Growing Corn | how to grow corn
How to grow corn
Whether you roast or steam, the taste of corn is enough to fill your heart with warmness. And if it is freshly picked from your garden, then only you know the real value of it. However, raising corn is not an easy task or not as simple as eating corn. For a good yield of crop, you need to know how to grow corn in the correct way.
Introduction about corn
The corn belongs to family of grass and also known as maize. It is cultivated since prehistoric era by aborigines of Mesoamerica. A number of varieties of corn were grown by Mayans and Aztec in the central and southern part of Mexico. Afterward, corn cultivation extended to other parts of American subcontinent in between 1250 A.D to 1700 A.D.
In Europe corn cultivation started around late fifteenth centuries or early sixteenth centuries. European explorer introduced this plant to Europe. While exploring America, they found this plant and carried this plant along with themselves and start cultivation at their place. These people are also responsible for spreading out corn cultivation to other parts of the world. Due to high climatic adaptability and high nutrition value, corn cultivation spreads fast to other parts of the world.
Corn is one of the major crops of the United States. The average annual yield of this crop is 332 metric tons. The hybrid variety of corn is more popular over the conventional variety among gardeners as yield is much higher in case of the former variety. The plant of sweet corn variety is smaller than the general variety.
How to grow corn step by step guide-
There are many varieties of seeds available in market. Each variety of plants has different growing habits. Before growing, check your zone and do some research to know which variety can grow better in your climatic condition. You can grow corns in a container also. But care should be taken that container should be large enough and seed should be sown keeping sufficient gap between them as corn plant need sufficient sunlight.
The main method of planting of corn is seed. Aside from this you can buy small plants or saplings from nursery. If you have stored previous harvest, then you can use that also for growing corn. If you want to store seed for the next season then select healthy cobs. Take out seeds from cobs and dry them properly. Stock them up in a tight container and keep it in cool and dark place.
If your zone falls under the shorter growing period, then it would be better if you use seeds instead saplings for growing corn.
Preparation of soil for growing corn
One thing you must observe before sowing seeds that the place where you are going to sow seeds must get enough sunlight. The soil should have the ability to hold moisture and allow adequate drainage. The fact is a good drainage system prevents the plant from getting rot. Add some compost or fertilizer to the soil to make the soil suitable for growing corn. If you are using container, then be sure that it should permit sufficient drainage. The ph balance of the soil must lie in between 6.0-6.8.
While sowing seed or plant, keep at least 6” gap between two plants or seed and approximately an inch deep.
One of the simplest ways to growing corn is to grow it in a heap, which can be formed by mixing soil, compost and fertilizer. In each hill, you can grow a few corn plants, or you can group the hills together and grow in a bunch. There is no hard and fast rule that tells corn should be grown in long rows. When the corn plant attains a height of few inches, then it is time to spread them out.
Watering of corn plants
The corn plant needs regular and sufficient water for yielding full-sized and healthy cobs. Corn is a crop of summer season and grow fast, thus it requires enough water. Sufficient water helps in yielding juicy and fleshy kernels.
While watering plant care should be taken that watering is done at the base of the plant, on no account from top. If you water plants from top, then there is a fair possibility of washing out of pollen. Due to shortage of water, leaves of the corn plant can wilt.
Fertilizing corn plants
Corn plant needs sufficient soil nitrogen for proper growth. So nitrogen based fertilizer is needed. Regular dose of liquid nitrogen containing fertilizer should be applied, especially when the plants arrive at peak growing season. Before applying fertilizer, test your soil to know the exact quantity of fertilizer it needed. Overdose of fertilizer may have adverse effect. It may kill the plant.
Final step or harvesting of corn plants
The right time of harvesting corn is, when the color of the husk becomes dark green and corn silks become brown and dry, but they should be still flexible; not completely dried. The kernel should be reached at the tip of the cob. Generally, the kernel starts forming after twenty days of appearing corn silk. Now its time to pick fresh corn and eat it as you like either roasted or boiled.
Diseases and pest infections of corn plant
Corn is mainly susceptible to smut, leaf blight and Stewart’s disease. But it can be controlled if proper steps should be taken.
Anthracnose, a type of leaf blight can be restricted by treating the seeds with the germicides like Thiram or Captan before planting them in soil. Corn plants are highly susceptible to pests like corn borer, flea beetle, corn earworm, etc. They attack the corn plant and majority of them eat corn cob. The use of relevant pesticides will help plants to get rid off these diseases and pests and to stop destroying the plant. While using pesticides make sure that it should not come in contact with cob, if possible. Because if the cobs come in contact with pesticides and consumed without cleaning it properly, it causes health hazards. Use resistant varieties of corn seeds as they are able fight against the disease and pest
