Corn spacing

   / Corn spacing #1  

JonLeonard

Silver Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2001
Messages
194
Location
Huntington, WV
Tractor
Kubota B2410
Im planning on planting some corn this weekend. Im very late, I know, but I wont get the tractor till tomorrow.

My delima is this, I love white corn, namely silver queen. Some of the others in my (extended) family prefer yellow. I understand that if I plant them close together, they will "cross" and none of us will be happy.

Anyone know how far apart I need to plant the two varieties to keep them from doing this?

Jon
 
   / Corn spacing #2  
Jon,

The wind pollinates when they go to tassle, however you probably will find they come in to tassle (germination) at different times so this may not be an issue. Check the germination dates of each type and this will tell you a lot given both have same water etc. However yu might plant so they are predominantly "with the wind" not up or down wind from the prevailing breezes to minimize this effect.

We planted 4-6 rows along the field corn and never had any issue with the cross pollination probably due mostly to the germination dates of the sweet to field corn.

Carl
 
   / Corn spacing #3  
Let's see if I can remember my corn genetics.

There are three types of sweet corn. Su, Se & Sh.
The Su is a standard sweet corn, it is the older varieties and the sugar in the kernel rapidly changes to starch, as the corn gets older or very shortly after it is picked.

The Se types are also known as sugary enhanced. They contain more sugar in the kernel, age better and don't starch up as rapidly after picking. The problem with them is that they have a tender kernel and are subject to bruising in picking and shipping.

The last one is Sh, which is for shrunken gene and shrunken gene^2. These have a very small seed, which tends to rot in the ground, so they need to be planted later in a warm soil and fungicidal treatment of the seed is important for seed survival and germination.

The first two types can be planted together without ill effects, however the Sh or shrunken gene varieties need isolation from the other types (and field corn, too). Just check the catalog or the web site for Stokes Seed and see what types you are planting. If any are Sh, you will need to isolate them from other types. If I remember correctly, 200 feet is needed for isolation.

Hope this helps and that I remember all that correctly. It's been a long time since my college days and since I was planting major stands of corn.

By the way, with the Se and Sh varieties plant and row spacing is important to insure larger ears and getting two ears per plant. Rows need to be 36" apart and plants 12" apart in the rows. This will allow for the best germination and development of the ear.

Good luck and if this works send me a dozen ears.

Turfman
 
   / Corn spacing #4  
Seed companies pay teenagers a lot of money each year to walk the fields and "detassle" field corn to prevent cross pollination.

I would think pulling the tassle on sweet corn would have the same result.
 
   / Corn spacing
  • Thread Starter
#5  
For the amount of corn Ill be planting (100 or so plants) it would be feasable for me to detassle as well.

Have you tried this? Is it a sure fire way to prevent the problem?

Jon
 
   / Corn spacing #6  
I haven't personnally but my farmer-in-laws always plant multiple types of sweetcorn and detassle. The various types don't seem to loose anything in taste.

Is it sure fire? Nothing in "farming" is ever sure fire. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif
 
   / Corn spacing #7  
If you detassle what will pollinate the corn to produce the kernels on the ears?
 
   / Corn spacing
  • Thread Starter
#8  
Is the tassle the "hair" like stuff on each ear, or at the top of the plant? Just wanting to be sure I do it right /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jon
 
   / Corn spacing #9  
Man are you guys bringing up old bad memories. Back in the 60’s as a high school kid the main form of summer employment was working for Delmonte detasseling corn in N. Illinois. We use to ride a vehicle that had very tall tires and 10 foot walkways on either side of the vehicle. Us kids would bake in the sun pulling the tassel’s off the corn for $1.10 per hour. After the first day you learn that with shorts and a T-shirt the corn leaves will cut you to pieces. Very much like a paper cut. So after the first day you wear jeans and long sleeve shirts that get soaked in the morning dew and steam you to medium well by noon. Then there are the bugs which were another story.

Jon, the tassel is the part at the top of the plant. I don’t know much about farming but I will never forget that.

MarkV
 
   / Corn spacing #10  
If the tassle it at the top of the plant and that is where the polination takes place then how does cross polination, or de-tassle-ing make any difference one way or the other to the kernels in the ears?

As you can tell, I'm niether a biologist or a farmer.
 
 
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