Corn

Corn is an annual plant from the family of cereals. It forms a powerful furry root system and no less powerful stalk, which can reach 4-6 m in height. The stem ends with a whisk of male flowers. Female inflorescences carry only bundles of filaments-stigmas. They are located in the wrappers at the bottom of the stems. In these wrappers, cobs are formed.

It may seem strange, but corn grows even in the North-West region and gives milk-wax ripening. In the dry and hot summer of such ears it is possible to get up to 6-8 pieces from each plant.

Early in the Northwest, early-ripening varieties, mostly small ones, are the best. But decorative corn also grows, reaching 3 meters in height, with a purple or dark red stem and beautiful, multi-colored grains.

Features of growing

Corn can be grown as a rocking crop protecting the more tender plants from cold winds or covering unsightly places on the site, for example, a compost pile. But while planting corn, too, must be under the cover of buildings or shrubs from the cold north wind.

What does corn like? Heat, sun, fertile soil, can grow on sandy loamy, loamy soils or on peat bogs. It prefers soils with a neutral reaction, but also grows on weakly acidic soils. On poor podzolic and acidic soils, corn can be grown if, before planting, a lite can of dolomite is introduced into the soil or twice as much ash per each square meter of planting, in addition, 1/2 bucket of humus for each nest or per liter of humus for each plant.

In the Northwest, it is best to grow corn through seedlings. Do not sow grains too early, as they quickly rise and grow rapidly, and plants can be transplanted into the open ground only after the spring frosts pass. The best time for sowing in a greenhouse or in half-liter containers in an apartment is mid-May. The grown up seedlings can be planted in the open ground in mid-June according to the 40's 40 cm scheme. It should be remembered that corn is a heat-loving crop and dies at -1 degree. In case of late frosts, the planting of corn should be covered with lutrasil.

You can sow corn directly in the open ground in a square-nest way, according to the scheme 70 x 70 cm, but at the same time put 3-4 dry grains to a depth of 5-7 cm in each hole. This can be done when the soil at this depth warms up to12 degrees. In colder soil, the seeds can rot, especially if they are soaked in water before sowing.

Corn sowings should be covered with a film before emergence. Once the seedlings appear, the film should be pulled on the arc. When the corn grows to the film, it should be removed, and on top of the plants put lutrasil to protect the corn from frost. Corn is sown in the middle of the end of May. Before the appearance of stigmas usually takes 60 days after emergence. After this, it will take another 30 days for the cobs to grow to milk ripeness. Here they are eaten, raw. Especially delicious cobs of sugar corn.

To get a good harvest, corn should be fed in the initial period of growth infusion of weeds. A single feeding is sufficient if the green leaves and corn grow well. If it lags behind in growth and leaves are light, then give 2 fertilizing with an interval of 10-14 days. It is enough to pour under each plant a bucket of weed infestation, diluted in half with water. At the time of the appearance of a panicle at the end of the stem, give fertilizing with mineral fertilizers: 3 tbsp.spoons of any complex fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, per 10 liters of water. Add in each bucket 2 teaspoons of "Uniflor-micro" fertilizer. Watering the corn is not necessary, it is drought-resistant. If brownish-rusty bands appear on the leaves of corn, it is enough to sprinkle it with "Phytosporin" a couple of times with an interval of 10 days.

Corn is one of the most ancient food plants in America. In Europe, it brought Columbus, in Russia, the same corn fell relatively recently, in the X1X century. It very quickly received the widest distribution in Central Asia, Transcaucasia and Moldova. Corn is widely used in Ukraine and in the southern regions of Russia.

Products from corn have a remarkable property - they excrete cholesterol from the body. In the USA, for example, corn flour is necessarily included in all confectionery products.

Corn stigmas are widely used in the medical industry. The whole enormous above-ground part of the corn is an excellent food for cattle.

I write corn in the form of porridge, mashed potatoes, soups, pancakes, boiled cobs, canned grains, air sticks. But the most delicious dish is raw cobs of milky wax ripeness.