When to plant waxy corn? Detailed planting techniques and timing

Summary Variety selection: Choose varieties with a short growth period, wide adaptability and strong disease resistance. Planting density: row spacing of about 1 m, hill spacing of 0.33-0.38 m, two plants per hill. Sowing time: spring waxy corn is sown at the end of February or in early March, autumn waxy corn is sown in late July. Direct sowing after sprouting: soak the seeds until they sprout, then sow 2-3 seeds per hill. Soft-tray seedling raising: the seedbed is 1.2-1.5 m wide. Straw mulching: autumn sowing requires straw mulching.

1. Variety selection

You can choose varieties with a relatively short growth period, wide adaptability, strong disease resistance, attractive ears and good fresh-ear eating quality, such as the Yunuo series, Jingkenuo series, Suyu series, etc.

2. Planting density

You can use a row spacing of 1 m and a hill spacing of 0.33-0.38 m, with two plants per hill, planting 3500-4000 plants per mu.

3. Sowing time

1. Spring waxy corn is generally raised as seedlings under plastic film mulch, about 5-7 days earlier than conventional waxy corn sowing; it can generally be sown at the end of February or in early March, and transplanting is completed by the end of March.

2. Autumn waxy corn is generally best sown in late July, and the latest sowing time should not exceed mid-August; in high-altitude areas it generally needs to be moved earlier to mid-July.

4. Direct sowing after sprouting

1. For large-scale planting, the technique of direct sowing after sprouting is generally used, with a seeding rate of about 1 kg per mu. First soak the seeds for 2-3 hours, then keep them moist with a wet towel or wet sand to promote sprouting; once sprouted, they can be sown, with 2-3 seeds sown directly per hill.

2. Because of the high temperature in autumn when waxy corn is sown, the seeds emerge quickly, generally emerging 3-5 days after sowing; thinning to a stand can be carried out 10 days after emergence, keeping 2 seedlings per hill.

5. Soft-tray seedling raising

1. Plastic soft trays can be used for raising seedlings, choosing special plastic soft trays for waxy corn with 50-100 cells per tray; the seedbed is 1.2-1.5 m wide, and the bed bottom needs to be leveled and compacted. For the nutrient soil, you can use 70% fertile, loose garden soil, then mix in 30% high-quality farmyard manure and 1-3% superphosphate; after mixing evenly and sieving, add an appropriate amount of human and livestock manure water and pile it to compost.

2. Place the soft trays in the prepared seedbed with the tray bottoms closely fitting the bed, then sprinkle the prepared nutrient soil into the tray cells, filling 3/4 of each cell; sow 2 plump seeds per cell, then fill the cells to the top with nutrient soil. The space around the seedling trays and between the trays should be filled firmly with fine soil, then water thoroughly, and finally spread a layer of wet straw or build a shade net for shading.

3. The moisture in the seedbed should be judged by the soil not turning dry and white; after emergence, the covering should be removed immediately to promote seedling growth, and when the seedlings reach the two-leaf-one-heart to three-leaf stage, they can be transplanted to the field.

6. Straw mulching

You can sow in the field in autumn and then cover with straw, which helps resist drought and protect the seedlings. From emergence to the tasseling and flowering stage, if severe drought occurs, clear manure water can be used to resist drought and protect the seedlings.

7. Matching fertilization

1. Waxy corn is a crop with high fertilizer demand, so it needs sufficient fertilizer and water. Generally, per mu you can apply 2000 kg of soil residue manure, 10-12 kg of urea, 35-40 kg of superphosphate and 6 kg of potassium chloride as base fertilizer.

2. After entering the jointing stage, per mu you can apply 7-8 kg of urea mixed with 2000 kg of clear manure water as topdressing. When waxy corn enters the large trumpet stage, that is, 40-50 days after sowing, you can heavily apply the ear-promoting fertilizer: per mu apply 17-20 kg of urea and 8 kg of potassium chloride mixed with 2000 kg of clear manure water and pour it around the hills.

8. Pest and disease control

During this period, focus on controlling the waxy corn borer. Generally at the trumpet stage, physical control can be carried out using solar energy, frequency-vibration insect-killing lamps, yellow plastic board trapping, etc. During this period, the use of chemical pesticides needs to be controlled, which helps reduce pesticide residues and ensures the food safety of vegetable waxy corn.

9. Timely harvest

Generally, harvest can be carried out 30-35 days after pollination. Harvesting too early easily leads to insufficient grain filling, insufficient waxiness and lower yield, while harvesting too late lacks fresh fragrance.