How to Grow a Corn Maze
Corn mazes are a fun and challenging way to spend an afternoon with family and friends. But have you ever wondered how corn mazes are created?
Creating a Corn Maze Design
The first step in growing a corn maze is to come up with a design. You can design your own maze or hire a professional corn maze designer. If you’re designing your own maze, keep in mind the following tips:
- Size: The size of your maze will depend on the amount of land you have available.
- Shape: Corn mazes can be any shape you want, but the most common shapes are rectangular and circular.
- Challenge: The difficulty of your maze will depend on the clientele you want to attract. If you’re targeting families with young children, you’ll want to create a maze that is easy to navigate. If you’re targeting older children and adults, you can create a more challenging maze.
Planting the Corn
Once you have a design, it’s time to plant the corn. The best type of corn to plant for a maze is late season silage corn. This type of corn stays green longer than other types of corn, which is important for a maze.
Corn should be planted in the spring, but for a corn maze, it is planted in early July. The field is re-tilled and re-planted with the silage.
Corn seed for a maze is cross planted – north and south and then east and west. This will result in a thick, lush planting that intersects at right angles. Seed should be sown1/4 to 1 inch deep (6 mm. to 2.5 cm.) in rows spaced 36 inches (91 cm.) apart. Once the seed is sown, overhead irrigation to provide an inch (2.5 cm.) of water per week should be implemented.
Cutting the Maze
When the corn is 3 to 6 inches (8-15 cm.) tall, it’s time to cut the design. If you’re using a professional corn maze designer, they will use a modern GPS system to cut the design. If you’re cutting the maze yourself, you can use a weed whacker.
Maintaining the Maze
Once the maze is cut, it’s important to keep it maintained. This includes:
- Watering: The corn will need to be watered regularly, especially during hot weather.
- Fertilizing: The corn will also need to be fertilized regularly.
- Weed control: Weeds can quickly take over a corn maze, so it’s important to keep them under control.
Marketing Your Corn Maze
Once your corn maze is ready to open, it’s time to start marketing it. There are a number of ways to market your maze, including:
- Social media: Create a social media page for your maze and use it to post updates and photos.
- Local advertising: Place ads in local newspapers and magazines.
- Online advertising: Place ads on websites that are popular with your target audience.
Tips for Growing a Successful Corn Maze
Here are a few tips for growing a successful corn maze:
- Start planning early: It takes time to design and grow a corn maze, so it’s important to start planning early.
- Do your research: Learn as much as you can about growing corn and designing corn mazes.
- Be prepared to work hard: Growing and maintaining a corn maze is a lot of work, so be prepared to put in the time.
- Have fun: Growing a corn maze should be a fun and rewarding experience. So relax, enjoy the process, and create a maze that you and your guests will love.
