Maize farming — season guide: stages, tasks & pest watch

A stage-by-stage guide for growing maize in India (~110 days) — what to do when, the fertilizer schedule, and the pests to watch. Confirm specifics with your local KVK.

This is a practical, season-long guide for maize — built from package-of-practice norms. Always confirm doses, products and exact timing with your local KVK / agriculture officer; conditions vary by area and year.

Crop stages

• Sowing & germination (day 0–15)

• Vegetative growth (day 15–45)

• Tasseling & silking (day 45–70)

• Grain fill (day 70–100)

• Maturity & harvest (day 100–110)

What to do, when

• Day 0: Sow maize + basal fertilizer

• Day 25: 1st N top-dress (knee-high) + earthing

• Day 30: Scout for fall armyworm in whorls

• Day 50: 2nd N top-dress at tasseling

• Day 60: Ensure moisture at silking (critical)

• Day 110: Harvest + plan market

Fertilizer schedule (soil-test led)

• Sowing & germination: FYM + full P + K + 1/3 N (basal) — 50 kg P2O5 + 25 kg K2O — soil-test-led

• Vegetative growth: 1st N at knee-high + earthing — ~35 kg N — ~25 days

• Tasseling & silking: 2nd N — ~25 kg N — ensure moisture at silking

Pests & diseases to watch (IPM first)

• Vegetative growth: Fall armyworm — scout whorls early, hand-pick egg masses, neem; confirm chemical with KVK

• Grain fill: Stem borer — field sanitation; confirm with KVK

A note on cost & price

Plan your inputs against a budget and track spend as you go. Mandi prices move through the season — check current rates before selling; khetigpt sends price alerts for your district. The figures here are estimates, not guarantees.