My Sweet Corn Reviews

[Car Doc]

You can always do some hand pollination on those first rows. When it is time just walk around taking pollen off the tassels and dropping it on the silks.

Thanks good idea! :thumbsup:

 

[ray66v]

Fertilization is key to good corn production. I have followed a corn fertilizing schedule of: some at planting (over 2 inches and down 2 inches from the seed), some at 8 inches tall and some at 18 inches tall. I have used 16-16-16 followed by 46-0-0 and 46-0-0. I don't broadcast it, I actually use my little Earthway planter to 'plow' it in next to the rows. I use the beet plate and this method uses very little fertilizer and gets it into the ground where it does the most good. Soil tests are $38 here so I just 'play it by ear' and try to avoid over fertilization by using the planter method.

I load up the soil in my rows, before planting. I use 10-10-10 or 12-12-12, and 46-0-0 slow release sulfur coated. I used to do home tests every year, but I found I was able to predict the results after years of that, so I no longer test. If I put in enough slow nitrogen initially, I get dark green healthy plants, without any additional effort.

I always added nitrogen, waited 2 weeks, and retested until the soil tests showed a surplus. It is surprising how much nitrogen it takes to do that. Corn really sucks it up.

 

[Chuck52]

Fertilization is key to good corn production. I have followed a corn fertilizing schedule of: some at planting (over 2 inches and down 2 inches from the seed), some at 8 inches tall and some at 18 inches tall. I have used 16-16-16 followed by 46-0-0 and 46-0-0. I don't broadcast it, I actually use my little Earthway planter to 'plow' it in next to the rows. I use the beet plate and this method uses very little fertilizer and gets it into the ground where it does the most good. Soil tests are $38 here so I just 'play it by ear' and try to avoid over fertilization by using the planter method.

That's a great idea for fertilizing using the Earthway. Do you use it to plant the seed, too? I tried using my Earthway for corn but it was so uneven I went to hand dropping the seed, but that was when I had one kid left to help with that. I haven't planted corn since then because the coons got all of it, but now I'm planning to put in some in my fenced garden area and see if I can keep the coons out. I bought Peaches and Cream seed and it looks a bit more uniform that the seed I used last time, so maybe I can use the planter.

Chuck

 

[Chuck52]

How do you guys fight the earworms? If I can keep the coons from getting the corn I'd like to slow down the bugs, too.

Chuck

 

[Car Doc]

I sure do use my Earthway seeder and like it a lot best thing a gardener can own if he does very much area imho!

I knew they had a add on fertilizer attachment and wasn't the least bit interested in getting it but just using one of the plates that is a great idea I will try it thanks! :thumbsup:

I use 13-13-13 before planting and a liquid side dress after they come up and dry 46-0-0 as a side dress once they are 2' fwtw.

 

[charlz]

That's a great idea for fertilizing using the Earthway. Do you use it to plant the seed, too? I tried using my Earthway for corn but it was so uneven I went to hand dropping the seed, but that was when I had one kid left to help with that. I haven't planted corn since then because the coons got all of it, but now I'm planning to put in some in my fenced garden area and see if I can keep the coons out. I bought Peaches and Cream seed and it looks a bit more uniform that the seed I used last time, so maybe I can use the planter.

Chuck

I do use the Earthway to plant the corn. 'Gotta Have It' is a shruken augmented and the kernels are small and not graded for size. I use (IIRC) the bean plate and tape over every other hole. With the sweet corn plate I was getting double and triple drops and this seed just costs too much. Using the bean plate you have to go slow and watch the drops, few doubles but more misses. I keep a few seeds in my hand and stop and drop them down the chute when I see it is going to miss. Still faster than planting by hand. Putting down fertilizer with it works great, takes very little time as you can just walk right down the rows.

 

[charlz]

How do you guys fight the earworms? If I can keep the coons from getting the corn I'd like to slow down the bugs, too.

Chuck

Early planting seems to be the best. I have tried BT and it seemed to worked the first year but not as well in later years. The first year was also on new ground though. Someone else on this forum said it goes bad fast and they buy a new bottle each year, I will try that this year. The mineral oil in the silk is supposed to work but seems like a lot of work.

I do two plantings, the early crop we eat, give away, etc the later crop is for freezing so I can cut off the damaged parts if there are ear worms in there.

 

[Car Doc]

Adding my non scientific update on Gurneys super sweet hybrid "Gotta Have It" to the reviews here.

Its tasseling now at roughly 64 days and what I am seeing I like is the plants are only 3-4' tall vs the 4-5' Kandy Korn I used to grow was usually.

With the winds we have that is a huge plus - the lower to the ground the longer they will stand I have had whole rows blown over in the past.

I seeded when it was too cold and I can tell because I have another several rows that were seeded at 2 week spreads and the next ones are nearly as tall and almost as far along.

I have probably 80-85% germination in the first rows planted too cold and 95% in the later another indicator.

Now I am sure looking forward to roasted sweet corn on the grill wont be long now I hope its all they say it is. :licking:

And thanks guys for the tip on the Earthway for side dressing that works excellent it just needs a bigger hopper that I will tackle next season I am using the pea plate and 46-0-0 its perfect on the corn and onions.

 

[Chuck52]

I'll probably try the labor intensive mineral oil trick since I only have about 200 stalks. I planted Peaches and Cream because that was available locally. Just about any sweet corn fresh pulled is good to me. I did try to use my Earthway to deposit fertilizer, but the pellets I was trying to use were too damp....doesn't work well like that.

Chuck

 

[Car Doc]

Got started picking some corn and tried it out and I think the GottaHaveIt is the sweetest corn I ever tasted and the bugs like it too.

The one thing I am not crazy about is there is only one ear that is going to be useable on each stalk. A friend says that is normal for that variety I was wondering what I had done wrong but he said no thats the way it is.

I always planted Kandy Korn and I know sweet corn only makes 2 normally I think got 80% useable pairs even with that variety fwtw.