime. You don't need to touch the stepsons, but then the cobs will grow noticeably smaller and may lose their taste.

Video "Sowing corn"

This short video will walk you through the intricacies of planting corn on your plot to get a good harvest.