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This is my first year growing corn. It hasn't done too well. I have kernels missing from the cobs, cobs not completely filling out, and a problem with earwigs, aphids, and ants. I know the kernel issue was caused from watering issues early in the development of the cobs. I fertilized every two weeks as recommended by the garden center I purchased the plants, sprayed for the bugs (only once), and still had low producing plants and bug infestation. Anyone experienced with corn that can tell me what I did wrong so I can do better next year?
hmmm, when I was growing up, we planted a lot of corn...never had the kind of problmes you're experiencing, at least not all together.
First of all, did you say you purchased "Plants?" Did you really transplant corn? Does anyone do this? I'm not being facetious, I just seriously have never seen it done, never seen corn plants for sale, always from seed. I've also never heard of fertilizing corn more than once. So, without knowing the answers to those, I'd say, plant from seed, high quality seed, not drug store seed, use a high nitrogen fertilizer once plants are knee high. how many stalks are you growing? Personally I wouldn't bother growing it unless I had space for at least 4 rows, maybe 6 or 8 plants per row, at the very smallest. Growing up we probably planted 50 or more rows 50 feet long, so that was some serious growning just for family and friend consumption. The bugs are going to be highly dependent on the year.
Yes I purchased plants, I was at the Nursery in town and saw they had corn plants so I purchased some (I was getting a late start on my garden). I planted 12 rows of 6 stalks each row. The plants were only about 5" tall when I planted them. The fertilizer I used was high in nitrogen. I planted sunflowers between the rows of corn (I saw someone else do this and the corn was great). Do you think that could have been part of the problem? Sunflowers are doing great by the way.
hmmm, when I was growing up, we planted a lot of corn...never had the kind of problmes you're experiencing, at least not all together.
First of all, did you say you purchased "Plants?" Did you really transplant corn? Does anyone do this? I'm not being facetious, I just seriously have never seen it done, never seen corn plants for sale, always from seed. I've also never heard of fertilizing corn more than once. So, without knowing the answers to those, I'd say, plant from seed, high quality seed, not drug store seed, use a high nitrogen fertilizer once plants are knee high. how many stalks are you growing? Personally I wouldn't bother growing it unless I had space for at least 4 rows, maybe 6 or 8 plants per row, at the very smallest. Growing up we probably planted 50 or more rows 50 feet long, so that was some serious growning just for family and friend consumption. The bugs are going to be highly dependent on the year.
>"Plants?" Did you really transplant corn?<
I've never heard of this and will wager that's your problem along with over fertilizing. Bugs attack weak or stressed plants. High quality seed is a must, imo.
Every single kernel on an ear of corn needs to be pollinated in order to develop, and the pollen a plant produces is only 'good' for a day or so. So, you need lots of plants making pollen at the exact time the other plants need to be fertilized. The plants need to be near each other so the pollen can blow from one plant to the other. You will not get good kernel production therefore unless you plant lots of plants, the more the better, and planting in a square works the best. You probably did not have enough plants.
Next year I will plant from seeds for sure, lesson learned. I planted 72 plants and they were in a rectangle 12x6. Other people in my area have been successful with this configuration. I didn't want to plant much more corn than my family will eat, that's why I didn't plant more than I did. Next year I'll double my crop. I spaced my plants about 8" apart. Which is what was recommended at the nursery.
I just pulled up all of my corn, sorting through what is salvageable and what is not. Earwigs seemed to be a big problem, even after spraying for them. I probably should have sprayed sooner but I was trying to keep my garden as organic/pesticide free as possible. And as Rust said bugs attack weak or stressed plants.
I guess I've learned a few things about corn this year. Next year I'll give it a go again and hope for better results. Thanks for all your input!
We took over a raised garden bed just under a year ago. It was the wrong time of year to start from seeds, so we planted seedlings/plants. Including corn - just three stalks because we didn't have a lot of space. Our corn grew and developed just fine.
This year we planted six seedling/stalks of corn, in one row. They're growing and developing fine. We harvested the first ear (it had a lot of ants on it, but the corn was fine) just a couple of days ago, and it's looking like more are soon going to be ready.
So we seem to be the 'exception to the rule' for several of the guidelines you all are mentioning. Maybe it's because we're planting in a raised bed instead of into the ground?
We took over a raised garden bed just under a year ago. It was the wrong time of year to start from seeds, so we planted seedlings/plants. Including corn - just three stalks because we didn't have a lot of space. Our corn grew and developed just fine.
This year we planted six seedling/stalks of corn, in one row. They're growing and developing fine. We harvested the first ear (it had a lot of ants on it, but the corn was fine) just a couple of days ago, and it's looking like more are soon going to be ready.
So we seem to be the 'exception to the rule' for several of the guidelines you all are mentioning. Maybe it's because we're planting in a raised bed instead of into the ground?
As a kid I did about the same thing but with seed planted about two feet apart. It could have been the variety (strain) the OP planted didn't suit his/her area. It never hurts to see your county agent or Agricultural Extension office and take a soil sample in for analysis. As an adult I grew "Yellow Dent" as a treat for my pets and myself. Mine was highly enriched and prepared soil. I used small fish heads and mulched water hyacinth from the river. Corn plants have very fine fibrous roots. I wouldn't think they would transplant well IF you have to remove them from their container. A peat moss container could be planted intact so as not to damage the root system.
This whole concept of transplanting corn really blows my mind. I'm not doubting anyone, I've just never ever ever seen corn seedlings for sale and I live in the middle of corn country...so, *ker-plow.* I was wondering about quantity and configuartion because of pollenation as someone else asked, the 12 x 6 arrangement should provide for plenty of pollenation, I'd be concerned if it was 6 stalks or one long row, something odd like that. I've never seen sunflower planted, I'm guessing maybe it's a harmonious plant, probably a nitrogen giver, I wonder if it attracts insects that might not otherwise be attracted. You talk about ants - we have plenty of ants but I've never seen ants in corn - that's odd to me , but obviously common there as two CA posters have commented on it. The only other issues I'd have with sunflowers would be if they sucked up too much water or shaded your corn too much. How tall were the sunflowers at corn pollenation time? Is it pssible they could have interferred with pollenation? Since you're going to double crop next year, maybe you could plant one section with sunflowers and the other without and see how different they fare.
We used to plant the seed two kernels every 6-8 inches (about the length of a 10 yo's foot ;-) ) and the rows probably 2 ft apart (so we could use the tiller to cultivate) I don't see any reason they'd need to be more than a ft to 1 1/2 ft apart. That was good ol' "IO-Chief" corn...wonder if they even make it anymore....
Just wondering, how much do corn seedlings cost there? And how much is a dozen ears of corn...here we pay $3.00 - 3.50 a dozen (and get 13) for nice big ears.
The spacing everyone is doing is a remnant from commercial farming. First it was 39" between rows so horses could pull the cultivator Then they changed to 30" the limit was tire width and Combine head manufacture. The next was 24" again tire width Now they are playing with something near 12-15" Hoping to cut two rows with each head opening. The cultivator/sprayer tires are now in the 9" width so they can go closer
The point is that they can get better yields and use less chemicals because the leaves of the plants shade the ares between the rows faster (canopy stage)
The next time I grow corn I'm going to try 6" row spacing and 4-5" plant spacing keeping the bed 4' long and how many rows wide as I plan on using. that way I can use a hoe from each side and cultivate the rows real fast I might also just do 6 rows at a planting waiting 2 weeks and then planting again repeating for four sessions so that I have an extended harvest that is what the SC growers here do. That would be a yield of up to 72 ears every two weeks
I would cultivate right after the plants become about 3" tall and then mulch with dry grass clippings if I had them.
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This is my first year growing corn. It hasn't done too well. I have kernels missing from the cobs, cobs not completely filling out, and a problem with earwigs, aphids, and ants. I know the kernel issue was caused from watering issues early in the development of the cobs. I fertilized every two weeks as recommended by the garden center I purchased the plants, sprayed for the bugs (only once), and still had low producing plants and bug infestation. Anyone experienced with corn that can tell me what I did wrong so I can do better next year?
