Help - sweetcorn seedling are dying!

[Slug]

Hi....

I'm hoping someone can help!

I planted sweetcorn seedlings a while back. A week ago I had 3 trays of lovely healthy seedlings, but yesterday I checked in my plastic 'make do' greenhouse/cold frame and some of my seedling have disappeared (they're on the top shelf and there's no sign of slugs or mice etc...). Some of the others appeared to be flopping over as though they were damping off, but I thought the seedlings were too big/too old for this.

I checked again today and more have died. I still have about half of my seedlings looking healthy, but I'm worried they're damping off and that it will affect them all. I don't think it's wilting in the heat that's causing the problem.

Does anybody have any ideas? Do you think I should take them out of the greenhouse/coldframe and put them out in the fresh air (incase it's damping off?).

It's the first time I've tried sweetcorn, so I've no idea what's going on....

Slug

[poultrychat]

I'm afraid I don't know the answer slug but I think I would take them out of the cover just in case it helps. I don't know how big your seedlings are but mine are all outside and doing ok

[clareg]

Hi,

My sweetcorn are about 8 inches high now and have been outside for about 4 weeks. Despite having to fleece them during a cold spell (leaves turned yellow) they seem to be doing ok. I have noticed a couple have recently started to look like they are collapsing.

Have a look around the base for any white maggots (about 5mm long). The only thing I came up with when I researched was "frit fly" which attack oats and sweetcorn. They lay eggs in the soil and then eat up through the roots and lower stems. I'm going to the allotment tonight to have a look myself.

Might not be your problem, but it's worth a look!

Treament would be a insecticide powder around the soil and picking off any maggots found. I'd prefer a more natural method but haven't come up with anything yet.


Clareg

[leona]

i started mine on a window sill then moved them into a cold greenhouse. i planted mine out at the end of that awful week of weather so about 10-14 days ago and they are fine. i would plant them out. what have you got to lose?

[Slug]

I'll check tonight to see if there are any suspicious creatures lurking around the soil - it's a bit of a mystery because they were all doing so well!

My seedlings aren't huge because I think I started them a bit late - they're about 3 inches tall, so I'd have thought they were past the critial stage where damping off could be a problem.

I think I'll look to plant them out this evening - after all.... protecting them doesn't appear to be doing anything so I guess I've nothing to lose really! Might as well try to do something with the healthy ones while they're still OK!

Slug