What is an ear of corn. Corn is an annual herbaceous plant: cultivation, varieties, description, photo. Use in garden design
Corn is "Indian wheat", the first ancestral home of which is (according to archaeological data) Mexico. Many researchers attribute extraterrestrial origin to this culture, basing their evidence on the absence of wild forms of progenitors and the impossibility of independent reproduction. These considerations overshadow the results of an American archaeologist who found the origins of the wild counterpart of the cultivated form of corn. In the layer of excavations dated 7000 years ago, "wild corn" turned out to be an 8,000-year-old culture. In subsequent excavations of earlier archaeological layers, its cultural forms, already eaten, were also found.
Christopher Columbus was the first to bring corn to Europe under the name maize. During the time of the Russian Empire, corn first settled in Ukraine, the Crimea, the Caucasus, and Moldova. Later, by the will of Nikita Khrushchev, she stepped into the European part of Russia and took root in some places. Today corn is known all over the world. Miracle chefs make more than 200 dishes from it.
Corn in plant system
Corn in modern taxonomy belongs to the family of cereals ( Poaceae). Separated into a separate genus Corn ( Zea). How a crop is represented by a species Common corn (Zea mays), subspecies (Zea mays subsp. Mays). In all countries that grow corn in industrial quantities, this species is used as food, technical, fodder. Later, a separate species/subspecies/variety was identified - sugar corn (Zea saccharata). In different regions of Russia and the CIS, corn has several names. The most famous are kitka, maize, Turkish millet, cob.
Brief biological description
Corn belongs to annual plants with a well-developed fibrous root, the area of distribution of which in the soil reaches 1.0-2.0 m.
Stem 1.5-2.0-3.0 m, erect, knotty. At the lower nodes, aerial roots are formed, which perform a supporting function for the tall "heavy" above-ground mass of the culture. Unlike other cereals, the inside of the corn stalk is filled with pulp that has a sweetish aftertaste.
Corn leaves are very large, sometimes up to a meter long and 10-12 cm wide, linear, sessile, vaginal.
Corn is a monoecious plant. Male inflorescences (panicle) are located at the top of the stem. Mature pollen is carried by the wind, falling on the stigmas of the pistils. Female inflorescences in the form of spikelets, arranged in rows on the fleshy axis of the cob. Cobs with female flowers are located in the middle part of the stem in the axils of the leaves. During flowering, the filamentous stigmas hang down in a tuft of silky hairs that dry out after pollination. Corn blossoms in July. Flowering lasts 2-3 weeks.
The fruit is a grain. Unlike other cereals, the fruit is round-square, large, of different colors: yellow, red, black, almost white with a slight yellowness and other shades.
Medicinal properties of corn
The grain and female corn flowers contain an extensive list of nutrients and vitamins that have a healing effect when used in food or in the form of medicines.
Collections of female corn flowers contribute to the expulsion of bile, regulate the activity of the pancreas and liver, the motility of the stomach and intestines. There is a positive trend in atherosclerosis, poliomyelitis, eczema, gout, muscular dystrophy, hypovitaminosis "E" and other diseases.
medical fact. Aborigines of the countries of the "corn belt" practically do not get cancer.
The chemical composition of corn
Corn seeds contain B vitamins, nicotinic and pantothenic acids, starch, fatty oil, zeaxanthin, quercetin, flavonoid derivatives. Corn oil is rich in vitamin E (vitamin of youth). Used in dietetics. By its choleretic properties, it approaches the properties of egg yolk. Corn oil lowers cholesterol levels. Used to prevent atherosclerosis.
Corn stigmas are especially rich in useful properties. They contain bitterness, chlorophyll, glycosides, saponins, flavonoids, gums. Resins, vitamins of groups "B", "K", "E", "D", ascorbic acid and other compounds. Preparations from corn stigmas are used in official pharmacology in gynecology, Down's disease, kidney disease and other diseases.
Agricultural technology for growing corn
Corn is one of the crops, the cultivation of which requires certain skills. Not all gardeners who have sown seeds manage to collect sweet cobs. In order for the landing to be “successful”, try to perform all the care techniques required by the technology.
Varieties and hybrids of corn
It is best to grow sweet corn in the country. And the children are happy and the birds have delicious food. From domestic varieties, early hybrids Dobrynya, Lakomka 121 can be offered. The growing season is 70-75 days. Each plant forms 2 cobs with large sweet grains. Varieties Early gold 401, Svit 77, Ice nectar are medium and medium late. Cobs are formed, respectively, 19 and 22 cm. The last variety is one of the sweetest. For the northern regions, Swift and Sundance varieties are suitable. All varieties and hybrids can be consumed fresh. They are also easy to preserve. The market offers a range of varieties and hybrids developed in Europe and the USA. They have their own advantages. Whom to give preference to is the business of the owner.
Site selection and predecessors
Under corn, the best place is sunny, not shaded by tall trees. The best predecessors are peas, beans, winter crops, potatoes, buckwheat, zucchini, pumpkin, seedling tomatoes, sweet peppers.
Soil preparation
Free the bed intended for corn from the remnants of the previous crop. If time permits before the onset of cold weather, provoke the shoots of autumn weeds by watering and destroy them with shallow digging.
Before leaving for the winter, add a bucket of humus or compost and mineral fertilizers at the rate of 200 g of superphosphate and 80-100 g of potassium salt per square meter. m area. Dig a shovel onto a bayonet. In the spring, before sowing, apply 50-60 g/sq. m. Once again, by digging (10-15 cm), loosen the soil and, with the onset of stable warm weather, start sowing.
sowing corn
Corn in the southern regions is sown in mid-May. In the middle regions in the last five days of May until mid-June through seedlings. It is more reliable to start sowing with the establishment of a constant warm air temperature and warming up the soil in a 10-12 cm layer to +12..+15 °С. If sown early, seedlings will be late, and the plants will be painful.
Before sowing, the seeds can be soaked for 5-10 minutes in 1% potassium permanganate solution and, wrapped in gauze, place the napkin in a warm place (+20 .. + 25 ° С) for kilchevanie.
Corn planting patterns
Corn is a tall plant and can act as a backstage for low-growing heat-loving crops or a support for climbers. Most often, in dachas, an ordinary sowing scheme is used, leaving 30 cm between plants and 50-60 cm between rows. The wells must be watered before sowing. Sowing is carried out after water absorption. Sown in dry land, sown seeds will not germinate. In one hole, 2-3 grains are placed at a depth of 4-6 cm. Sprinkle with earth on top. After germination, which appear after 10-12 days, weak seedlings are removed. In order for the crop to start a full-fledged crop, it is necessary to sow at least 4 rows or sow by the square-nest method (35x35, 40x40 and others). It has to do with pollination. Corn sown in 1-2 rows may remain weakly pollinated. It is usually hand-pollinated by spraying the mature pollen of the male inflorescences by shaking the plant in dry weather.
Corn is sown in several terms in 10-15 days, which allows you to extend the harvest by 2-4 weeks.
Planting corn seedlings
In the middle and especially in the northern regions, corn is grown through seedlings. In the middle lane, where the warm period is short, the seedling method allows you to get the cobs of technical (milk) ripeness in the field. To the north, corn seedlings are planted in greenhouses.
Seedlings are grown in separate containers, you can use peat pots, with a volume of at least 200 g. The containers are filled with a soil mixture of peat, humus or mature compost and sand (1: 2: 1). Ash and nitrophoska are added to the mixture. Seeds are buried up to 3-4 cm and sprinkled with sand. The soil in pots is kept moist. Before germination, the temperature in the room ranges from +20..+25*С, after germination it can be lowered to +17..+20*С. 8-10 days before planting in a permanent place, seedlings are fed and watered. 30-day-old seedlings are planted in a permanent place by transshipment (so as not to damage the roots) or together with a container (peat pots).
Corn Care
The soil under planting corn should be loose, clean of weeds, without crust. But loosening is carried out only until adventitious roots are formed. With the advent of adventitious roots, 1-2 hillings are carried out to cover the adventitious roots. The first loosening is combined with post-irrigation mulching.
In the phase of 2-3 leaves, corn is weeded, removing weak shoots growing in one nest. Leave 1 sometimes 2 of the strongest, most developed shoots.
With the beginning of active growth, stepchildren appear on corn. They are also subject to destruction, as they take a large amount of nutrients from the main plant. By the way, lateral stepchildren appear with sparse sowing.
Watering should be carried out 1 time in 6-10 days or when the top 4-5 cm of the soil layer dries out. When watering, moisture should reach 1-12 cm of the soil layer. Surface watering promotes the formation of half-empty cobs.
Corn is very responsive to feeding. During the growing season, at least 3 top dressings are carried out. The first - in the phase of 6 leaves, with a solution of bird droppings or manure. The solid fraction is diluted 11 and 8 times, respectively. The second - at the beginning of mass flowering of corn or the beginning of tying a head of cabbage. Nitrofoska is introduced, it can be mixed with fruitful Kemira or microelements. For 1 sq. m. contribute 40-60 g of nitrophoska and (if any) 30 g of Kemira. Scatter 1-2 cups of ash. The last top dressing is carried out with nitrophoska or phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, respectively, 40 and 30 g / sq. m.
Diseases and pests of corn
Most often, corn becomes infected with loose smut, bacteriosis. A fungal disease can affect not only cobs, but also vegetative organs (leaves and stems). In order not to infect other plants, the diseased is immediately removed and burned. For prevention, seeds are treated before sowing and biofungicide planriz, trichodermin are applied with water.
Against the background of malnutrition (potassium starvation), helminthosporiasis develops on corn. The external manifestation of the disease is the waviness of the leaves. It affects cobs - hollow, practically without grains. It is necessary to feed with a solution of potash fertilizers (30-40 g / bucket of water), 1-2 liters per plant.
Of the pests, corn is affected by aphids, scoops, corn and meadow moths, wireworms, turtle bugs and others. It is not recommended to use chemical preparations when growing corn in the country, since it is important to obtain an environmentally friendly product. Therefore, after mass shoots, corn is sprayed 2 times a month with solutions of bioinsecticides (actofit, bitoxibacillin, etc.) in accordance with the recommendations for use. They are harmless to people and animals. Soybeans planted next to corn will protect the crop from the turtle bug.
Harvesting
For fresh consumption, corn is harvested in milky ripeness. You can peel back the leaf wraps and taste the density of the grains on the cob where the stigmas of the female flowers have withered. For canning, it is better to use grains of milky-wax ripeness.
Sweet corn is the only "domesticated" species of the genus Corn from the Bluegrass family. The plant is native to Central and South America. According to the results of research, this cereal came into cultivation almost nine thousand years ago, even then it was cultivated in the fields by the Indians. Corn, like potatoes, came to Europe after the discovery of the New World, and reached Russia directly in the second half of the 18th century. To date, a sufficient number of varieties and hybrids have been bred, which makes it possible to grow a plant in different climatic zones of the planet.
Sweet corn is a herbaceous annual with a fibrous root system. The roots penetrate to a depth of over 1.5 meters. A strong erect stem, unlike most cereals, without an internal cavity. Often, aerial roots appear on the first internodes, which extract moisture and nutrients from the air.
ON THE PICTURE: The corn stalk grows up to 2-3 m in height, but there are varieties with six-meter shoots.
Long narrow leaves with pointed tips are alternate. In a monoecious plant, male flowers, collected in paniculate inflorescences, are located at the top of the stem. Female - cobs with bunches of pistillate columns - are in the axils of the leaves.
ON THE PICTURE: Female flowers of corn.
ON THE PICTURE: Male flowers of corn.
After the wind carries the pollen, fruits are formed. Round or almost cubic grains are closely pressed to each other.
ON THE PICTURE: Most often, corn grains are painted in a delicate yellow color, although today you can find varieties with multi-colored (red, blue, black) fruits.
Sweet corn is eaten boiled, canned and dried. The high content of sugars and water provided the famous juicy sweetness. The composition of the fruit includes vitamins C, PP, group B, potassium, fluorine, magnesium, iron. The cereal has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular and digestive systems.
In official and folk medicine, corn stigmas are used. Medicines, infusions and decoctions help with liver diseases, are used as bile and diuretics.
Stems and leaves are eagerly eaten by animals; chopped greens make excellent mulch.
Among Russian gardeners, the most popular varieties and hybrids are Early Lakomka 121, Spirit, Dobrynya, Sundance, Ice Nectar, Early Golden 401.
cultivation
The term for sowing sweet corn in open ground depends on the climate and weather conditions: you have to wait until the soil warms up to +12°C. Seeds are pre-soaked for 12 hours in warm water, then germinated in a damp cloth.
It is recommended to plant Maize in two to four rows with a row spacing of 40–60 cm. Two or three seeds are placed in each hole, at a depth of about 5 cm. The distance between the holes is 30–35 cm. The grains are covered with moist soil, and then dry.
ON THE PICTURE: After germination, weak seedlings are removed.
In regions with a short summer, it is better to use the seedling method. Seed preparation remains the same (soaking, germination). The grains are planted one by one in peat pots or seedling cassettes filled with a mixture of compost, peat, sand (2: 1: 1). Containers are placed in a bright place.
ON THE PICTURE: Shoots appear quickly, care consists in moderate watering and maintaining the air temperature within + 18–20 ° C for a month.
1.5 weeks before planting in the garden, the sprouts should be fed with a weak solution of complex mineral fertilizers. Transshipment must be carried out very carefully so as not to damage the root system. After planting, the plants are watered, the soil is mulched.
You can get your own seeds only from varieties, the result from the reproduction of hybrids is not predictable. For this, several cobs are left until fully ripe - they are removed from the wrapper of modified leaves and placed in a warm place.
ON THE PICTURE: After a month, completely dried seeds are removed and stored in paper bags.
Diseases and pests
Plant care is not difficult. One of the main conditions for obtaining a decent harvest is the destruction of weeds. Corn is quite drought-resistant, but generally cannot do without watering.
ON THE PICTURE: Humidification is especially necessary during the formation and maturation of cobs.
After rain or watering, you need to carefully loosen the soil so as not to touch the roots. In addition, it is necessary to remove the side shoots-stepsons in a timely manner.
The first top dressing is carried out in the phase of five to eight leaves (potassium salt and saltpeter or bird droppings solution 1:15). The second time the plant is fertilized with potassium and phosphorus before flowering, the third - with complex minerals when the cobs appear.
Sweet corn is harvested at the stage of milky maturity, when the wrapper turns yellow and the stigma threads turn brown. It is best to selectively pick sprouts in the early morning and immediately start cooking or canning.
Possible difficulties
The best protection of cereals from diseases and pests is seed dressing. If the planting material has not been processed at the seed plant, immediately before sowing, it is necessary to soak the grains in a solution of fungicide and insecticide.
Observation of the foliage will allow you to identify and make up for the lack of minerals in time. Yellowing and drying of the leaves is the result of a lack of nitrogen. Redness indicates the need to urgently add phosphates. The stem stops growing, and the edges of the leaf blades seem to be burned with potassium deficiency.
Harvested seeds should not be stored at low temperatures and high humidity. In this case, they are moldy.
To get cobs with strong grains, Sugar corn must be helped with pollination. During flowering, gently shake the plant so that the pollen from the male flowers moves to the female ones. It is advisable to carry out the procedure several times and preferably in the morning.
Corn belongs to a large family of cereals. This annual plant, reaching a height of two meters or more, consists of a straight, strong stem with a large number of broadly ribbon-like leaves, male flowers on the tops in the form of panicles and female flowers in the axils of the leaves in the form of cobs. The root part is powerful, the roots are located in a diameter of about 1 m, and in depth - almost 2 m.
Boiled corn on the cob for many is a real delicacy and a very nutritious dish. After all, a vegetable plant, or rather its grains, contain a large amount of useful substances - proteins, oil, vitamins, amino acids, carotene and carbohydrates.
Growing corn
Corn is a heat-loving and moisture-loving vegetable crop. Favorable temperature for seed germination is from 8 to 13 degrees Celsius. The landing site should be protected from cold northerly winds. With proper care and appropriate weather conditions, the crop can be harvested approximately 2.5-3 months after germination. The rate of ripening of corn cobs directly depends on the total number of warm days (with a temperature of at least 15 degrees Celsius).
The soil in the corn beds should be fertile and nutritious. To enrich its composition, it is recommended to use mineral and organic top dressing. The plant responds well to the introduction of humus into the soil. In areas with acidic soil, lime should be applied. For 1 square meter of garden area, it will take from 300 to 500 g.
A cereal crop can produce good yields for several years in the same area. Before planting seeds, it is recommended to carefully dig the soil. The depth of tillage is 1.5-2 shovels. After the appearance of young plants, the soil around them must be loosened and hilled.
Planting of seeds is carried out at the end of spring (approximately from the second week of May), when the soil on the land warms up to 8-9 degrees Celsius. The planting depth of the seed material is 5-6 cm, the distance between plantings is 30 cm, and the row spacing is at least 50 cm. On heavy soils, the planting depth is minimal, and on sandy and sandy loamy soils it is deeper. Experienced vegetable growers recommend sowing 3 seeds in one hole at once, one of which will be dry, the second will be swollen, and the third will be germinated. This method makes it possible for seedlings to appear in any vagaries of the weather. If germinated seeds fall under late night spring frosts and die, then the remaining planting material will correct the situation. When seedlings appear from all seeds, it will be necessary to leave the strongest specimens, and remove the rest. The beginning of flowering - 6-7 weeks after emergence.
soil care
The soil in the beds with corn needs timely loosening and regular disposal of weeds. After precipitation (after about 2-3 days), as well as after watering, throughout the growing season, obligatory loosening of the soil is carried out. Depending on the density of the soil, such procedures will require from 4 to 6.
watering
A heat-loving and drought-resistant vegetable plant, it responds well to watering in hot and dry weather. For each young plant, about 1 liter of irrigation water is required, for an adult - 2 liters. The average level of moisture in the soil is 80-85%. Exceeding this level can lead to the death of the root system and stunting. With an excess of moisture in the soil, the color of green corn leaves will change to a purple hue.
The time for planting seeds for seedlings is mid-May. The optimal growing place is nutrient cubes or small film pots.
The composition of the soil mixture is 1 part of sawdust, 5 parts of slightly decomposed peat, 20 g of mineral fertilizers.
The hardening procedure begins 5 days before planting seedlings on the beds. In the first 2 days, young plants are placed outdoors in the shade, gradually accustoming the seedlings to sunlight.
Planting seedlings in open beds at the age of 2-3 weeks is carried out in the first week of June.
With the seedling method of growing, the cobs ripen by the beginning of August, and with the seed method - by the end of the month. Each plant has 2-3 cobs. It is recommended to leave the earliest specimens for seeds. The ears, along with the leaves, are stored in a cool room in limbo.
Corn: basic rules for planting, care, watering, feeding (video)
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 followed. 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 ears of which occurs over a long period of 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.
Common corn.
Name: Common corn.Other names: Maize, sweet corn.
Latin name: Zea mais L.
Family: Bluegrass (Poaceae)
Lifespan: Annual.
plant type: Tall plant with large linear leaves and unisexual inflorescences - male panicles and female cobs.
Trunk (stem): The stem is straight, with pronounced nodes and lines.
Height: From 50 cm to 4 meters.
Leaves: Leaves alternate, broadly lanceolate, with wavy margins.
Flowers, inflorescences: The flowers are unisexual, collected in separate inflorescences, significantly differing in appearance from each other: male - in a spreading panicle at the top of the stem, female - in axillary thick heads of cabbage (cobs), wrapped in leaf-shaped sheaths, from which numerous long filiform columns protrude.
flowering time: Blossoms in July - September.
Fruit: The fruit is a grain.
ripening time: Ripens September-October.
collection time: Preparations are carried out in the phase of milky ripeness of the cobs.
Features of collection, drying and storage: Dry in open areas or in well-ventilated areas, spreading a thin (1-2 cm) layer on cloth or paper. Artificial drying is carried out at a temperature of 40°C. The yield of dry raw materials is 22-25%. Shelf life - 3 years. Store in a dry place (the raw material is very hygroscopic!).
plant history: Sweet corn is the oldest food plant on our planet. Wild corn is not found in nature. Even archaeologists could not find wild corn at the sites of primitive people. Geneticists hypothesized that corn arose as a result of intergeneric hybridization of maize-related species and mutations - sudden hereditary changes.
The most likely place for the domestication of corn is Central and Southern Mexico, its plateau north of Tehuantepec, near the ancient Maya settlements. From there, corn spread throughout America, from Canada to Patagonia. In 1948, in the caves of New Mexico, in the settlements of the ancient inhabitants of these places, the remains of corn were found. The finds are attributed to the period from 2500 BC to 500 AD. Pollen from corn was discovered in the Valley of Mexico, a cultivated plant already in 6950 BC! The cultivation of corn in America reached a very high level in ancient times. The Aztecs in Mexico, the Incas in Peru, the Maya in Central America and the Yucatan, and other lesser-known tribes cultivated this crop as their main crop, and it was the main food for most Indians. Each of their tribal communities had their own special varieties of corn. Among the ancient peoples of America, corn was held in high esteem. In honor of her, magnificent religious, often bloody rituals were held. People were sacrificed to the corn gods. It was adopted by the Incas, Aztecs, Maya.
In Europe, for the first time, they learned about corn from Christopher Columbus. Its first samples and seeds were brought to Spain in 1496. Participants of this voyage began to grow corn in their estates, and soon it ended up in the botanical gardens of Europe. After the discovery of America, within 50 years, corn from Spain migrated to Italy, France, Portugal, England, the countries of South-Eastern Europe, Turkey and northern Africa. In Europe, corn was first bred as a kind of exotic garden plant. But in a matter of decades, corn became a staple throughout the Mediterranean and southern Europe.
On the territory of the former Soviet Union, corn began to be grown in the 17th century in Bessarabia, now Moldova. She got there from the Balkans. After 100 years, corn was already a common field crop in the south of Ukraine, in the Crimea, in the Kuban and in Stavropol. Corn came to the Caucasus from Turkey. At the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries, corn from China came to Central Asia and from there to the Lower Volga. The circle is closed. Since the 50s of the 19th century, corn has been conquering the expanses of Russia, moving further and further north. By the 70s and 80s of the 19th century, some Russian practical field growers began to create domestic varieties of corn. Of great interest were the varieties bred near St. Petersburg by the gardener E.A. Grachev. They were distinguished by great precocity and cold resistance. More organized experimental and selection work with corn in our country began in the 20th century.habitats: Grown as a fodder and food crop.
Culinary use: Corn is a valuable food, industrial and fodder crop.
Mature grain is processed into various cereals, flour, corn flakes, starch, alcohols, molasses, acetone, vinegar. Eat in boiled and canned form. Corn oil is produced from grain, which is used for food purposes and is a valuable remedy. In terms of digestibility, it is equal to butter.
Starch, corn (grape) sugar are prepared from grain, which are indispensable in dietary nutrition. More useful corn in the stage of milk and milky-wax ripeness.Use in cosmetics: Cornmeal is used to remove comedones (Comedones faciei). To do this, 2 tablespoons of flour are mixed with pre-whipped protein (one chicken egg is enough) and the resulting mixture is applied to the face. After drying, remove from the face with a dry cotton towel, wash the face with cold water and wipe.
garden care: Corn can be grown in the summer in a warm, sunny place from a germinated grain and harvested as early as August.
medicinal parts: Grain, oil, corn columns and corn stigmas serve as medicinal raw materials.
Useful content: Grain contains up to 70% starch, 15% protein, 7% fat, fiber, carotene, vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12, C, D, E, H, K3, P, PP, pantothenic acid, flavonoids, mineral salts potassium, phosphorus, iron, copper, nickel, gold. Stigmas and columns contain a large amount of vitamin K3, vitamins of groups B, E, C, P-vitamin compounds, saponins, essential oils. The oil is especially rich in vitamin E.
Actions: Corn has a cleansing effect on the body: it is able to remove toxins, radionuclides, cleanse the body of harmful substances - accumulated in the cells slag, corn on the cob can protect us from cancer , heart disease and aging . Corn helps the growing body of children to gain body weight and supplies it with vitamins and microelements.
Preparations from corn stigmas have choleretic, diuretic, hemostatic, and hypoglycemic properties. They increase secretion and improve the outflow of bile, changing its biochemical properties (viscosity, specific gravity, amount of bilirubin decrease). The hemostatic effect of corn is based on its ability to accelerate the process of blood clotting by influencing the synthesis of prothrombin in the liver and increasing the number of platelets.
Corn silk are part of the choleretic and diuretic fees.
Corn oil used for the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis and hypertension. With the appearance of nausea and vomiting, the use of corn oil is temporarily stopped, and after 7-10 days the treatment is repeated, reducing the dose by half.
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