teeny sweetcorn plants

[claire70]

My sweetcorn plants this year just don't want to grow - they are between 1 and 2 foot high at the moment, and the taller ones are producing their tassles already. I'm sure by this point of the summer in previous years they were about twice the height. (Have only been growing them 2 or 3 years before this year.)

Anyone know why this is happening or what if anything I can do about it?

[selfraising]

They do need a fair amount of sunshine. Whereabouts in the UK are you? They also need quite a lot of water and feed.

[binley100]

SR , from her location thingy claire's in surrey same as you. How's the sunshine down there.

[claire70]

Indeed, I am in Surrey, about 10 miles east of Farnham :-)

We had stonking weather a month or so ago, certainly much better than the last couple of years, so I expected them to shoot up but they didn't. Not enough water??

[selfraising]

SR , from her location thingy claire's in surrey same as you. How's the sunshine down there.

Silly me doh

[binley100]

Silly me doh

Defo not having a good day SR

[selfraising]

Indeed, I am in Surrey, about 10 miles east of Farnham :-)

We had stonking weather a month or so ago, certainly much better than the last couple of years, so I expected them to shoot up but they didn't. Not enough water??

Wow you're almost a neighbour We certainly have had some good weather tho lack of rain. Mine are about 5ft now so can't understand why yours are still small. I put quite a lot of manure in with mine and lots of watering. The only other thing I can think of is planting distance, are they perhaps too close together?

[claire70]

Yeah, could be too close together :-( I've planted them closer than previous years. Toby on Gardeners World said they didn't mind being close together, so I thought 'yippee! more sweetcorn!'. Maybe I went a little too far.... How close is too close?

My soil is fairly sandy and rubbish but I did do a good manure earlier in the year, and I can't think that it's worse this year than last year.

[binley100]

We saw fields of corn in France and they were planted really close together , probably about 6-8 " , and they were all a good height. Mine are all at different heights, one is just showing tassels although a lot of them are flowering.

[selfraising]

Mine are probably a foot apart. Maybe they are a later cropping variety???

[claire70]

Mine are probably about 6-8" (I take it that's inches not centimetres ) apart, so it's not that, then.

Incidentally Binley, looking at your signature: I do hope you've tried baking *with* parsnips (ie. parsnip cake)?

SR: nope, using exactly the same variety as in previous years.

[binley100]

Incidentally Binley, looking at your signature: I do hope you've tried baking *with* parsnips (ie. parsnip cake)?

Oh yes..........the only way I can get youngest to eat parsnips.

[selfraising]

Mine are probably about 6-8" (I take it that's inches not centimetres ) apart, so it's not that, then.

Incidentally Binley, looking at your signature: I do hope you've tried baking *with* parsnips (ie. parsnip cake)?

SR: nope, using exactly the same variety as in previous years.

Okay, I give up really don't understand it

[binley100]

Which bit SR ?

[selfraising]

Which bit SR ?

lol you are on a roll Binley I did mean the Sweetcorn but with my luck today I had best not advise anything