Sweet corn swift rubbish

[Jimmy]

Grew 16 plants of Swift in a 4x4 block.
Plants have done really well.
Huge beasts with tassles on top.
Each has 2 or three cobs with silks.
Some turned brown a week or so ago.
So boiled a pan of water and picked the best looking cob.
The kernals were very small and tasted rubbish.

Any ideas???
Thanks Jimmy

[burnie]

Picked too early? I grew it last year and it was good tasting and plenty of sized kernels.

[Snoop Puss]

Or possibly even picked too late, so the kernels dry out and go wrinkly and floury.

How do you test your corn for readiness? Me, I peel back the husk a bit and press down on a kernel, if it exudes a thin but milky liquid, they're ready. If thin and not milky, the corn's not ready yet; if thick and milky, they've gone too far.

Edited to add: Or possibly someone nearby is growing a different variety and that has cross pollinated with yours, producing unsatisfactory kernels.

[quanglewangle]

Further to Snoop's excellent advice: peeling down some husk is non-destructive; it doesn't seem to do any harm.

[quanglewangle]

Cross pollination

Or possibly someone nearby is growing a different variety and that has cross pollinated with yours, producing unsatisfactory kernels.

Are you sure about this? My understanding is the x pollination affects the next generation, not the current one.

[Martin H]

Are you sure about this? My understanding is the x pollination affects the next generation, not the current one.

It's because with sweet corn we eat the actual seeds, which ARE the next generation.

[Snadger]

I always eat mine raw direct from the plant. I always make sure the tassels are dark brown and dead before even trying the cobs.

Mine are no where near ready yet.

[Jimmy]

So I will give them a week and have a peek.
Opps Iam a poet and didn't know it.
Jimmy

[quanglewangle]

Swift - our experience

Just looked back at seed packets. We did Swift also. Sown in plug trays 14 March in greenhouse; planted out last week of April in 5 by 5 block. The wind got two rows so we were left with a 3 by 5 block. (we don't get much in way of frost but do get very strong winds)

Started harvesting about 2 weeks ago: eaten about 6 and have about 8 more in freezer. Getting a bit course now - have to eat faster!

We did have some hermaphrodite flowers at some of the tops (where you expect male flowers). They were mostly male but also had a kind of vestigial ear with silks and a few kernels. We are an equal opportunity outfit so we ignored them. Didn't seem to affect quality.

[1Bee]

Swift confused me last year (I think it was last year...) because the tassels actually went brown some weeks (yes, weeks!) before the cobs were ready. Now I just keep checking as they start to look ready. Mine aren't nearly ready yet.

[Trouvere]

As in most years, the male flowers opened, shed their pollen, dried up, and then a short while later the female flowers appeared. I have some cobs with about 1/3 filled kernels, and I will definitely have a lot of cobs with no pollination at all. How do I encourage them to synchronise properly??

[1Bee]

Fab resource showing the stages of ripening... https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn...grainfill.html

[quanglewangle]

Fab resource showing the stages of ripening... https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn...grainfill.html

Those US universities' extension sites are a great resource.

[monkeyboy]

I harvested a single cob last week to try and although small about a third of the size of a normal cob, it was tasty. I haven't gotten round to harvesting the remainder and the ears are brown now.

[Snoop Puss]

As in most years, the male flowers opened, shed their pollen, dried up, and then a short while later the female flowers appeared. I have some cobs with about 1/3 filled kernels, and I will definitely have a lot of cobs with no pollination at all. How do I encourage them to synchronise properly??

I don't know that you can. Sorry. That seems to be the way they do things. But usually there's enough pollen from the male flowers that open a bit later, especially if you've got tillers (the extra shoots a bit like suckers).

This often gets said but: Lark has proved more successful for me than Swift. Not everyone will agree, mind.