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Rice is one of the most consumed grains on the planet. It holds a lot of cultural, and even religious, value in many countries and is found in nearly every kind of cuisine. Rice is consumed everywhere in the world, so it is quite accessible. However, growing it commercially or even farming your own homegrown rice is very different from growing any other kind of plant. Rice requires a lot of sunlight, heat, and water, and these are three things that aren’t often found together. Unless you have artificial water storage or access to a lot of fresh flowing water, cultivating rice can be challenging.
Like other crops, there are a few different varieties of rice that you could look into growing. Broadly speaking, there are three main categories of rice with different subcategories within them.
The first is short-grain rice. This is the sticky kind of rice that is used in both sweet and savory meals. The grain is short and stout and, when cooked, has a very soft, creamy texture with a bit of sweetness. It has a high starch content, which causes the rice to clump together.
The second is medium grain rice. This is slightly longer than the short-grain, and the length of this grain is slightly more than its width. The cooked product is creamy and soft but doesn’t clump together quite like the short-grain variety.
The third type is the long-grain rice, which is much longer and thinner than the other two types, and yields a light and fluffy rice when cooked.
Growing conditions and techniques for all kinds of rice are identical.
Rice grows best in a hot, tropical climate with long hours of sunlight. In the Northern Hemisphere, this translates to being between March and October. This crop takes 4 to 6 months to fully develop, and you need the warmest weather right in the middle of the growth phase when the plant is developing the grains. Large volumes of water are needed throughout the growing phase.
Getting the seeds can pose a problem for commercial farmers. For beginners and those growing for personal use, getting the best seeds will not be as much of a priority. However, for those who want the highest amount of yield as well as great quality yield, seed quality matters a lot. When you are growing several acres of a certain crop, researching varied perspectives and ways to improve your rice seed germination will definitely increase the final output by multiples since you’ll be more aware of what works best in your geographic context. With a better seed, you have better germination, you waste a lot less, and you get a lot more per seed. If you are growing commercially, make sure you get high-quality homogenous seeds to ensure the highest quality yield.
To grow rice effectively, you need to pre-germinate the seeds before you plant them. The easiest way to do this is to fill a container with fresh, unchlorinated water and submerge the seeds in this water for 24 to 48 hours. The aim is to get the seeds to start to sprout rootlets before you place them in the soil. Once they have developed small roots, you can take them out of the water and start to plant them into the soil. Don’t take them out too soon before planting, as you don’t want them to dry out.
The best type of soil for rice plants is one that is slightly acidic and holds water well. Later on, you will need to flood the area, so you want a base that will hold up the water well. If the soil itself isn’t that oily and firm, you can always use additives to create this kind of environment. Mulch and fertilizer are commonly used in growing rice to create the best soil base for the plants.
Rice grows best in environments with lots of water and sun. Rice fields need to be flooded for the best result, so if the land itself cannot hold much water, then you can always use buckets or any other large container to hold the seeds. This will allow you to use water much more efficiently and give you more control of the environment. Alternatively, you can dig into the ground where you want to grow rice so that the growing bed is lower than the surrounding area. This will make a natural container-like shape that will help to hold water in. When planting in containers, make sure you have at least 8 inches of soil below the level of the seed to allow for root development.
Take the germinated seeds and place them an inch into the ground and cover with soil lightly. Also, space the seeds out roughly 6 inches from each other to allow for leaves and stems as the plant develops. Placing the seeds too close together will not only crowd the plants but also compromise the development of the plant if the roots become tangled. If you have a rice plant that grows larger than most, increase the space according to its size.
With all your seeds in the ground and covered with soil, it is time to flood the soil. Without enough water, the little sprouts will not grow but, on the other hand, too much water can also kill the plants. Ideally, you should have about 2 inches of water above the soil level. Start off by watering the soil till it is very wet and then start filling it with water gently so as not to uproot any of the plants or disturb the layout of the field.
The main thing to keep an eye out for when growing rice is water-borne pests. This might not be an issue for a bucket full of rice plants, but with large quantities of rice, pests can become a serious problem. They start to eat the plants as they develop underwater and as a result, you only get a small fraction of how many plants you were expecting. The other key is to provide the soil with plenty of nutrients before flooding it, as anything added later won’t reach the soil, but will remain in the water.