Gourmet is a sugar variety of corn. Ears are a source of nutrients, are well stored and have excellent taste characteristics. Gardeners love this variety for its resistance to pests and diseases. To get a good crop, you need to know certain rules for growing corn.
Corn Gourmet
Corn Gourmet unpretentious in care
Gourmet Corn is an Early Variety
Description of the variety, advantages and disadvantages
Corn Gourmand is a variety that was officially listed in the state register in 2005. The culture refers to sugar early ripening plants. Harvest can be obtained already 2 months after planting.
The variety is characterized by high fruiting. Eatable are more than 90% of the cobs. With 1 sq. m, you can collect up to 4.5 kg of corn.
The plant trunk reaches a height of 1.5 m. The length of the ears is 15-18 m, and the weight is about 200-230 g. The ears quickly boil, their ripeness is indicated by a saturated yellow color.
Corn Gourmand is a source of proteins and carbohydrates that are easily absorbed by the body. Its grains contain B vitamins, PP, carotene, lysine, tryptophan. Corn grains are juicy and sweet, they can be eaten both after heat treatment and without it. They will not lose their taste after freezing. The variety is widely used for conservation.
The main advantages of the Gourmand variety:
- the possibility of early harvesting;
- good preservation of ears;
- excellent taste characteristics;
- high productivity;
- resistance to diseases and pests;
- long shelf life;
- the culture well tolerates transportation over long distances.
The main disadvantage of the variety is its thermophilicity. You can cope with this by proper preparation before planting the crop. With competent organization, corn is perfectly adapted to weather conditions prevailing in a particular area.
Optimal conditions for growing
Gourmet is unpretentious in care, but in the early stages of its growth requires some attention. Since the homeland of the plant is hot South America, it requires enough heat for growth and development.
Gourmet does not put forward excessive requirements to the site. The optimal conditions for growing corn of this variety are:
- Air temperature is from 12 to 25 degrees. If the process of germination and the formation of vegetative and generative organs occurs at 16-20 degrees, then for the ripening of the fruit requires a regimen of 18-25 degrees.
- Plant growth rate depends on soil temperature. The optimal range is 16-20 degrees.
- Corn consumes the greatest amount of moisture in the first 30 days after planting; therefore, water shortage during this period is critical. Drought can lead to the death of the crop.
- Strong winds can harm young crops, provoke their death. You need to select for planting such sites that have certain protection against this natural factor.
- The optimum level of soil acidity is 5.6-7.2 pH. This is a fairly wide range, but if you go beyond it, you can lose up to 30% of the total crop.
- Tomatoes and root crops are considered optimal plant precursors.
Seed preparation
Before you put the seeds of corn in the soil, they need to be prepared. For this, the grains are soaked for 3-5 days. Seed is kept until sprouts appear. So that the seeds do not rot, they are placed in a cloth moistened with warm water, which is regularly moistened. Rinse them recommended 1-2 times a day.
Those seeds that have not germinated in 3-4 days should be removed. Corn will not grow out of them. It is important to ensure that mold and rot do not form on the planting material.
Soil preparation
The soil must be prepared for planting in the fall. The soil is dug up, all weeds are removed from it. It is important to choose the right site. Gourmet will grow poorly on wetlands, which are poorly ventilated and suffer from a deficiency of nutrients.
Corn Gourmand loves light sandy soil, as well as calcareous and marl rocks. They heat up quickly in the spring, but their only drawback is moisture deficiency. In order not to require additional watering, it is possible to give preference to medium loamy areas. Swampy and clay soils are not suitable for growing crops.
Landing rules
When the earth warms up to 12-14 degrees, you can begin to land. Dates differ depending on the region of Russia:
- in the southern part of the country they can be brought into the ground already in early May;
- residents of the middle lane are encouraged to wait until the end of spring.
First of all, you need to focus on the weather, which is typical for a particular year.
If the soil is poor, then nitrogen fertilizers are applied to it. The soil must be loosened. Seeds are laid out at a distance of 30 cm from each other. 2 seeds are planted in one well. The depth of the bookmark is 5 cm.
If there is a risk of frost in May, it is better to plant Lakomka maize seedlings. Seeds germinate at home, transferred to the open ground at the end of spring. The plant is extremely susceptible to damage to the root system, so it should be introduced into the soil in peat glasses. After completion of planting, abundant watering is required.
Sugar variety Gourmand should be planted separately from other corn crops to prevent cross-pollination. This process negatively affects the taste of the grain.
Caring for corn Gourmand while growing
Culture begins to grow after the appearance of the first node on it. During this period, all the efforts of the plant will be directed to the formation of the cob. It is necessary to water the corn in a timely manner, carry out fertilizer application and carry out other activities as necessary.
Watering
If the year turned out to be rainy, then watering is limited. Stagnation of moisture in the root system of a plant leads to a deterioration in its taste, can cause diseases. Drought is no less harmful.
General recommendation on the frequency of watering Gourmands - 1-2 times a week. So that the water does not evaporate quickly, the soil must be mulched.
Top dressing
Fertilizers need to be applied only after the formation of at least 6 sheets on the trunk. For feeding corn are suitable:
- mullein;
- compost;
- humus;
- chicken droppings;
- potash fertilizers: ammonium nitrate and superphosphates, which are introduced between the rows of sprouted corn.
Top dressing is a prerequisite for obtaining a quality crop. They are carried out at least 2 times for the entire growing season.
Weeding and cultivation
These procedures must be done carefully so as not to harm the lateral roots. Spend them 3 times during the entire growth of corn.
If you do not spud a plant, young ears can fall and rot. Contribute to this growing nearby pumpkins and cucumbers. Their whips can wrap around corn trunks and increase the load. Weeds aggravate the situation.
When stepchildren shoots appear, which are located on the sides of the trunk, they must be removed. This will accelerate the growth of the ears themselves and get a healthy, healthy crop.
Pest and Disease Control
Although the Gourmand variety is resistant to pests and diseases, it is impossible to exclude their appearance.
Attack corn fusarium - a fungal infection that develops due to increased humidity of the air and soil. If a characteristic white coating appears on the leaves, the plant is uprooted and burned. Such corn is unsuitable for eating.
Sometimes a variety suffers from stem rot and rust. To prevent them, the plant is treated with fungicides. If infected trunks are found, you need to remove them from the site so that the infection does not spread to neighboring plants.
Gourmand variety is rarely attacked by pests, including:
- oat flies;
- meadow moths;
- wireworms;
- caterpillars.
Pest control is necessary with the help of strongly smelling agents. Well repels insects onion broth. At the stage of seed treatment, Cosmos or Gaucho preparations can be used.
Harvesting and storage
In order not to overexpose the ears on the stem and determine the maturity of the grains, the following manipulations should be performed:
- Click on the grain. When pressed, milk juice will stand out from it. The color of the grain itself is light yellow.
- Inspect the COB Wrap. Upon reaching the maturity of the plant, it begins to dry out.
- Pay attention to the color of the wrapper. It should turn light green.
- Assess thread condition. They will dry and darken.
When there are signs of ripeness, the cobs should be removed from the trunks. Overexposed corn is losing its taste. The gourmet is harvested at the stage of milk maturity.
If, after unscrewing the leaves, it was found that the ears are still too young, they must be returned. Otherwise, the birds peck the grains.
The harvested crop is cleaned of leaves and stigmas, and then laid out on a litter in a dark room. It should have good air exchange and humidity of 13-16%.
When storing corn with grains, they are laid out in plastic containers or fabric bags. In this form, they are able to be stored for a year. It is important that water does not enter the container.
Fresh corn spoils quickly. It can be stored in the refrigerator for about 14 days. To do this, stigmas and leaves from corn are removed, placed in airtight bags and cleaned in a section for storing vegetables. If you do not spend the cobs in 14-20 days, they will begin to frown and deteriorate.
Having familiarized yourself with the simple rules of growing sweet corn of the Lakomka variety, you can try to grow this culture in your garden. The reward will be a plentiful harvest of delicious corn cobs.