Sweetcorn Seeds

Sweet corns taste sugary sweet and milky kernels that can be consumed in variety of ways be it grilled, cooked, fried or steamed. Read more on Growing Corn

How to grow Sweet Corn from Seeds:

Introduction and Uses: Sweet corn in any form - grilled to caramelised tastes great. Just like the corn, sweet corn too is loaded with necessary vitamins and minerals. It is high in lutein and zeaxanthin, two phytochemicals that aid healthy vision. A midsize sweet corn ear offers about 3-gram dose of dietary fibre.

Botanical Name: Zea mays

Sowing Season: Throughout the year.

Sowing method: Seeds are sown directly in raised beds or containers.

Sowing container: Use broad container with a minimum depth of 8-12 inches & width according to the available space.

Sowing medium: 2 part garden soil & 1 part any Organic Manure or 1 part garden soil, 1 part Coco Peat & 1 part Vermicompost.

Steps for seed sowing (Seed starting) in a container:

Select a container with drainage holes at the bottom.

Fill the container with proper potting layers & selected growing medium.

Sow 2 seeds at the centre of a pot.

Spacing:

On raised beds, plant 2 seeds per spot in a spacing of 2 x 2 ft.

Push the seeds a little in the soil medium with your fingers & completely cover them with surrounding soil.

Water the sown seed bed immediately by a light shower with a watering can.

Growth stages of Sweet Corn Plant:

Sprouting Stage: Seeds will germinate within first 6-8 days or so & tiny sprouts will be visible.

Cotyledons: The first 2 leaves will emerge in the second week of germination. These are false leaves called as cotyledons.

First leaves: First leaves will emerge above cotyledons at the end of the second week.

Seedling stage: Second week onwards, seedlings will start growing into a small plant.

Thinning: After the second week, keep only single and healthy seedling at one spot, cut off the weak, small & lagging seedlings with a pair of scissors.

How to take care for Sweet Corn Plant:

Sunlight: Sweet Corn plants require full sunlight. Therefore your raised bed should be made at a bright sunny spot. Keep the Sweet Corn container under open sunlight.

Watering: Water your potted Sweet Corn plant every day in summer & every alternate day in winter. Water at the soil near the plant. Use a watering can to make sure that the plants get water in the form of a shower & not by a single flow. You can also make provision for watering by drip irrigation system for your raised beds.

Manuring: As mentioned earlier, add good quality organic manure in the soil with 2:1 ratio before sowing seeds. Organic fertilizer can be well rotten cow dung manure, farmyard manure, compost or vermicompost.

Top Dressing: When the Sweet Corn plant is more than 60 days old, Provide 1 tablespoon of 15:15:15 (NPK) fertilizer per plant or mix handful of Vermicompost in the soil around each plant.

Plant care: Always look for the early signs of any insect/fungal infection/ any other infections. Spray appropriate medicines as soon as any symptoms of such diseases are spotted.

Harvesting: Maize plant will start flowering on of 3nd month; Maize cobs can be harvested after 80-90 days from seed sowing.

Note: Note: Male flowers are formed on Top & female flowers are formed on plant at axis of leave. Maize cobs are formed on female flowers only after successful wind pollination.