First time growing corn

Hello everyone getting ready to plant some corn and have some questions.

1. i have a 4 x 6 box do i plant all the corn at once or do something else

2. i know that corn is a heavy feeder do i add something while planting and do i need to add anything during the growing of the corn

thanks for your help.

I checked our Search feature and found 140 threads on corn! A very popular item for the garden. Someone plants in succession, like 2' x 4', then 2 weeks later another 2' x 4', etc. I hope someone in your region can comment on whether it is too late for succession planting, and what short season corn will work.

bigblue94 wrote:Hello everyone getting ready to plant some corn and have some questions.

1. i have a 4 x 6 box do i plant all the corn at once or do something else

2. i know that corn is a heavy feeder do i add something while planting and do i need to add anything during the growing of the corn

thanks for your help.

Usually I plant corn in 4 x 8 foot beds.  I usually plant different varieties with different DTM in different boxes thereby harvesting corn at different dates.  This year I am planting Silver Queen Corn only.  I am planting it in three different 3 x 8 foot beds.  I started real early and planted a 3 x 4 foot area every week.  But I am having to hand pollinate because corn is wind pollinated (mostly) and the wind just blows the pollen away from the silks because the planting area is so small.

Yes, corn is a heavy feeder.  It needs lots of nitrogen at different times in the growth cycle.

I can't speak to growing corn in a square foot bed. As I understand it (similar to what Yolos mentioned), corn is wind pollinated and should be planted in multiple stands of at least 4' x 4' for best production.

The first week of July, last year, I planted four separate stands of 'Early Sunglow,' in groups of five or six grow bags each, along with several rows directly sown in the ground. I got good germination and healthy stalks, but lost the ears, in September, to hungry animals before I could harvest the crop.

Good luck with the effort; please let us know how it goes!

I've planted a 4' x 4' with corn, which is doing fairly well, although not all seeds germinated.

They look a bit yellowish, despite having been planted with a 5+-way amendment that was heavy on manure-based compost.

Could there be too much nitrogen in the mix?  If so, how should I fix it?

yolos wrote:

Usually I plant corn in 4 x 8 foot beds.  I usually plant different varieties with different DTM in different boxes thereby harvesting corn at different dates.  

Yolos, did you hand pollinate and bag your corn?

I'll be growing three separate types of corn this year and am slightly worried about mutant corn.

donnainzone5 wrote:I've planted a 4' x 4' with corn, which is doing fairly well, although not all seeds germinated.

They look a bit yellowish, despite having been planted with a 5+-way amendment that was heavy on manure-based compost.

Could there be too much nitrogen in the mix?  If so, how should I fix it?

Has it been cold and wet?  That results in yellow seedlings.  SHould resolve.  Corn loves nitrogen, heavy feeder.

Yes, it has been fairly chilly and wet.  It's supposed to warm up in a day or two.

SwampTroll wrote:

yolos wrote:

Usually I plant corn in 4 x 8 foot beds.  I usually plant different varieties with different DTM in different boxes thereby harvesting corn at different dates.  

Yolos, did you hand pollinate and bag your corn?

I'll be growing three separate types of corn this year and am slightly worried about mutant corn.

Last year I planted three different varieties on the same date.  They all dropped pollen at different times so there was no need to bag.  This year, all my corn was the same variety so no need to bag either.  I did hand pollinate when I was able to time the pollen dropping.  I actually cut off the tassel and used it as a brush to pollinate the silks.

I planted extra corn seeds per square  because I heard not all would germinate so I ended up with 8 per square 6 squares total they are about an inch tall when and how should I thin them  thanks for your help.

Yeah, baby corn!
MOve them now. Just gently dig them up, take some dirt with each root so you disturb the root as little as possible.

or just clip them with scissors

first time growing corn these are about 10 - 12 inches high and they are starting to lean towards the south the direction of the sun is. What should I do if anything or will they straighten themselves out. The smaller ones on the left is the second planting, they are growing pretty well considering hasn't been the best weather this year thanks for your help.

This is what happened to a little stand on corn for me.  I pounded in 4 stakes and strategically used string to support them. 'll try to take a photo tomorrow.

Yolos always has a good garden.  There are photos in this thread showing how she protects the corn from falling over.  https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t21669-2017-corn-pictures?highlight=corn+support

sanderson wrote:This is what happened to a little stand on corn for me.  I pounded in 4 stakes and strategically used string to support them.  'll try to take a photo tomorrow.

Yolos always has a good garden.  There are photos in this thread showing how she protects the corn from falling over.  https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t21669-2017-corn-pictures?highlight=corn+support

Oh No!!!  

update well mother nature has it out for my garden this year big storm came through last night and now they are reallly leaning.They are not broken or uprooted should I leave them be hoping they spring back and if not all the way stake them until they stronger and bigger

bigblue94 wrote:
update well mother nature has it out for my garden this year big storm came through last night and now they are reallly leaning.They are not broken or uprooted should I leave them be hoping they spring back and if not all the way stake them until they stronger and bigger

I would stake them.  It looks like you have then in a sort of row.  So you could put a stake on both sides of the bed at each row and run a string across the bed to help hold them up.  Or do a Florida Weave.  They may spring back up by themselves but would just get blown over again.  You can try to straighten them and then hill dirt up around the stalks.

It looks like a row but have 4 corn per square I'll let them go a day or 2 and see what happens otherwise stake with string like you suggested thanks for the advice

They should spring back but giving them some help via support poles and string is a good idea. MM is so friable that tall things like corn tend to fall over. I have had storms lay it down and it then stand up enough to tassle and pollinate and make good ears. This year I looked at what Yolo does and put a short fence around the corn and laid poles across to give additional support.

Turan wrote:Yolos . . . put a short fence around the corn and laid poles across to give additional support.

I just pictured a chicken wire surround with little poles crossing or criss-crossing through the chicken wire holes.  That should be a fairly inexpensive version.  Didn't Boffer have a PVC corral around his corn, like 3' or 4' high?  Or maybe it was at two different heights like 2' and 4'?

Here is my feeble attempt to straighten up the Gem Corn with sticks in the ground and string.

The following is a copy of a post I made to another thread that might help understand some of the ways I have tried to keep corn from blowing over.

Here is the link and my post on keeping corn standing.
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t15216p75-growing-corn?highlight=corn

 Re: growing corn
  yolos on 5/27/2017, 4:17 pm

@Turan wrote:What methods have you all had good success with keeping the cornfrom blowing over? I have been pondering a Florida weave but worry that would inhibit pollination of the ears. I could just stretch a string trellis mesh about a foot up.  Do you think that would be enough?

I use the Florida Weave on my corn to keep it from blowing over.  A few pictures follow.  These are 3 x 8 beds.  I put 4 plants across the narrow side forming a short row and as the corn grows, I hill the dirt up around the stalks.  There are 8 rows spaced 1 foot apart.  I put a stake at each end of the bed and weave the string in and out of the stalks.  When I get to the end of the bed I wrap the string around the stake and go back weaving in and out until I get back to where I started.  That keeps it from blowing over in one direction but not the other direction.  It does help but then I put small bamboo stakes across the short side of the bed right next to the stalks.  Because I have a low fence around each bed I can just slip the bamboo stakes thru the fencing on each side of the bed.  As the corn grows taller, I move the string higher up on the stalk.  Sorry, not very well explained.  The pictures may help.

Enlarge this image Click to see fullsize


Enlarge this image Click to see fullsize


Enlarge this image Click to see fullsize


I have three beds that are each 3 x 8 feet.  I planted succession style so I am almost ready to harvest my first planting.  I used season extension methods and planting seeds indoors in small pots and transplanting outside after seedlings emerge (about 7 days).  I hope this works.  I am trying to hand pollinate so I cut off the tassels and dust the silks.  Only problem is, we have had frequent rains and wind so pollen is not behaving for me to successfully hand pollinate.  We shall see but at least none of the stalks fell over in the wind.

Enlarge this image Click to see fullsize


One year I did put a wooden trellis horizontally across a 4 x 8 bed and kept raising it as the corn stalks grew.  That worked well but I eventually took the trellis apart to use the wood for some other project.

Another year I did the Florida weave going down the long side of the bed then also did the Florida weave across the short side of the bed.  That worked well also but wasted too much string and time.


Another corn thread.
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t21669-2017-corn-pictures?
highlight=corn

I had some silks pop out yesterday and attempted to do some hand pollinating this evening.  It was my first try and I don't think it went very well.  I shook the tassles inside a jar.  ( I didn't remove them from the plant.  The thought of that kind of scared me:face:). I did catch a good amount of anthers in the jar (both red and tan colored ones), but not very much fine powder at all.  I did my best to scrape up what powder I did get with a paintbrush and tapped it over the silks.  Because I didn't get much, I also sprinkled the anthers on the silk as well.  I could be wrong but I figured it couldn't hurt.  After attempting the process once, I have some questions .  Shocker; me with questions ! Right .
1.  What is the difference between the red and tan anthers?  All of the plants are silver Queen.
2.  Could the pollen already have dried up, or has it not yet fully filled the tassles?  Is there a way to know that?
3. If I were to take the tassles off, would more grow back?  I only have 16 plants so I wouldn't want to remove too many tassles because I'm supposed to keep pollinating for a week. Seems like I would run out .
4.  What procedures do you guys use when you hand pollinate?

1 and 2 - don't know.
3. No, they won't grow back.
4. Tap or shake the attached tassels. A fine spore-looking powder is released.

I hope someone who knows corn can help you.

brianj555 wrote:I had some silks pop out yesterday and attempted to do some hand pollinating this evening.  It was my first try and I don't think it went very well.  I shook the tassles inside a jar.  ( I didn't remove them from the plant.  The thought of that kind of scared me:face:). I did catch a good amount of anthers in the jar (both red and tan colored ones), but not very much fine powder at all.  I did my best to scrape up what powder I did get with a paintbrush and tapped it over the silks.  Because I didn't get much, I also sprinkled the anthers on the silk as well.  I could be wrong but I figured it couldn't hurt.  After attempting the process once, I have some questions .  Shocker; me with questions ! Right .
1.  What is the difference between the red and tan anthers?  All of the plants are silver Queen.
2.  Could the pollen already have dried up, or has it not yet fully filled the tassles?  Is there a way to know that?
3. If I were to take the tassles off, would more grow back?  I only have 16 plants so I wouldn't want to remove too many tassles because I'm supposed to keep pollinating for a week. Seems like I would run out .
4.  What procedures do you guys use when you hand pollinate?

1.  I grow silver queen every year and have never paid attention to the red/tan anthers difference.  ??????
2.  Yes there is a way to know if you start paying attention to the tassels early enough.  I have two methods.  The first is to look for the bees to hover around the tassels.  The second method is to go out every day after the dew dries and tap the stalk.  If pollen falls off, then it is ready to hand pollinate.  If no pollen falls off the tassels, then it is either too early (pollen is not ready) or too late (pollen has already dropped and you missed your main chance).  
3.  No the tassels will not grtow back.
4.  When the tassels are dropping pollen, I gently cut off the tassels (on the stalks with ears that have silks).  then I use the tassels like a paint brush and paint the silks.  I do this every day as long as the pollen is dropping.  I don't cut all tassels off each stalk at one time.  I think the pollen will drop for 2-3 days so I spread the dusting of the pollen over a few days.  Don't know why, that is just what I do.

Yolos, no arguing with your success!