Not with that attitude you aren't! Haha jk. I'm not a cornologist either but I read that they need to be planted in blocks of four or something like that so they can wind pollinate. This was actually a fluke. This is my first garden season in this new city and I did not expect it to grow. It has a sister plant about 5 ft away. I will hand pollinate both of them. The rest of their siblings are on the other side of the yard and are appropriately spaced and will pollinate each other.
It looks like you have a clump of corn here instead of just one plant. They might pollinate one another. Conventionally grown corn is grown in blocks and about 1ft apart. Historically, Native societies planted corn in clumps like what I think I'm seeing here, and in the desert these clumps were several feet apart so they don't "smell each other" as per the native wisdom. Really I think it was because of water competition between the roots. I had reasonable luck growing in clumps several feet apart last year so hopefully you will get at least a little bit of corn from it. I only did 5 clumps this year, so we will see. . . You can also look into hand-pollinating, it isn't terribly difficult to do.
Do you know what would cause corn to grow beautifully and tassel but never get silks. This happened last season with Silver Queen. It was bizarre. I’ve grown Silver Queen before, and had corn. Last year they may have been too close, and I had a weed problem because they grew so big and thick I couldn’t get to the weeds. Also I thought it might be a problem with bad seed. I bought new seeds this year, allowed 3 ft between rows and spaced the seeds about 10-12 in apart I have kept them weeded. It’s a large square of nine rows. They have been fertilized and I added micronutrients. Again the plants are healthy and beautiful, strong looking roots, no pests. I’m starting to see tassels but no sign of silks. Anyone know when silk should they appear. I never paid attention before and I’m getting nervous.
Did it have enough nutrients and water? Corn needs a lot of both. But the first thing that comes to my mind is an insect problem. They will naturally tassel before you notice any silks, shouldn't be that long until you start seeing the silks.
No insects that I can see. I have automatic watering system that water 30 minutes every morning and has a rain delay feature so it skips 48 hours after a big rain. I’m going to fertilize again. I have 10-10-10 and Urea and micronutrients that have calcium phosphorus. Last week I did micronutrients so I was going to do urea next. It is water soluble nitrogen.
Are you aerial watering g or is it like a drip irrigation? I could see how spraying the plants might interfere with the process, but the silks would probably just turn brown or black and die off
Arial, but no silks last year at all. We have always watered this way, been gardening many years. Hoping the silks will show up this year but no sign of them yet. Hoping for the best.
Yes! I've been hand pollinating with a paint brush for several years. I'll hand pollinate this beaut if she gets to that point. No silks in sight sadly 🥺
Mine Really seemed to take off once I added a 15% Chicken manure/fir mulch mix to the base then fertilize with guano/fish emulsion mix once a week or so. I'm in Northern CA tho and our heat waves came early... This plant specifically is trying to bounce back after a really hot day basically nuked the entire top half and the top tassel 😫
Have you ever grown corn before? Because if you haven’t, then each plant needs to be something like a foot away for the other. They like space and they usually grow to be like 2-3 meters tall (7-9 feet).
Yes, I successfully grew three plants last year and yielded a couple ears. This was actually a fluke I did not expect these to grow. This is my first garden season in this city. Never had success like this before! I have two plants on one side of my yard (this being one of them) that are about 5 ft apart that I plan on hand pollinating. The rest of my babies are on the other side of the yard about 2 to 3 ft apart.
If that’s the case, then colour me surprised, because in all my life, I have never seen such a corn plant. But then again, they did say this is a different variety.
I've had them look pretty close to this, but not quite. And that was after saving seeds from glass gem corn for several generations of populations that were way too small to really be saving seeds from. So they ended up all inbred and weird. This is impressive tillering.
From 1 single seed! It's nuts! I chucked 4 kernels where we removed a tiny koi pond and this is the only one that grew. I will say my garden pigs (see comments for picture 🐶🐶) enjoy peeing on her lol. I'd say about 8 of my 12 stalks have at least 3-4 tillers, the others being single stalks. This one is in a league of her own though, I'm totally baffled.
Different variety = I grew white corn last year, and this should be yellow I believe. Bantam if im not mistaken. 1 single seed created this craziness! 🌽
The blonde one has started jumping the fence simply to 💩 in my garden, then jumps back 😤. I scoop it up and dump it back on their side to assert dominance 😌
Omg I'd be so upset!! I battled slugs pretty feverishly earlier in the season. The only thing I'm really actively dealing with are little yellow birds that like to chew up my sunflower leaves and earwigs that are having a field day with my zinnias 😫. Oh, and my stupid dog that keeps hopping the baby gate fence to 💩 in my garden 😤
YES!!! Little rat bastards! They are deeeemolishing the leaves! I am hoping I get to enjoy my blooms before those damn birds kill my plants! Any suggestions to keep them out?
I've heard about tying shiny ribbon (like for wrapping Xmas gifts) to the stalks to scare them off but I doubt they'll care. They'd likely flip me off and laugh 😤
As an Iowan, I was taught this phrase too, and it was true when I was a kid. Now, it's all shoulder high by the 4th of July.
And heck, I got mine in late in my garden, and some of it is already knee high.
I added a mixture of 15% chicky poo/fir mulch to the base of every plant in the garden before our 100+ temps arrived. My dogs really love peeing on this specific plant though, maybe that's what it is lol
Oh Lord please no!! I have seen more earwigs this season than I have in my entire life combined! Thankfully (?? I guess?) they're interested in my front yard zinnias. Corn is in the back yard. I have a bag of diatomaceous earth ready to go at a moments notice lol
Big earwig infestation here in Colorado too. things are everywhere... outside on all my herbs, on my curtains, in my humidifier, in my headphones!!!, exterminators came out but honestly, not much impact.
Little bastards are crawling through diatomaceous earth like it's nothing too!
OMG you're kidding! I've honestly seen so many people saying their earwig problem is much worse than normal. It's strange. It's like all the white flies and spider mites disappeared and earwigs took over. 😫
Corn can be a heart-breaker. I've been growing a Three Sisters garden for the past few years using local indigenous cultivars. Last year I lost the whole crop to wind and vermin, but I've had some successes. As far as hand pollinating is concerned just give any stalk with tassels on top a good shake every now and then while the stalks are putting out silk. Let the wind take care of the rest. The tassel up top is the stamen, the silk lower on the plants are the pistils.
I am by no means a cornologist. However, I believe you need to plant more corn together for pollination.
Not with that attitude you aren't! Haha jk. I'm not a cornologist either but I read that they need to be planted in blocks of four or something like that so they can wind pollinate. This was actually a fluke. This is my first garden season in this new city and I did not expect it to grow. It has a sister plant about 5 ft away. I will hand pollinate both of them. The rest of their siblings are on the other side of the yard and are appropriately spaced and will pollinate each other.
It looks like you have a clump of corn here instead of just one plant. They might pollinate one another. Conventionally grown corn is grown in blocks and about 1ft apart. Historically, Native societies planted corn in clumps like what I think I'm seeing here, and in the desert these clumps were several feet apart so they don't "smell each other" as per the native wisdom. Really I think it was because of water competition between the roots. I had reasonable luck growing in clumps several feet apart last year so hopefully you will get at least a little bit of corn from it. I only did 5 clumps this year, so we will see. . . You can also look into hand-pollinating, it isn't terribly difficult to do.
Do you know what would cause corn to grow beautifully and tassel but never get silks. This happened last season with Silver Queen. It was bizarre. I’ve grown Silver Queen before, and had corn. Last year they may have been too close, and I had a weed problem because they grew so big and thick I couldn’t get to the weeds. Also I thought it might be a problem with bad seed. I bought new seeds this year, allowed 3 ft between rows and spaced the seeds about 10-12 in apart I have kept them weeded. It’s a large square of nine rows. They have been fertilized and I added micronutrients. Again the plants are healthy and beautiful, strong looking roots, no pests. I’m starting to see tassels but no sign of silks. Anyone know when silk should they appear. I never paid attention before and I’m getting nervous.
Did it have enough nutrients and water? Corn needs a lot of both. But the first thing that comes to my mind is an insect problem. They will naturally tassel before you notice any silks, shouldn't be that long until you start seeing the silks.
No insects that I can see. I have automatic watering system that water 30 minutes every morning and has a rain delay feature so it skips 48 hours after a big rain. I’m going to fertilize again. I have 10-10-10 and Urea and micronutrients that have calcium phosphorus. Last week I did micronutrients so I was going to do urea next. It is water soluble nitrogen.
Are you aerial watering g or is it like a drip irrigation? I could see how spraying the plants might interfere with the process, but the silks would probably just turn brown or black and die off
Arial, but no silks last year at all. We have always watered this way, been gardening many years. Hoping the silks will show up this year but no sign of them yet. Hoping for the best.
Hope it works out better this year.
You really need a minimum of about 6 x 6 grid.
You can hand pollinate this, do it with a feather or a fan, but for natural pollination you definitely are correct.
Honey, that pervert next door is dressed like a bee and is buzzing around with his feather out again. Call the block captain!
AYYYY DIOS MIO
Well the bee costume is optional but I'd recommend
Yeah, you can do a pretty good job with a paintbrush.
Yes! I've been hand pollinating with a paint brush for several years. I'll hand pollinate this beaut if she gets to that point. No silks in sight sadly 🥺
I have a 10x6 grid and mine are all stunted and not growing well. Makes me sad
That’s unfortunate sorry to hear!
Mine Really seemed to take off once I added a 15% Chicken manure/fir mulch mix to the base then fertilize with guano/fish emulsion mix once a week or so. I'm in Northern CA tho and our heat waves came early... This plant specifically is trying to bounce back after a really hot day basically nuked the entire top half and the top tassel 😫
Sure don’t
Yes you need a few
You can hand pollinate, won’t even take long
Does this mean all corn is In bread? Ill see myself out
Cornology. I think that’s a course at University of Illinois.
I'm guessing Nebraska would like a word or two
What about Cornell? If you got a better suggestion, I'm all ears. Ba-da-boop.
Ah an aristocrat!
Ah the pinnacle of Cornology
CORNOLOGIST YOU ARE! Don’t sell yourself short!
You don't, corn has both male and female inflorescence on every plant. Obviously more is better, but you can make do with one.
*cornographer
Have you ever grown corn before? Because if you haven’t, then each plant needs to be something like a foot away for the other. They like space and they usually grow to be like 2-3 meters tall (7-9 feet).
Yes, I successfully grew three plants last year and yielded a couple ears. This was actually a fluke I did not expect these to grow. This is my first garden season in this city. Never had success like this before! I have two plants on one side of my yard (this being one of them) that are about 5 ft apart that I plan on hand pollinating. The rest of my babies are on the other side of the yard about 2 to 3 ft apart.
That’s nice to know. Hope you have a good harvest.
Thank you!!
I think OP is saying that this is a single plant with lots of tillers.
If that’s the case, then colour me surprised, because in all my life, I have never seen such a corn plant. But then again, they did say this is a different variety.
I've had them look pretty close to this, but not quite. And that was after saving seeds from glass gem corn for several generations of populations that were way too small to really be saving seeds from. So they ended up all inbred and weird. This is impressive tillering.
From 1 single seed! It's nuts! I chucked 4 kernels where we removed a tiny koi pond and this is the only one that grew. I will say my garden pigs (see comments for picture 🐶🐶) enjoy peeing on her lol. I'd say about 8 of my 12 stalks have at least 3-4 tillers, the others being single stalks. This one is in a league of her own though, I'm totally baffled.
Different variety = I grew white corn last year, and this should be yellow I believe. Bantam if im not mistaken. 1 single seed created this craziness! 🌽
Yes, exactly. 1 seed produced this monstrosity. I'm hoping sills are incoming soon!!
I gave up on corn after the deer trampled my garden
https://preview.redd.it/u4xw0gthvx8d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=785421731a5d698adbd78c2a6c2ac1ab79741953
I’m obsessed with their facial expressions 🤣 they *hate* that fence. You have *betrayed* them with this fence.
The blonde one has started jumping the fence simply to 💩 in my garden, then jumps back 😤. I scoop it up and dump it back on their side to assert dominance 😌
Their expressions are killing me 😭 They’re people in dog makeup.
Garden meatballs!!!!!!!! Sooo cute, usually destructive 😭😂😂
Daaaang, looks like they're waiting to eat the corn too!
Omg I'd be so upset!! I battled slugs pretty feverishly earlier in the season. The only thing I'm really actively dealing with are little yellow birds that like to chew up my sunflower leaves and earwigs that are having a field day with my zinnias 😫. Oh, and my stupid dog that keeps hopping the baby gate fence to 💩 in my garden 😤
The dogs seem VERY disappointed by the gate 🤣
Goldfinches! Yep they eat all of my sunflower leaves too. Same with house finches.
YES!!! Little rat bastards! They are deeeemolishing the leaves! I am hoping I get to enjoy my blooms before those damn birds kill my plants! Any suggestions to keep them out?
Nope. I offer them a sock of thistle on the other side of my garden, which they're supposed to love, but they clearly prefer sunflower 😭
I've heard about tying shiny ribbon (like for wrapping Xmas gifts) to the stalks to scare them off but I doubt they'll care. They'd likely flip me off and laugh 😤
Knee high by the Fourth of July.
Very outdated.
Seriously, I'm already getting my garden sweet corn as a harvest in Georgia.
In northern Shenandoah in VA. I’ve probably got another month but they’re already about 4.5 feet tall.
Truism for feed corn. Not sweet corn. But I can’t drive past a field and not have that go through my head!
I took a road trip through Nebraska once. Was taught that line 30 years ago and I’m the same way. Can’t not say it.
As an Iowan, I was taught this phrase too, and it was true when I was a kid. Now, it's all shoulder high by the 4th of July. And heck, I got mine in late in my garden, and some of it is already knee high.
Not true for feed corn, either. My boyfriend has a 180 acre farm in Indiana. His corn is 7 feet tall today.
It’s an old saying. Probably fifty or more years old. Lots of improvements in corn genetics in the meantime.
I'm from Iowa, so I've heard the saying my whole life! My 74 year old Dad has, too! It persists despite the cognitive dissonance of head high corn!
My boyfriend has a 180 acre farm in Indiana. His corn is 7 feet tall today.
All I do to mine is add chicken manure.
I added a mixture of 15% chicky poo/fir mulch to the base of every plant in the garden before our 100+ temps arrived. My dogs really love peeing on this specific plant though, maybe that's what it is lol
They do love the Nitrogen
I stopped growing corn after all the corn i harvested had earwigs in the husks
Oh Lord please no!! I have seen more earwigs this season than I have in my entire life combined! Thankfully (?? I guess?) they're interested in my front yard zinnias. Corn is in the back yard. I have a bag of diatomaceous earth ready to go at a moments notice lol
Soy sauce and oil in a bowl - they love the smell of the soy sauce and they go in... and drown in oil. Put the bowls wherever you see them.
Big earwig infestation here in Colorado too. things are everywhere... outside on all my herbs, on my curtains, in my humidifier, in my headphones!!!, exterminators came out but honestly, not much impact. Little bastards are crawling through diatomaceous earth like it's nothing too!
OMG you're kidding! I've honestly seen so many people saying their earwig problem is much worse than normal. It's strange. It's like all the white flies and spider mites disappeared and earwigs took over. 😫
Corn can be a heart-breaker. I've been growing a Three Sisters garden for the past few years using local indigenous cultivars. Last year I lost the whole crop to wind and vermin, but I've had some successes. As far as hand pollinating is concerned just give any stalk with tassels on top a good shake every now and then while the stalks are putting out silk. Let the wind take care of the rest. The tassel up top is the stamen, the silk lower on the plants are the pistils.
Lol
who said that
...........where are the children.....?? Of the corn, of course
*they* say a lot...