Sweet corn: growing and care

Peculiarities

What is the difference between sweet corn and ordinary corn? Sugar or dairy corn is a dioecious crop with a fibrous root system. Also, the plant forms several above-ground root nodes for greater stability. The stem is cylindrical in height, reaches about 3 meters, in diameter rarely exceeds 6 centimeters. It is by the height of the stem that you can navigate whether the cobs are ripe: the higher the stem, the longer the growing season. Depending on the variety, maize takes 65 to 110 days to grow, flowering approximately 50-60 days, and milky ripeness 75-85 days.

Many useful elements are stored in the cobs of sweet corn: vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, C, E, PP; potassium, fluorine, phosphorus, silver, boron, iodine, iron, calcium. They abound in fats, accumulating them up to 7%, while protein is 17% more than in other grains. Corn is in the lead and in terms of calorie content - 100 grams of grains contains 85.7 kilocalories. But starch in comparison with other types of corn in sugar is quite small. The amount of saccharides in this type of culture is half of their content in siliceous and tooth-like ones, which contributes to the formation of a delicate, soft and sweet consistency of grains.

Advantages

The obvious advantage in growing sweet corn is its nutritional value. Juicy, sweet grains are exactly what the human body needs at any time of the year. And the overall nutritional value is an order of magnitude higher than that of other varieties of corn, which makes it more beneficial in terms of consumption. The accumulation of sugar also distinguishes it favorably.

You can eat both fresh cobs and cooked: boiled, baked, frozen, canned. As a useful nutritional ingredient, sugar corn is simply irreplaceable.

Most of the sweet corn varieties are hybrids. This means that they have increased resistance to a variety of diseases, both fungal and bacterial. In addition, they are less whimsical to the type of soil, which allows cultivation on any site.

Popular varieties

Cultivation of corn begins with the selection of seeds of a certain variety. Leaders in sweetness: Spirit, Bonus, GC 5704, Sweet Star, Shinerock.

Gardeners fell in love with the Trophy F1 variety for its early maturity and sweetness of grain. The plant reaches 190 centimeters in height, the cobs are up to 22 centimeters long, and the growing season takes only 75 days.

Spirit is one of the best corn hybrids. He has large grains, from which excellent seeds are obtained for sowing. This variety is excellently grown through seedlings or under film shelters. The average ripening period is approximately 68-70 days, the bush grows to a height of 190 centimeters, the length of the cob is about 20 centimeters.

The variety "Dobrynya F1" is another representative of the galaxy of sweet cobs. Early maturing (the growing season takes only 70 days), it grows up to 170 centimeters in height, the length of the cob is about 25 centimeters.The main advantages of this variety are unpretentiousness to the type and composition of the soil, as well as high immunity to diseases.

Finally, Boston F1 is a mid-season, very sweet variety. In height, the bush rarely exceeds 140 centimeters, but the length of the cob is at least 21 centimeters, weighing about 200 grams. The high-yielding variety is combined with resistance to many diseases.

Video "Sweet corn varieties"

This video will introduce you to the peculiarities of planting varieties of sweet corn.

Landing

Corn prefers fertile, loose soil with a high oxygen content and low acidity. Most sweet varieties require a moderate amount of moisture, but in this case a little more is better than less. In the fall, after the previous crop has already been removed from the garden, or in the spring, shortly before planting, it is necessary to plow the area deeply, fertilize well with mineral and organic fertilizers.

Before planting, you need to prepare the seeds so that they germinate well. 5-6 days before planting, they need to be soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate for 8-10 hours. Also, you can subject the seeds to hydrothermal treatment: heat the water to 50 degrees, place the grains in it for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to cold, then again to hot water, alternating for 20 minutes.

Be sure to check the seeds for germination by placing them in a strong saline solution for 10-15 minutes. Throw away those that come up without regrets - they will not give a good harvest. But those that have settled at the bottom must be rinsed under running water and dried before planting.

For sweet varieties, the best time to plant is mid-May. Why? The soil temperature has already reached the desired 12-13 degrees Celsius, which means the seeds will quickly grow.

Mark out holes in the garden bed, measuring 30 by 60 centimeters, moisten them and place the seeds 5-6 centimeters deep, and then water again. Place 2-3 grains in each hole to ensure the best germination. If all the shoots hatch, then simply remove the weakest from the garden.

A big plus of sweet varieties is that cultivation is possible for several years in the same place, that is, there are no harsh rules for traditional crop rotation, when the crop must be transplanted to a new place every year.

Growing features

When the first shoots appear, the main task of gardeners is to regularly loosen the soil and remove weeds. Corn is famous for its developed multi-tiered root system, which requires free space and an abundance of nutrients.

It is also important to apply fertilizers in a timely manner: at the stage of 5-8 leaves - potassium salt and nitrate; on the eve of flowering - phosphorus and potassium; during fruiting - superphosphate, phosphorus and potassium.

For the rest, the main thing is to monitor the condition of the leaves so as not to miss the time of the next watering and subsequent loosening of the soil.

Care

Growing corn requires a certain amount of moisture to form juicy and sweet ears. This, in turn, requires watering. Some drought-resistant hybrid varieties can get by with just two waterings per season, but most sweet varieties need at least 3-4 waterings for seeds to sprout, the root system is properly formed, and the ears are pleasing in size and taste.

However, an excess of moisture should not be allowed, since this will lead to a decrease in the amount of oxygen in the soil and, as a result, the death of roots and roots. That is why it is imperative to loosen the soil in the beds.

Of course, the care also includes the introduction of fertilizers: organic on the eve of planting and mineral fertilizers during the growing season. Lack of nutrients in the soil is one of the reasons why the culture does not develop well.

It is possible to treat plantings with herbicides only before the sprouts appear, since sweet corn does not take them well.

Make sure that there are no weeds in the beds.

For the rest, growing corn is not much different from growing any other unpretentious crop.

Disease and pest control

The cultivation of this crop, and it does not matter whether you used the seeds for planting or seedlings, is fraught with the danger of meeting with diseases and pests. And, as you know, it is quite difficult to remove them from the site so as not to damage the plants.

Among the main diseases that slow down crop cultivation were noted:

• Seed and sprout mold, characterized by the appearance of a blue or blue-green fungus on the grain. Why does it arise? Because seeds are stored at low temperatures combined with high humidity. Control measures include the treatment of seed with fungicides, storage at room temperature in a dry room.
• Bubble smut, which affects both young plants and the emerging ears. In this disease, the entire green part of the plant is covered with swellings that are filled with gray or pink spores of the fungus. Why does it appear? Fungal spores remain in the soil and plant debris, actively developing after precipitation with prolonged drought. Control measures - disinfection of seeds with fungicides, thorough disinfection of the soil, adherence to the irrigation schedule during dry periods.
• Fusarium, which not only slows down, but sometimes kills the growing of corn on the vine. It manifests itself with a light pink bloom on the cobs, as well as rotting of the roots, followed by yellowing and death of the leaves and stem. Why does it appear? As a rule, due to a violation of the storage conditions of the grains, when high humidity and low temperatures contribute to the development of fungal spores. It can also be transmitted through contaminated soil. Control measures, as with all fungal diseases - disinfection of seeds and soil with fungicides, timely cleaning of plant residues from the garden.

Among the insects that like to settle in corn beds, it should be noted:

• Wireworms are body beetles that rarely exceed 2 centimeters. Their larvae, yellow-brown worms, settle in the seeds and sprouts of corn, eating them clean from the inside. Affected grains do not germinate, and the plant does not develop. As a preventive measure against the wireworm, the drug "Gaucho" and early sowing are used.
• A fly that lays eggs on corn stalks and leaves. Its larvae penetrate into the plant, feed on juices and fibers, leading to depletion and death of corn. To control the Swedish fly, standard insecticides are used, disinfect the soil and thoroughly eradicate weeds.

Video "Growing corn"

This video will teach you how to plant and grow corn on your plot.