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Hi, I seeded my sweet corn quite early in peat pots first on window sill end of March then out in garden plastic greehouse for a few weeks before bringing it to France to put in the veg plot around 8 May. It grew really well but now it is only about 4 foot high and the tassels have already started to shrivel up and dry out but the cobs are nowhere near developed enough. I planted them in blocks of 24 about a foot apart both between plants and rows. Can anyone tell me what might be going on? I have been looking forward to my sweetcorn more than anything else and now I think I may not get a crop. The soil is clay but I have had successful crops before.
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I can't help I'm afraid. This is my first year growing sweetcorn and I look at ours (only about 18"-20" high) and wonder what are they doing?
There's strange looking things that I thought would be the cob, but from what you put are maybe the tassels?
Does anyone know/have any pictures of the growing stages of sweetcorn please?
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Did they dry out? The roots stay at the surface so they need a good soaking and a mulch helps.
@sbp:
The top of the plant has seed heads on it like grass/rice, this is the male flower. The cobs form lower down from the leaf axils and are identified by swellings which have fine threads protruding from them called silks and are the female flowers.Last edited by Capsid; 21-07-2008, 10:51 AM.Comment
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The plants look very healthy they may not have had loads of water but was watering when it was dry for more than 4 days. I opened one of the cobs yesterday which had dried out tassles and it was about 5 inches long but thin and nowhere near developed.Comment
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Here you go, as Capsid said the tall bit at the top is the male flower and if you look around the bottom you should be able to see the silks that need pollenating and eventually turn dark brown when the corn is ripe.Originally posted by smallblueplanet View PostDoes anyone know/have any pictures of the growing stages of sweetcorn please?Last edited by scarey55; 21-07-2008, 10:57 AM.A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)
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Our neighbours (house) opposite us have several plants in pots on their patio and they almost all have cobs on them.
Mine on the plot in a block of 12 are like yours sbp, only about 2ft high maximum. If I'm going to get anything from them, they need to get a wiggle on. Harvest time is August isn't it?
A simple dude trying to grow veg. http://haywayne.blogspot.com/
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Thanks scarey55, lol! I thought the 'tassel things' were the corn cobs and they'd 'shot'!
Ours are Swift f1 I've no idea when they're supposed to be ripe, but the squash underneath them are starting to grow quite well, but no flowers yet.
Last edited by smallblueplanet; 21-07-2008, 11:53 AM.To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flowerComment
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Ours haven't got silks/cobs yet either although I can see the male flowers are on their way.
If its any consolation - the ones the farmer round the corner is growing are all still only about 3 1/2 feet tall and haven't got any flowers/cobs either. And he always has a good crop so I think it must be the weather that's held everything back a bit
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But does anyone know why the tassels can go all dry and shrivelled when the cobs have not yet developed fully. It says everywhere that you need to pick them as soon as they are all shrivelled like burnt hair but if I do that I cant eat the cobs as they are underdeveloped.Comment
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Thankfully I only went for the 2 sisters approach this year as the corn is far too short to support anything like a climbing bean! Thought that last years were short but this year they seem even shorter!
Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.
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I think that normally it coincides but it isn't driven by the cobs being ready. If you planted early, the tassles might be dried up but the cobs haven't had enough heat etc to fully develop yet - leave them for another month and hopefully you'll be OK.Originally posted by louly View Post
Some of us live in the past, always talking about back then. Some of us live in the future, always planning what we are going to do. And, then there are those, who neither look behind or ahead, but just enjoy the moment of right now.
Which one are you and is it how you want to be?Comment
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That has given me some hope thanks!Comment
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Another bit of useful advice I was given by the clever peeps on here is that when the flower is fully out and the silks/tassels are showing - tap the top of the plants everytime you walk past to distribute the pollen on to the tassels otherwise, you'll end up like I did last year with not much corn on the cob.A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)
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I actually run my fingers up the flower to collect the pollen thingies and then physically drop them onto the silks. I tried the tapping thing but the pollen bits seem to go everywhere except onto the silks.Originally posted by scarey55 View Post
This feels a bit weird (too much like interfering in the plants sex life) but it got me a really well germinated set of plants last year.Cheers
T-ladyComment
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Thanks for that T-Lady, I was going to ask about the pollen going everywhere except the silks but wasn't sure how to phrase the questionOriginally posted by T-lady View Post
A garden is a lovesome thing, God wot! (Thomas Edward Brown)
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