Dumb corn question

Gena575 7/13/2012, 8:30 pm

I planted an 8x4 block of corn. It looks so pretty...tall, green and strong. It is starting to tassel. Buuuuut. There are no ears forming at all. What? I think the variety is Kandy Korn, IIRC. Am I being impatient? Will it make ears yet? It was planted June 1st and has been watered well and often. I wonder if the intense heat...a week of 100+ temps and no rain...had anything to do with it?

littlejo 7/13/2012, 9:50 pm

Yes, it will make ears! Most corn will start to tassel, in a day or 2 you will see a smidgen of silks peeking out of stem, then before you know it, you will have ears!
I never had the time in a row garden to watch my veggies, I always thought the ears came on first
Jo

Gena575 7/13/2012, 10:18 pm

Thanks so much! I tried Dr. Google first and I kept getting references to non pollination. I've got to have ears and silks before I can have any pollination going on LOL! I guess I'll just have to give it some more time. I'm sure my insane cherry tomato plant will give me something to do (been picking 3 weeks and have gotten nearly 5 gallons off of it...insane I tell you!)

Thanks again Smile

boffer 7/13/2012, 10:22 pm

Here is a sequence of events for the development of corn. The ear usually develops around mid-height of the stalk.

1. 104 DDs after planting: First emergence from soil
2. 308 DDs after planting: 5 leaf stage
3. 445 DDs after planting: 7 leaf stage
4. 883 DDs after planting: 5 inch tassels
5. 960 DDs after planting: 10 inch tassels
6. 1005 DDs after planting: 5% silk emergence
7. 1062 DDs after planting: 50% silk emergence
8. 1145 DDs after planting: 95% silk emergence
9. 1288 DDs after planting: 50% brown silks develop
10. 1412 DDs after planting: 95% brown silks develop
11. 1539 DDs after planting: Fresh market harvest
12. 1597 DDs after planting: Processing market harvest

The DDs are for another variety of corn, but the events will be similar for yours. There will be several days, depending on your weather, between steps 5 and 6.

Gena575 7/13/2012, 10:33 pm

Thanks Boffer. So, quick, rough, in my head math. If it took 4-5 days to emerge, then it looks like 6-8 days from beginning of tasseling to beginning of silking? That makes me feel tons better! My poor corn farming Grandpa is rolling in his grave at my ignorance.

boffer 7/13/2012, 10:43 pm

Re-wording the children's rhyme so you don't forget! J/K it's a common question.

First comes love
Then comes marriage
Then comes baby
In the baby carriage.

First comes tassels,
Then comes silk,
Then comes ???
?????????

Somebody Help!

southern gardener 7/13/2012, 11:17 pm

Boffer, what are DDs? I've tried to figure it out!! lol

boffer 7/13/2012, 11:32 pm

It's a little mis-leading; they are GDDs, growing degree days, that we talked about here:

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t13157-is-it-too-late-to-start-corn-in-zone-5

southern gardener 7/14/2012, 12:27 am

boffer wrote:It's a little mis-leading; they are GDDs, growing degree days, that we talked about here:

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t13157-is-it-too-late-to-start-corn-in-zone-5

I read it and still don't get it? I must be sloooow! Embarassed

lol

104 DDs after planting: First emergence from soil

What does the 104 stand for? Can't be 104 days affraid

?? grrrrr...i wanna understand this!! haha

boffer 7/14/2012, 1:18 am

It's my understanding that there's a Rookie Topic in the works for GDDs, so here's the Cliff Notes (remember them?!)

Here's a common formula used to calculate GDD's for a day:
high temp + low temp, divide by 2, subtract 50 equals the heat units for the day

Here's a chart that I cropped showing the accumulation of GDDs at an automatic weather station a few miles from my house.

The first two weeks of January this year. The DD50 column is the number per day. The CUMDD50 column is the accumulative total to date.
Dumb corn question 126410

The last two weeks at my house
Dumb corn question 126510

You can see that they don't accumulate very fast in my climate. In parts of the country where they're seeing 100° days and 70° nights, that's 35 GDDs per day.

In the link I posted above, there's a link to a GDD calculator, by zip code.

CharlesB 7/14/2012, 1:22 am

The DD's from above are cumulative.

Code:: (Max. Temp. + Min. Temp.) - 50 GDD = ------------------------------- 2

Maximum temperatures higher than 86F are entered as 86 and temperatures below 50 F are entered as 50 in the formula.

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/procrop/crn/crngdd04.htm

boffer 7/14/2012, 1:48 am

CharlesB wrote:
Maximum temperatures higher than 86F are entered as 86 and temperatures below 50 F are entered as 50 in the formula.

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/procrop/crn/crngdd04.htm

I chose a general purpose formula for simplicity; you quoted a formula that someone else uses for a specific purpose.

This is from the website where I got my stats:

A degree-day is a heat unit calculated on a daily basis, usually using the daily max and min temperature. Not all degree-days are equivalent or are directly comparible. Various formulas are used that produce different results. We can also vary the lower threshold, use or not use an upper threshold, and vary that as well.

genes 7/14/2012, 2:40 am

charlesb wrote:The DD's from above are cumulative.

My englislh isnt the greatest but does this mean you're both right? LOL

ac·cu·mu·la·tive/əˈkyo͞omyələtiv/
Adjective: Gathering or growing by gradual increases.
Synonyms: cumulative

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