Food and humans are two components that are closely related. Humans need food every day as a source of energy to grow. So do not be surprised if food crops become a basic need for human survival. Food crops have many types, be it vegetables, tubers, fruits, seeds, nuts, and others. Because of its very important existence, the cultivation of food crops continues to be carried out.
How to Grow Corn in the Home Yard
Corn is a staple crop in some parts of the world and processed food ingredients such as corn oil and cornstarch, bioenergy, cosmetic ingredients, in addition to animal feed needs. For animal feed, corn plants are ground or chopped with corn or entirely from stems to fruit as a source of carbohydrates. Corn plants grow in the lowlands to highlands up to 1200 m above sea level and require clay soil, sandy loam, volcanic soil, fertile, loose, rich organic matter media. Corn requires at least 8 hours of sunlight per day, air temperature 20-33 degrees Celsius, moderate rainfall, soil pH 5.5-7 with good drainage.
Choosing Corn Seeds
The world of agriculture can not be separated in the selection of varieties or good ones. The good thing is that you don't have to bother making or choosing the desired corn. You can get good seeds at the nearest farm shops, they provide various seeds such as hybrid type seeds, sweet corn, and other types of seeds.
Cultivate the Land and Clear Weeds in the Land.
The land is a requirement that must be considered in the cultivation of corn, this determines the growth and development of the corn that we will plant. Make sure the soil that you will plant with corn must be really fertile and contain lots of nutrients or not barren. Corn belongs to plants that are easy to plant, they can be planted in the soil andosol, latosol or grumous and other types of soil. The suitable pH for corn is 5.6 – 7.5. Make sure some of the lands that is around us is fulfilled, and if you are new to clearing land, we must do the fertilization and land process first. Look first at the fertility of the soil you have, if you feel it lacks nutrients and there is no humus, you can spread fertilizer.
Growing Corn in the Land
The most appropriate conditions for growing corn are in moderately moist soil conditions, not too muddy and not too dry. Usually, local farmers use a distance of 100 cm x 40 cm between each other and give 2 seeds in one planting hole. For the depth of the planting hole, you can use a size of 3-5 cm.
Give Fertilizer to Corn Plants
The first few parts we will give to corn plants are basic fertilizers. The basic fertilizers given are in the form of organic fertilizers such as manure, compost, and other types of organic fertilizers. Then your corn plants will absorb some of the elements needed for their great plant development. These elements such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium are needed in the growth phase and later at the time of fertilization.
Sweet Corn Care
STITCHING
Embroidery is done If the corn seeds are not in good growing condition, then the embroidery process can be done or the replacement of new seeds can be done. However, the embroidery process can only be done on young plants so that they can grow uniformly with other sweet corn plants. If you do embroidery, don't be late you have 1 week and no more than 1 week.
THINNING
Do thinning and control the growth and development of your corn plants. For thinning, it is usually done on corn that is more than 1 week or 10 days old.
HOPE
Hoarding is done by digging a trench between the beds and the soil behind the plant roots. This is intended so that the corn plant does not fall easily and makes the corn more sturdy to support the stems and prospective fruit that will grow. Digging in the trench allows water to enter and the water will be absorbed by the plants easily.
FERTILIZATION
Sprinkle organic fertilizer such as manure and provide nutrients to the plants.
HARVEST
The process of planting sweet corn in the lowlands will enter the harvest process faster than the cultivation of sweet corn in the highlands. Sweet corn plants are generally harvested at the age of 60 to 150 days from the start of planting. Plants that are easy to cultivate both in the lowlands and highlands have so many benefits for your body's health. So that the number of sweet corn consumers is always increasing, therefore sweet corn business can be a promising business field.
Benefits of Sweet Corn
Prevent Cancer
Corn plants contain a lot of phenolic acids and ferulic acid, so it is good for preventing the growth of cancer cells and tumors in the body.
Source of Linoleic Acid
Besides being good for preventing the growth of cancer cells and tumors, sweet corn plants are also rich in linoleic acid which functions to maintain a healthy body, increase nutritional intake, and as a means of transporting vitamin D into the body.