You wanna know how to germinate sweetcorn?

[gojiberry]

Haven't grown sweetcorn for a few years now but bought a packet this year. Didn't do anything special just planted the 40 seeds in cell trays and all 40 germinated.

Ian

[hayles]

Great tip, Womble - it worked for me. Two platefulls in the airing cupboard - rooted in a few days. Carefully transplanted into loo roll tubes, kept in the kitchen for a few days longer and all now sending up their first shoots. They are going into my new blowaway plastic greenhouse till the weather improves a bit. I am pleased with this method as I had much better luck this year than last. Having said that I am also pleased with the variety which always seem to do well - 'Incredible' from Wilcos. And some of Sarraceniac's blue corn did well too!

hi, jeanied, how did you transplant your germinated sweetcorn seeds? my questions listed in #27 above - please let me know? thanks a lot!
hayles

[Sanjo]

I put my germinated (kitchen roll, then into tub) seed into compost the day before yesterday I think it was. Some of the shoots were over 1/2" long. I planted that shoot downwards and just put compost over the top. About the depth of the original seeds should do it.

[Jeanied]

hi, jeanied, how did you transplant your germinated sweetcorn seeds? my questions listed in #27 above - please let me know? thanks a lot!
hayles

Hi Hayles - I just stuck my finger into the compost, spiked the little rootlet into the hole and filled by squishing sideways with a pencil to fill the hole from the side, so I didn't touch the root. I must admit I didn't plant them out very deeply - but I'm going to drop them down deeper when they finally go into the allotment.

[WillyNelson]

Right! After only getting 3/16 after just poking them into dirt I'm giving this a go. We shall see. F1 Applause.

[nilling]

wish I seen this post before rotting, prob overwatering, 12/18

Have bought new seed packets and now have two dishes in the airing cupboard. Will have a peek on Sun

Cheers womble...

[falkon]

I found that blue hopi corn seeds are particularly slow to germinate

[Nicki85]

My minipop sweetcorn all germinated first time in the propergator? Just sowed them like normal, covered with vermiculite and hey presto corn 2days later!

[hayles]

thanks, jeanied and sanjo ... i put my seeds in compost just about an hour ago and did what you both advised ... that's before i checked your posts so must be on the right path. checked joy larkcom's book and gave them about 1 inch depth. they are snug and warm in compost, sitting happily on the windowsill, along with cucumbers, watermelons and courgettes, all sown the kitchen paper way!

btw, a couple of my sweetcorn seeds were wrapped in a furry, mouldy-looking coat dotted with black bits while the rest were fine. does this mean anything to anyone?

[cazp]

Anyone planning to grow their sweetcorn to maturity in containers? Been reading a lot about it, and some have had great success... will be doing this myself with any luck. Would appreciate the experience of others who have tried this.

[Jeanied]

btw, a couple of my sweetcorn seeds were wrapped in a furry, mouldy-looking coat dotted with black bits while the rest were fine. does this mean anything to anyone?

Hayles it could be that a couple of your seeds have rotted off - I've lost 4 seeds out of 36. But I'm quite pleased with the 32 seedlings!!

[Sanjo]

Anyone planning to grow their sweetcorn to maturity in containers? Been reading a lot about it, and some have had great success... will be doing this myself with any luck. Would appreciate the experience of others who have tried this.

I have realised that I am going to be pushed for space with the sweetcorn so I am tempted to plant them up into bottomless pots for the time being. Some are currently 6-7" tall and strong looking in their roottrainers) I will plant the potted up corn into the bed as I lift the spuds. (End of June time??) I shall leave the corn in its pot and just firm it into the ground.
Has anyone tried this or can give their opinion as to whether it would work
(PS I have been adapting tall flower pots. I cut out most of the bottom, just leaving the rim and a cross shape in the middle. This holds my folded newspaper which in turn is holding in the compost. The idea being that once I transfer the pot to the ground the newspaper will soften and allow the root through and there isn't enough restrictive plastic pot to cause a problem)
Any thoughts - would I be wasting my time?

[OllieMartin]

Well I used this method and am happy to report 100% germination from about 12 seeds

Now I just need to find space for them

[Sanjo]

I put my germinated (kitchen roll, then into tub) seed into compost the day before yesterday I think it was. Some of the shoots were over 1/2" long. I planted that shoot downwards and just put compost over the top. About the depth of the original seeds should do it.

Update for those interested. I had room in the propagater for some of the pots and the grassy bits were poking through the compost on Friday. Took them out late yesterday and some were already about 1/2" tall. The few I couldn't fit in the propagater had been left on a greenhouse shelf and hadn't moved at all. They have now been put in to replace those I removed.
So by my estimate!! I think they took about 6 days from the germinated seed going into the compost to producing a 1/2" plant. They are strong looking too.

[womble]

btw, a couple of my sweetcorn seeds were wrapped in a furry, mouldy-looking coat dotted with black bits while the rest were fine. does this mean anything to anyone?

I often get this, normally it makes no difference at all. The thing to do, is to transplant the seeds the second you see the root poke out, I'm often lazy and don't do that, so I've seen this mould quite a few times