CropStraightforward
Maize
Zea mays L. s. mays
Temperature
18°C to 33°C
Rainfall
313mm to 720mm per season
Conditions
What it needs
Soil
Well-drained loam with good organic matter. Tolerates a range of soils but not waterlogging.
Water
Most sensitive to water shortage at tasselling and grain filling. A dry spell then costs more yield than one at any other stage.
What you will need
Tick what you already have; Grow carries the rest into the cost working.
Grow holds no supplier listings and no local prices, so it cannot tell you where to buy these or what they cost near you. Ask at your nearest agrodealer or extension office, then put those figures into the planner.
Through the season
Stages
- 01
Land preparation
14 days- Clear and plough
- Apply manure or compost
- 02
Planting
3 days- Sow at correct spacing
- Apply basal fertiliser
- 03
Vegetative growth
45 days- First weeding
- Top-dress nitrogen
- Scout for armyworm
- 04
Tasselling and silking
21 days- Keep water up if you can irrigate
- Second weeding
- 05
Grain filling
35 days- Monitor for pests
- Avoid water stress
- 06
Harvest and drying
21 days- Harvest at physiological maturity
- Dry to safe moisture before storage
Watch for
Common problems
Fall armyworm
- What you will see
- Ragged holes in leaf whorls, sawdust-like frass, larvae inside the whorl.
- What to do
- Scout weekly from emergence. Hand-pick larvae on small plots. Push-pull intercropping reduces pressure. Ask an extension officer before using any pesticide.
Maize streak virus
- What you will see
- Pale yellow streaks running along the leaf veins, stunted plants.
- What to do
- Spread by leafhoppers, so there is no cure once infected. Plant tolerant varieties and avoid staggered planting dates near existing fields.
Grey leaf spot
- What you will see
- Rectangular grey-brown lesions bounded by leaf veins, worst in humid conditions.
- What to do
- Rotate away from maize, remove crop residue, and choose resistant varieties.
Follow the label for doses, and ask an extension officer or vet before using a chemical you have not used before.