Growing local
Pollinating Corn Questions
At the Garden Visit a few of us got to talking about growing corn and pollination. Every 'silk' is a kernel on the cob and needs to be pollinated. This is why it is recommended to plant corn in large blocks to ensure that the cobs are full when harvested. However, OP sweet corn doesn't store well and really needs to be picked and eaten as soon as it is ready.
For our own consumption though, to free up beds and ensure a constant supply without a glut it would be more practical to plant say three corn seeds every week. As mentioned however, this is likely to result in half filled cobs due to poor pollination.
A few ideas were bounced around yesterday, would appreciate any feedback or advice:
* Cover the male flower (at the top of the plant) with a large paper bag tying it firmly, then tap it each day to catch the pollen. Cut the silks and carefully brush them with the pollen to ensure pollination of each one for a couple of days.
* Rubbing the pollen directly onto the silks
* Shaking the male flower each day when it isn't windy
One question that came up, if we use the first method (which is recommended for seed saving) - how long does the pollen last? For example, if we bagged say three plants and captured heaps of pollen could we put the excess in the fridge and use it on the next plants...
For our own consumption though, to free up beds and ensure a constant supply without a glut it would be more practical to plant say three corn seeds every week. As mentioned however, this is likely to result in half filled cobs due to poor pollination.
A few ideas were bounced around yesterday, would appreciate any feedback or advice:
* Cover the male flower (at the top of the plant) with a large paper bag tying it firmly, then tap it each day to catch the pollen. Cut the silks and carefully brush them with the pollen to ensure pollination of each one for a couple of days.
* Rubbing the pollen directly onto the silks
* Shaking the male flower each day when it isn't windy
One question that came up, if we use the first method (which is recommended for seed saving) - how long does the pollen last? For example, if we bagged say three plants and captured heaps of pollen could we put the excess in the fridge and use it on the next plants...
Tags: corn, pollination
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Vanessa Thompson (pomare) on -
sorry for the spelling mis haps. shake not shack. heeheehheeee
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Permalink Reply by Donna on -
Hi Vanessa, I just figured out there is a spell check - if it is spelled wrong then a red dotted line comes underneath it, click into the word, right mouse click and choose the correct word from the list...
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Permalink Reply by Vanessa Thompson (pomare) on
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ummm ok hi there toa all and im just checkig to se if hte spell check works for me??
i dotn see no red line.........heehee.
nope it doesnt work for me? i cant see no red line under all those spelling mis haps that ive just wrote.
cucumba corny bumle bee. Nope doesnt work for me? maybe my settings or something are different or maybe its my computer? do you have a programe that picks up on your spelling?
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Permalink Reply by Vanessa Thompson (pomare) on
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very special. the site might not like me or my computer. (computer is due for a up grade, 8 years old now but keeps on going, beebs at us every now and then but does the job lol)
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Permalink Reply by Florence on -
I didn't get the auto-spellcheck at work, but do at home. Maybe it's the browser? I am on Safari with Windows Vista, but use firefox with Window XP at work.
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Permalink Reply by Donna on
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Huh, knew I read it somewhere! On the *packet* duh, it says 18 days from when silks emerge then start checking for ripeness. Wish I had read that this morning before I butchered a cob (and tied it back up with a hair tie lol)... I was getting sick of trying to pick out tassels every day and thought maybe I was doing it wrong as they just broke off.
So if they started showing silks on 30/10 then I should start checking in five more days and see if the silks still break off!
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