Tilling the soil for corn is an important part of agricultural practices. Without a properly prepared field, you cannot get a good harvest. It is with this operation that activities related to working with the soil begin and end.
It is difficult to imagine a country farm without a bed of corn. Children willingly feast on sweet cobs. Chickens, ducks and rabbits are grateful to their owners for a delicious protein menu. Some gardeners grow ornamental corn. Its cobs are filled with grains of different colors.
After harvesting, the stems are used. They cover young strawberry plantings.Dried and ground stems are added to poultry mash in winter. Dry plant parts serve as kindling.
The benefits of the plant in dacha farming are enormous. The main task of a gardener is to prepare the bed for sowing. Getting the desired harvest depends 12% on the success of this event.
Why pay so much attention to the soil?
Corn requires loose, breathable and moisture-permeable soil. The roots of the plant should penetrate deep and effortlessly extract nutrients and water.
Weeds deplete the soil. Their roots impede the flow of air and interfere with the growth of the underground part of cultivated plants. The main task of tillage is to get rid of competing plants.
In the garden it is not always possible to provide suitable crop rotation for corn. There is little space, but I want to plant a lot of things. Often the area after potatoes, beans, zucchini, and eggplants is given over to other crops.
Proper tillage allows you to plant corn after corn. This method involves the use of fertilizers and herbicides. Tilling the land according to the rules of agricultural technology should ensure the simultaneous preservation of moisture in the soil.
A zealous gardener knows: after planting this crop, the soil remains clean, free of weeds. If the free area is mowed in a timely manner, the ground will not become clogged with seeds of harmful grasses. This saves time on spring tillage.
Soil treatment for planting
They begin to cultivate the soil for planting in late summer or early autumn. The order of events depends on:
- Predecessors of corn. After harvesting carrots, potato beds remain loose.
- Soil type. On light soils, a set of events is carried out in October. Heavy loams are cultivated in August.
- Soil contamination with weeds.Some green manure (oats, rye) act as aggressors if untimely digging. It is necessary to use herbicides and double peeling.
The peeling operation can be carried out using a Fokin flat cutter. Penetration depth is up to 10 cm. It is recommended to repeat after the weed tops have grown back.
It is recommended to dig up the ridges to a depth of 30 cm (at the bayonet of a shovel). Particular care should be taken when incorporating crop residues: heavily rotting parts of plants and weed seeds must be removed.
A complex of double peeling and deep digging eliminates perennial weeds by 80%. The number of seeds is reduced by 50%.
In the steppe zone, the soil is easily subject to wind erosion. In this case, autumn digging is not carried out. Preparation is completed by deep loosening with a flat cutter. The top layer is not turned over. It is optimal to work with a disk tool.
It is important to change the depth of digging ridges when planting corn. When processing to the same depth, a bottom layer is created. It interferes with the development of the plant root system.
Spring processing of ridges
When carrying out the main tillage after corn, the gardener alternates between peeling and digging. Creating adequate soil for planting requires continued activities in the spring. To get a good harvest, the gardener must fulfill certain conditions:
- place the seeds well in the arable layer;
- ensure uniform germination;
- create conditions for the rapid development of the plant root system.
Pre-sowing tillage in the spring will help to carry out these activities.
During the winter, the arable layer settles and becomes compacted. The remaining weed seeds sprout. All this leads to a decrease in soil quality. Potential yield decreases.
If the soil is slightly clogged in the spring, you should limit yourself to one digging per spade. It is first necessary to estimate the thickness of the fertile layer. When depleted, it is recommended to apply nitrogen fertilizer. Mature compost and rotted manure are suitable. Recommended rate: bucket per 1 square meter.
On heavily contaminated lands, double peeling and single digging are carried out. To completely remove weeds, use 36% Roundup herbicide (according to the manufacturer's instructions).
Before planting corn in spring, it is wise to carry out 2 tillage treatments. You can limit yourself to one if there are few weeds and enough moisture has accumulated over the fall and winter.
Features of spring cultivation of “clean” soil
Light, fertile, weed-free soils require gentle cultivation. Its purpose is to destroy capillaries to preserve moisture. The evaporation of water accumulated during the dormant period depends on the integrity of the soil passages.
Shallow loosening is recommended. The maximum possible penetration of the tool is the depth of planting the corn seeds. Gardeners use a Fokin flat cutter or a regular rake. Nitrogen fertilizers are incorporated during loosening.
It is recommended to dig deep loams. During this operation, partial loss of moisture occurs. The structure of the soil is disrupted. But this method is necessary: on problem lands, after such treatment, seeds germinate better. They are better provided with air.
It is not recommended to leave “ridges” after autumn digging or spring loosening. Any unevenness should be smoothed out. The direction of movement is perpendicular to the intended row.
In dry and windy spring, it is necessary to roll the beds.To do this, compact the top layer of soil using a homemade roller (fill a 5-liter plastic bottle with water and treat the area of intended planting).
A set of measures should begin only after the soil is ready. Plowing too early or too late will reduce the amount of moisture in the soil. Seeds will germinate less well. The gardener will receive a smaller harvest.
Treatment during planting
The implementation of a complete soil cultivation system for corn involves the introduction of mineral complexes when planting seeds. The plant consumes phosphorus almost until full maturity. Nitrogen and calcium stop being absorbed a little earlier.
Fertilizer application during planting increases yield by 30%. Growing on chernozems requires additional fertilizing with nitrogen and phosphorus, while growing on forest and sod-podzolic soils requires additional fertilizing with nitrogen. Following the predecessors, potassium lovers, the gardener is recommended to apply potassium fertilizers.
It is necessary to embed the complex into the ground when planting seeds. It is convenient to use the trench method. At a distance of 5–6 cm from the row of seeds, another one is dug in parallel. Application depth is from 10 to 12 cm.
