How and when to fertilize corn: there are important nuances
Corn is a rather demanding crop. A high-quality crop can only be obtained on soil enriched with nitrogen and other nutrients. Experienced gardeners fertilize with organic and mineral fertilizers before sowing.
OBOZ.UA figured out how to grow corn properly. It should be noted that an excess of minerals can be a more serious problem than a lack of them.
When to fertilize corn
Wanting to get a generous harvest, gardeners usually do not spare fertilizers. However, with an excessive phosphorus content, the seeds may simply not germinate.
It's worth remembering that unlike most crops, corn grows green throughout the growing season. Therefore, it needs fertilizers from early spring to fall. Nitrogen should be applied before panicle formation, and potassium should be applied in the early part of the growing season.
What fertilizers are suitable
Nitrogen fertilization is needed on sod and gray forest soils, as well as on leached chernozems, and potash fertilization is needed on sandy loam, floodplain, and peat soils. The need for phosphorus arises at the beginning of development – this element promotes the development of the root system, high-quality flowering, and faster grain ripening.
Useful trace elements such as zinc, manganese, copper, and boron will also be useful. Boron and manganese are often lacking on alkaline soils, and calcium on acidic soils. Zinc fertilizers help increase enzymatic activity.
Boron should be applied at the rate of 20 grams per square meter. You can also spray the crops with a solution of manganese sulfate. To eliminate the need for zinc, take a 25% solution of zinc sulfate and 1% lime to avoid leaf burns.
Stages of fertilizing
At the first stage (approximately after the appearance of 3-4 sprouts), it is worth applying local fertilizers: manure, bird droppings, etc.
The second feeding is carried out just before the panicle appears. You can use mineral components: ammonium nitrate, potassium salt, and superphosphate.
Sometimes foliar application of fertilizer solutions using sprayers is effective. Experts say that foliar saturation with urea two to three weeks before panicle formation increases the protein content in the stems and leaves.
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