Maize seeding rate: how and when to plant seeds in open ground

Corn is a valuable agricultural crop with excellent taste and a wide range of useful elements for the human body. This allows it to be used in cooking and as animal feed. Obtaining high crop yields depends on the preparation of seeds and soil, the timing of sowing and the seeding rate of corn.

Corn: beneficial neighborhood with other crops

Corn does not have high requirements for crop rotation and neighborhood with other crops, since it does not have common pests and diseases with them, except for Fusarium. It should not be planted after millet, because both crops can be affected by the corn borer.For yields, planting corn at the optimal time for the area is more important.

Maize grows best after row crops and legumes fertilized with manure, as well as after winter and spring wheat, rye, barley, oats, alfalfa, clover, fodder and sugar beets, potatoes, buckwheat.

Permanent sowing of corn after corn for 6-10 years is possible on chernozems with the obligatory application of organic fertilizers. It can be grown on less fertile soils under the same conditions for 3-5 years.

The root system of plants leaves behind a high content of organic matter in the soil, so soil fertility does not deteriorate. To a greater extent, the use of herbicides affects the condition of the soil. They should be selected so that the consequences of the application do not affect the cultivation of other crops.

How to plant corn outdoors?

Corn is a tall light and thermophilic plant. It forms a root system that penetrates deep into the soil. The duration of the growing season from germination to ripening depends on the variety and ranges from 70 to 120 days. In private farms, it is preferable to grow early-ripening varieties.

Planting corn in open ground is carried out in soil warmed up to a temperature of 10-12 ºС.

For the fastest possible start of seedlings and protecting them from damage by harmful raids and rot, much attention is paid to the soil. Site preparation is carried out in autumn:

the land for planting is dug up to the depth of a shovel bayonet, freeing the soil along the way from pests;
make compost at the rate of 5 kg per 1 square. m, if necessary, add ash and sand;
acidic soils are limed by adding 2-3 kg of lime per 10 sq. m;
after 2 weeks, the plot is dug up again and weeds are removed.

In the spring, before planting, the soil is loosened.

How to plant corn with seeds: diagram

Since the crop is a monoecious plant, for better pollination it is recommended to plant it in the row method or in the square-nest method of planting corn.

In the first case, they are planted in 4 rows with row spacing of 50-60 cm. The distance between plants should be about 30 cm. If planting is carried out with dry seeds, 3-4 grains are sown in each well, covered with wet dry land. After the appearance of sprouts (after 10-12 days), the seedlings are thinned out, leaving the strongest plants.

With the square-nest method, a distance of 45 cm is maintained between the holes. It is important to adhere to the recommended planting patterns, as:

Full-fledged tying of cobs is possible only with the arrangement of plantings in several rows.
Light-loving culture does not tolerate shading.
In the initial stages of development, seedlings give a small increase and may suffer from overdrying of the soil between the rows.

To ensure a good yield per hectare, 1 hectare is planted:

from 20 to 60 thousand plants when growing corn for grain and silage;
from 150 to 200 thousand - for green fodder.

Which planter is used to plant corn?

Maize seeders are similar in design to bean and sunflower seeders. After starting, air is forced into the sowing module of the device by the fan, and the tedder delivers the seeds to the distribution disc.When furrowing, corn seeds fall into the furrow through the holes in the distribution disc and fertilizers are poured there. A layer of earth is poured on top and locally compacted in the sowing zone.

To cultivate large areas, mechanized seeders attached to a tractor are used, such as Lindselmash (Belarus), Krasnaya Zvezda (Ukraine), John Deere (USA) and Gaspardo (Italy). On private farms, small areas are easily cultivated by hand, so seeders are not used.

Mechanization of agricultural work with the “no-till” method involves the use of mulchers to grind the green mass remaining after the previous harvest.

How deep should corn be planted?

Crop planting can be done in two ways: seedlings and seeds. It is easier to plant corn in open ground with seeds.To obtain friendly seedlings, they are pre-soaked in water or an antibacterial solution at a temperature of 20-25 ºС To ensure air access to the seed, it is placed in gauze, cloth or burlap.

Soaking seeds ensures their rapid and friendly germination and savings in seed. If, when sowing with dry seeds, 3-4 grains are planted in the hole, then germinated - 1 or 2. They are sown to a depth of 5-6 cm, if the soil is prone to drying out - by 8-10 cm.

How and when to plant seedling corn?

Growing corn in seedlings shortens its ripening period by 3-4 weeks. Sowing dates vary by region. Plants are planted in open ground a month after germination.

For growing seedlings prepare land pots or other containers with a volume of at least 200 ml. They are filled with soil mixture, for the preparation of which an equal amount of sand and humus or peat is mixed with a small addition of nitrophoska and ash.

Pre-soaked for a day seeds are planted in pots to a depth of 1-2 cm and sprinkled with sand. Seedling cups are kept warm at a temperature of 25 ºС until germination. After the appearance of sprouts, they are transferred to a cool room. A week before planting, seedlings are watered and fed.

In order to less injure plants, before planting them in open ground, moisten the soil in a pot. Since the root system of corn does not tolerate damage, the plant is carefully removed from the seedling pot along with a clod of earth and planted in holes 5-10 cm deep. The interval between plants is maintained the same as between seeds in a row when planting in open ground.

From seedlings that were not fertilized enough, outgrown or poorly tolerated transplantation, you should not expect a good harvest. Therefore, among gardeners, an opinion has formed that the best result is the sowing of seeds directly into the ground.

Further care of corn plantings consists in regular weeding and loosening of the soil. It is useful to hill plants, as this:

saves moisture in the soil;
activates the growth of the root system;
prevents leaching of nutrients from the soil;
prevents weeds and disease;
improves breathability.

Some varieties of corn can form stepchildren that pull moisture and nutrients. They are cut with a sharp knife to speed up the ripening of the ears.

When to plant corn?

Timely sowing of corn is an important undertaking. Agrotechnicians believe that crop yields are 45% dependent on weather conditions and 36% on compliance with growing technology. Several factors influence sowing time:

maize variety - for regions with a short summer, varieties that ripen earlier are chosen;
age and condition of seedlings - the stronger and older the plants, the faster the ears will ripen;
weather conditions - the total temperature for germination of sprouts is 100 ºС, that is, at a steady average daily temperature of 10 ºС, germination can only be expected on day 10.

Scientific calculation

Sowing corn, depending on the region, begins in late April - early May. In northern latitudes, you will have to wait until June and even early July. Seeds germinate at a temperature of 8-10 ºС, seedlings can withstand short-term frosts down to -2 ºС, but they die when the temperature drops to -3 ºС.

Corn is a heat-loving plant, and at an ambient temperature below 7 ºС, the formation of leaves stops.Sudden temperature fluctuations and cold nights hamper plant development and lead to an increase in the growing season. Delay in sowing leads to a decrease in yield by 1%. So, when sowing corn 5 days later than the optimal time, the yield will decrease by 5%.

Sowing in open ground in the south of Russia is recommended in early May, in the Middle lane and the Moscow region - 3-4 weeks later. Cold-tolerant hybrids can be sown earlier but will require protection (covering material or hoop wrap).

In Siberia, vegetable corn is planted in a well-warmed area in late May - early June. Accelerates the warming of the soil black agrofibre. Nevertheless, the ears do not have time to ripen.

Lunar calendar

Farmers in ancient times noticed the influence of lunar cycles on the development of plants.If the Sun is the source of life, then the circulation of the received solar energy depends on the Moon. When the moon is growing, the juices of the plant rise to its upper part, and when the moon is waning, they fall to the roots.

Growing sweet cobs faster than neighbors - this is possible if you sow corn in the first phase of the moon, when it is in the signs of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. It is not necessary to master astrological knowledge and conduct regular observations of the starry sky. In order to make better use of favorable days to increase crops, astrologers draw up a sowing lunar calendar for each month.

Using the lunar calendar to sow vegetables is considered by some to be superstition, but gardeners who adhere to the recommendations of astrologers often get good harvests.