sweetcorn is it all over?

[rogesse]

Most years I have no problem but every time I try bicolour sweetcorn (white and yellow mostly) it all goes wrong! This year it is producing the male anthers before the embryonic corn is there never mind any silks! Should I rip it up now as I have my doubts it will come to anything, try praying or try to store the male pollen in vain hope!

Normally sweetcorn works well for me but this year is shaping up to be a disaster - like last time I tried the bicolour....

OH is furious as he's just splashed out on a new set of teeth and he'll have nothing to test them on this year - please help, even if i don't get to make the same mistake next year!!!!

[Zenithtb]

I know NOTHING about about sweetcorn (though I'm growing a few for fun). Take this with a ton of salt......... Could you not cut off the bit with the wobbly bits on (the male bit) and preserve it until the fluffy bits come?

This is my contribution... :-(

Edit: "or try to store the male pollen in vain hope!"... Yes. What you just said. Teach me to scan read

[rustylady]

Not sure that pollen stores - never tried it.

[womble]

Hold on. hold on, hold on. Sweetcorn starts shooting out the male flowers at about 2 feet, then grows up to its full height, the male flowers will still produce pollen at the correct time, just like most men they are slow on the uptake and need time to sort themselves out.

[Two_Sheds]

... then a quick shake/tremble (in the wind) and it's all over, the deed (pollination) is done

[chris]

Mine is just still all leafy!

[womble]

... then a quick shake/tremble (in the wind) and it's all over, the deed (pollination) is done

You are so romantic...............lol

[HeyWayne]

Mine's not very big yet.

[Mrs Dobby]

They are fine, they will throw out the male flowers first, so please dont do anything to them, especially not cut their tops off!

You'll find anytime now (once the male flowers are out) that they will start to shoot skywards, and the female cobs will develop quite quickly, just let them be and they will be fine! You will soon be eating fresh tasty sweetcorn! The piccy below shows where ours are at yesterday, for some comparison!

[HeyWayne]

Crikey!

Like sweetcorn much you guys!?

[Mrs Dobby]

Lol, yup, we love it!

Actually, I gave away 34 plantlets aswell, (which seem to be doing even better than ours, grr!), otherwise we'd have even more in those beds!

We tend to blanch and freeze a lot of our sweetcorn, wrapped in tin foil, then whenever we BBQ it goes straight on for a tasty treat!

Sorry for the extreme size of the piccy, I copied the link from the pic on our blog, n I dont know how to resize it! Mind you, it does let you see Lee falling asleep on the scaffol board in the background, poor luv, I've worked him hard this past week getting the plot ready for the judging! We'd been there since 10am, and it was 830pm when I took the piccy!

[rogesse]

Thanks for the replies - as half the plants seem to have got into a frenzy of premature excitement and are producing pollen, I'll resort to praying the rest have more control over their biological functions so I can use them to hand pollinate when the time comes.......I think I'd better stop now

Must say your corn looks far healthier than mine Mrs dobby!

[Snadger]

Thanks for the replies - as half the plants seem to have got into a frenzy of premature excitement and are producing pollen, I'll resort to praying the rest have more control over their biological functions so I can use them to hand pollinate when the time comes.......I think I'd better stop now

Must say your corn looks far healthier than mine Mrs dobby!

Hubby seems to have lost a bit of weight also!

[gojiberry]

I noticed one of the other plot holders corn had male flowers out but no sign of cobs. Thought it was the corns equivalent of bolting but time will tell. Mine is growing well but no signs of male or female bits as yet.

Ian

[Llamas]

Nice plot! Now I want wood chippings....