Zea mays var. everta
Popcorn maize
Common names: Popping corn, Puffed corn
At a glance
- Light
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 30 cm, rows 45 cm
- Lifespan
- Annual
- Sowing
- Apr–May
- Harvest
- Sep–Oct
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below 2 °C
- Water need
- High
Photo: Spedona · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Popcorn maize, botanically Zea mays var. everta, is a maize with small, very hard kernels that burst when heated and puff into the familiar fluffy flakes. The plants grow 1.5 to 2 m tall and bear small cobs 10 to 20 cm long, with kernels colored yellow, red, blue or multicolored depending on the variety. The maize originates from Central America and therefore prefers warmth: it needs about four months from seed to maturity and does best in Central Europe with early varieties and in warm locations. In the garden it is an entertaining crop, as home-grown kernels can be turned into popcorn for a movie night. The dried cobs are also an attractive autumn decoration. Plant it in blocks, because wind distributes the pollen.
Care instructions
Sow popcorn maize directly into the bed after the Ice Saints in mid-May, 3 to 4 cm deep, two kernels per spot at 30 cm spacing, and later leave the stronger plant standing. Alternatively, start it indoors from mid-April in deep pots. Choose a sunny, warm, wind-sheltered spot with deep, nutrient-rich soil, and plant at least three to four rows side by side, since in a single row the cobs remain incomplete. Keep a distance from sweet corn and other maize: wind carries pollen far, and cross-pollinated popcorn pops poorly. As a rule of thumb, aim for about 100 m distance or use varieties that flower two to three weeks apart. Keep the soil moist during flowering in July, hoe regularly, and lightly earth up the plants. Harvest in September or October, when the husks are brown and dry. If you then hang the cobs in an airy, warm place, the kernels become hard after several weeks and will pop.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
SowingApr–May
HarvestSep–Oct
Germination
- Soil temperature
- from 10 °C, ideally 22 °C
- Days to sprout
- 6 to 12 days
- Light
- Sprouts in light or dark
- Sowing depth
- 3 cm
- How to start
- Start indoors, then plant out
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, loamy, well-drained, nutrient-rich
Popcorn grows best on deep, humus-rich and well-warmed soil that stores water without waterlogging. Loamy and sandy-loamy soils are ideal. Loosen compacted areas to spade depth before sowing, so that the roots reach deep and the plants stand firm in wind. The pH is best in the slightly acidic to neutral range.
Maize is a heavy feeder, but does well after legumes. A two-year break on the same bed is enough so that diseases such as corn smut and pests such as the European corn borer do not build up. Do not grow maize directly after maize, including after sweetcorn.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
May–Jul
Popcorn is a heavy feeder. In spring before planting, work in plenty of mature compost or well-rotted manure, ideally after a preceding crop of legumes. From June, when the plants grow quickly, a helping of diluted nettle feed every three weeks helps, plus a mulch layer of grass clippings. With flowering in July, let the feeding taper off so that the cobs ripen.
Overwintering
Popcorn is an annual and dies in the first frosts. Harvest the cobs before harder frost and leave them to dry further indoors. After drying, rub the kernels off the cob with your thumb and store them dry and airtight in jars. Chop the stems finely before they go on the compost.
Propagation
Methods
- From seed
You propagate popcorn by seed. Sow directly into the bed from mid-May when the soil is at least 10 °C, or start the plants from mid-April in deep pots and plant them out carefully after the Ice Saints, because maize tolerates root disturbance poorly. Take your own seed from the finest, fully ripened cobs. This only works if no other maize is flowering nearby: the wind carries the pollen far, and cross-pollinated popcorn pops less well.
For your garden
Grow Popcorn maize yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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