Corn grain is a valuable food product and food that can be consumed fresh, boiled, canned, etc. And there is another way - to germinate seeds, getting a real storehouse of vitamins and nutrients on your table. In addition, sowing with sprouted grain can save several days and bring the harvest time closer.

Why do they sprout corn?

Agronomists do not have a single point of view on the question of whether it is necessary to germinate corn before sowing. Someone is convinced that high germination is guaranteed without additional measures. This is true when it comes to regions with good natural rainfall during the season, as well as long warm summers and early spring.

Other experts traditionally point to an improvement in the quantitative and qualitative indicators of the crop obtained from the germinated seed. One way or another, in private homesteads and farms, the technology has earned recognition and is now used everywhere.

How to sprout corn

With standard sowing with dry seeds, seedlings appear in 16-25 days. With serious temperature changes during the day, there is a high risk of death of some of the seedlings. With germinated planting material, the chances of getting even rows of strong shoots are much higher. This is due to the fact that the soil dried up over a hot day does not provide enough moisture for the seedlings for rooting, and the bed that cools down overnight inhibits growth.

Worth knowing! If the initial planting material is not of high quality, then the sowing result will be far from expected.

If you germinate the seeds in advance, you can achieve a simultaneous solution to a number of issues:

  • It is easy to sort out sprouted grains with roots from non-germinating ones. Visually swollen grains are very different from non-similar specimens that have not absorbed water. As a result, each seed is guaranteed to germinate.
  • Seedlings will appear very amicably - in one day, there will be no bald spots and areas with plants that have emerged earlier than others on the field. This simplifies maintenance, as it is possible to accurately determine the time of fertilizing, weeding, harvesting.

Sprouted corn is an excellent feed material for animals: chickens, pigs, goats, etc.

Important! Sprouted 3-4-day-old corn should be fed to animals or poultry in 1-2 days, and then it will start to deteriorate.

How to germinate corn at home for planting

Regardless of how much corn is required to germinate, in order to then grow it, it is necessary to strictly follow the recommended technology. This will allow you to avoid spoilage of the product due to mistakes and achieve friendly germination. The technology of sprouting corn grain consists of several simple stages, each of which is performed exactly:

  1. All grains are sorted out to remove damaged and spoiled specimens. Then the entire volume is washed to get rid of dust and debris. In no case should you neglect this stage, especially if you plan to use sprouted grain for food. Be especially careful about the selection of incidental impurities, which may include completely inedible weed seeds.
  2. In a suitable container, the grain is poured with warm (up to + 80 ° C) water so that it completely disappears for 12 hours.It is not necessary to cover or wrap the container with a lid; it is quite enough for the water temperature to gradually naturally drop to the room temperature mark.
  3. Then everything is thoroughly washed with clean water and discarded in a colander. The grain should not be left dry, but it should not be allowed to acidify in water either. Ideally, later on, keep the corn in a container with holes in the bottom to drain excess moisture.
  4. Next, the corn is folded into a flat tray and covered with a damp cloth in a warm place. Any fabric can be used, such as a towel or gauze.
  5. Twice a day, the fabric is moistened to prevent drying out. Wet the flap under running water, then be sure to wring it out and gently cover the grain again.
  6. The sprouts should hatch in 3 days. You can keep the temperature around + 5 ° C, but at + 20 ° C the process will go much faster, and you can see how the corn sprouts.

This is the fastest way. Now you can plant seed or use it in another way. You can plant as soon as it seems large enough seedlings. Further, the whole complex of measures is carried out, necessary to grow corn.

How to germinate corn at home

Important! The largest amount of valuable nutrients is contained in seedlings up to 2 cm long. You should not allow overgrowth when you intend to use the product for forage purposes.

If you plan to use corn germination and ready-made green sprouts for your table, then you can wait for them to grow up to 10 cm in length to add to salads.

Sprouted corn: benefits and harms to the body

Artificial germination of grain makes it possible to achieve its transition to the state when an entire “factory” for the production of nutrients “wakes up” in it. After sowing dry seed into the soil, this occurs somewhat more slowly in natural conditions. From a chemical point of view, germination is a very complex and multicomponent process. Complex fats are converted to simple fatty acids, and carbohydrates are converted to sugars, and so on.

Sprouting corn before planting in the ground and for food purposes is rapidly gaining more and more fans around the world. In Russia, rice, wheat, rye, barley and other cereals are more commonly used. However, corn is no less suitable for this.

Worth knowing! Each germinated seed contains a supply of plant hormones, many of which are vital for our body to maintain health.

After the corn seed has hatched and begins to grow sprout and roots, numerous valuable nutrients begin to form in it:

  • Vitamins B. They are responsible for the health and appearance of hair, skin, nails. However, their role is not limited to this. We need them to get energy and maintain a normal metabolism. Vitamins B are indispensable in the process of hematopoiesis, maintaining the stability of the nervous system, and preserving youth.
  • Vitamin E. It plays the role of one of the key antioxidants in our diet. It protects us from premature aging and protects against cell destruction by free radicals. Without tocopherol, the reproductive system cannot function normally, the central nervous system, the brain, as well as the heart and blood vessels cannot function optimally.
  • Vitamin A. Vital for maintaining healthy eyes, immune system, digestive tract, lungs.
  • Selenium. This substance has pronounced anti-cancer properties. The effect is achieved due to the binding of free radicals - the main source of danger.
  • Iron and copper. These substances are responsible for the delivery of oxygen to the organs and tissues of the human body. Vessels and heart cannot function without them.Lack of these substances has the most negative health effects.

The long list of beneficial nutrients in the sprouted corn grain does not end there, but the content of these substances is already lower. All of them are in the most easily digestible form. In other words, the digestive tract does not need to spend a lot of effort to extract all the most useful from the product. Fats are already broken down into acids, and carbohydrates are converted into sugars.

If we compare sprouted corn with other grains, there is no particular benefit to be said. From this point of view, not a single candidate has a particular superiority. The main thing is to choose a cereal for yourself to taste and regularly diversify your daily diet with it. The result will not be long in coming.

There will be no harm from such a product if you use it correctly and prevent spoilage. However, for people with impaired digestion (especially in the acute stage), it is better to give up sprouted corn. It is very high in fiber. In a healthy person, this will only stimulate peristalsis. But the patient, on the contrary, will cause persistent constipation.

Advice! It is better to consult with your doctor first whether to include sprouted corn grains in your diet.

Care should be taken when choosing related products. So, malt will perfectly complement soups and salads. But it is extremely poorly combined with honey and other beekeeping products, as well as with dairy and fermented milk products.

The benefits of germinating corn seeds should not be discounted. For many regions with short summers, growing with even one week shorter waiting times can be critical. In addition, the amicability of seedlings, ear formation and maturation allows the entire production process to be optimized and precisely planned.