Maize Farming Guide: How to Grow Maize for Profit
Maize (corn) is the world's most-planted staple and one of the most forgiving cash crops to start with. This guide covers land prep, spacing, fertiliser timing, pest control, harvest, storage and — most importantly — how to sell your grain for a price that actually rewards the work.
Quick answer
To grow maize profitably: plant certified hybrid seed at 75 × 25–30 cm spacing at the start of the rains, apply basal NPK plus two nitrogen top-dressings (knee-high and pre-tasselling), scout for fall armyworm twice weekly, harvest at physiological maturity and dry grain to 13% moisture before storage. Well-managed maize yields 2–4 tonnes per acre; the biggest profit lever after yield is selling dry, graded grain directly rather than dumping wet at harvest.
Choosing seed and land
Start with the seed. Certified hybrid seed costs more than recycled grain but routinely doubles or triples yield through disease resistance, drought tolerance and uniform maturity. Match the variety's maturity length to your rainfall: short-season hybrids (90–110 days) for marginal or single-rain areas, medium-to-late hybrids where the season is reliably long. Never replant grain saved from a hybrid harvest — the second generation loses its vigour.
Maize is hungry for nitrogen and sensitive to waterlogging. Choose well-drained, fertile land, rotate with a legume (beans, soybean, groundnut) the previous season to fix nitrogen and break pest cycles, and prepare a fine, weed-free seedbed before the rains arrive.
Season-long management calendar
Clear, plough and harrow to a fine tilth. Incorporate well-rotted manure (5–10 t/ha). Test soil pH; lime if below 5.5.
Plant certified seed at 75 cm between rows × 25–30 cm within rows (≈53,000 plants/ha). Sow 2.5–5 cm deep. Apply basal NPK at planting.
Apply nitrogen (urea/CAN) and weed. This is the single most yield-critical operation — nitrogen drives grain fill.
Second nitrogen split. Scout intensively for fall armyworm in the whorl.
Highest water demand — never let the crop stress at silking. Monitor for cob borers and rust.
Cobs droop, husks dry, kernels hard with a black layer at the base. Stop irrigation.
Dry grain to 13–13.5% moisture before storage. Wet maize rots and attracts aflatoxin-producing moulds.
Fertiliser: timing beats quantity
More farmers lose yield to badly-timed fertiliser than to too little of it. Apply a phosphorus-rich basal fertiliser at planting to drive root development, then split nitrogen into two top-dressings: the first when the crop is knee-high, the second just before tasselling when demand peaks. Splitting nitrogen prevents leaching loss in heavy rain and matches supply to the crop's growth curve. A soil test pays for itself — guessing wastes expensive inputs.
Pest, disease & storage control
Fall armyworm
Signs: Ragged holes and frass in the whorl; the most destructive maize pest in Africa
Action: Scout twice weekly from emergence. Treat early while larvae are small; rotate active ingredients; encourage natural enemies. AI scouting alerts on GeraFarm flag peak egg-lay windows.
Stalk / cob borer
Signs: Tunnels in stems; broken tassels; bored cobs
Action: Use tolerant varieties, destroy crop residue after harvest, apply granular treatment into the whorl at early infestation.
Maize streak virus
Signs: Yellow streaks along leaf veins; stunting; spread by leafhoppers
Action: Plant resistant hybrids and avoid late planting when leafhopper pressure peaks.
Grey leaf spot & rust
Signs: Grey rectangular lesions / orange pustules on leaves; cuts grain fill
Action: Rotate crops, use resistant varieties, apply fungicide at first sign in high-value irrigated maize.
Weevils & larger grain borer (storage)
Signs: Bored kernels and powder in stored grain
Action: Dry to 13%, store in hermetic bags or treated silos, never bag warm grain. Storage losses can erase a good harvest.
Selling your maize for more
Maize prices crash at harvest because everyone sells at once. The farmers who profit do the opposite: they dry grain to 13% moisture, store it cleanly in hermetic bags, and sell into the lean season when prices climb 30–80%. If you must sell at harvest, grade and sell direct — millers, feed companies and bulk buyers pay a premium for clean, dry, uniform grain over the mixed wet maize a broker offers.
List your maize on GeraFarm with your moisture, grade and quantity, and buyers searching your region find you directly. Real-time market prices let you negotiate from data, and escrowed payment settles in your local currency on delivery.
Frequently asked questions
How much maize can you grow per acre?
With certified hybrid seed, correct spacing (≈53,000 plants/ha) and two nitrogen top-dressings, well-managed rain-fed maize yields about 2–4 tonnes per acre (5–10 t/ha); irrigated, intensively managed maize can exceed 4–6 tonnes per acre. Most smallholders harvest under 1 tonne per acre purely from under-fertilising and late weeding — the gap is management, not land.
What is the best spacing for maize?
The recommended spacing is 75 cm between rows and 25–30 cm within rows, one or two seeds per hole, sown 2.5–5 cm deep — roughly 53,000 plants per hectare. Wider spacing wastes land; tighter spacing causes lodging and small cobs.
How do I control fall armyworm in maize?
Scout the crop twice a week from emergence and treat while larvae are still small and feeding in the whorl, before they bore into cobs. Rotate insecticide active ingredients to prevent resistance, plant tolerant varieties, and destroy residue after harvest. GeraFarm AI advisory flags high-risk egg-lay windows so you spray at the right time, not too late.
When should maize be harvested?
Harvest at physiological maturity, when husks have dried, cobs droop, kernels are hard and a black layer forms at the kernel base. Then dry the grain to 13–13.5% moisture before storage to prevent mould and aflatoxin. Harvesting too early loses yield; storing wet grain loses the harvest.
Is maize farming profitable?
Maize is profitable when you control three things: input cost (buy certified seed and fertiliser as a group to cut price), yield (fertilise and weed on time), and price (sell graded, dry grain forward rather than dumping wet at harvest when prices crash). Selling directly through GeraFarm rather than to a roadside broker typically lifts the farm-gate price 30–50%.
Related on GeraFarm
Sell milled or packaged maize products on GeraMarket, supply maize flour to kitchens through GeraEats, and find seasonal farm labour on GeraJobs.
Sell your maize harvest on GeraFarm
List dry, graded maize and reach verified millers, feed buyers and wholesalers in your region — at fair, data-backed prices.