sweetcorn

[goldwolf]

Just been sowing sweetcorn in pots and was wondering if anyone soaks seed or not ?. i have never done so myself but the seed seems very hard
thanks

[Jeanied]

I used to soak mine but found it rotted all too easily, so these days I don't.

[womble]

I found mine rotted without soaking, I used to germinate mine on open damp trays first.
A fact I just remembered.... I wished I had remembered it before I sowed my sweetcorn seed into wet compost last weekend. Doh!

[valmarg]

We don't soak the seeds.

We used to sow the seeds about half an inch deep in the compost, and got very poor germination rate. Most of the seeds rotted. We were advised to surface sow the seeds, and lightly cover with sieved compost. Since using this method we have had almost 100% germination rate.

valmarg

[Rhona]

I sow in individual card tubes, dryish/warmish compost, rest the seed on top and light compost on top, barely covering. Then water.

I had 100% germination last year (don't recall other years) and from a look at my trays today, I THINK there'll be similar this year - most are just through.

I've never soaked the seed. Good luck!

[maypril]

Just been sowing sweetcorn in pots and was wondering if anyone soaks seed or not ?. i have never done so myself but the seed seems very hard
thanks

Mine were from Unwins and are coated in a fungicide, so I sow them in modules without soaking them first.

Try chitting the seeds using some blotting paper or kitchen towel before sowing them.

[Welsh Wizard]

This year I gave an initial water with a little copper fungicide (cheshunt compound) in to minimise rotting in the modules. Seems to help.

[perkin]

I do - just overnight to soften them a bit. Haven't had any problems with rotting.

[Magiccat1978]

I put mine in between damp kitchen paper in an air tight comtainer and put them in the airing cupboard, they are usually sprouting in 24-48 hours. After this I just plant them in toilet roll tubes in sieved mp compost and they seem to be doing ok, no problems with rot etc, although this is only my 2nd year so that doesn't really go for much

[King Carrot]

I put mine in between damp kitchen paper in an air tight comtainer and put them in the airing cupboard, they are usually sprouting in 24-48 hours. After this I just plant them in toilet roll tubes in sieved mp compost and they seem to be doing ok, no problems with rot etc, although this is only my 2nd year so that doesn't really go for much

I do this too but just on a sheet of damp kitchen roll in a margerine tub with the lid on and then pop it in the airing cupboard for a day or two. Once they start sprouting I usually (trying root trainers this year!) put them right at the top of a kitchen roll tube filled with compost with just a light covering of compost dust over the sprouted seed and water sparingly till they really get going.

[ginger ninger]

I usually sow into seed compost in 3" pots then give them a light watering, place them on the bathroom windowsill I've never had a problem with germination. I'm not growing sweetcorn this year.

[pjh75]

I've never soaked any seed. I sow sweetcorn in individual pots of compost, lightly cover and water lightly and have never had any rotting. Last year I sowed a few direct as well and they came up fine too.

[Two_Sheds]

the main problem with sweetcorn appears to be over-watering (and then the seeds rot).

Last year I sowed into modules (loo rolls) without chitting: a whole packet failed to appear (Lark I think: I checked with someone else and theirs didn't come to owt either, it seemed to be that particular brand).

this year I've soaked & chitted on kitchen paper (because of lack of space) and they've all germinated (Conqueror). Now I have my greenhouse up I'll be sowing into loo rolls again soon.

[Paul Sill]

I planted mine in home made newspaper pots, didnt chit them just planted covered slightly with compost, only 2 out of 35 have not come up.

[Paulottie]

I must have tried every method over the years.

I mostly use three inch pots in propagators. I have been successful but have had a bad batch of seed before (Dobies replaced it - no fuss) subsequently had 93% germination normally get around the 90%...except for the odd soggy incident.

I always use washed pots for sweetcorn and I have to say finding a couple of hundred of those is a bit of a challenge round here at this time of year.

...But this year we have a little co-operative going at the lottie. There is a spare 1/2 plot next to a fellow who has an outside socket and an electric fence..that might just keep the badgers off!! Anyhow we figure on fitting about 450 plants on there

That's a lot of pots! (or seed if we sow two per station direct) so using chitting method...ice cream tub in airing cupboard...(just checked all sprouted in 36 hours...then bog rolls and 3" pots for first batches and later chitted sowings will be going into hole made with bulb planter and filled with compost direct. Usually use makeshift bottle cloches.