Can I plant corn??

jinman · May 15, 2008

In a small corn plot, has anyone pollunated by using a paper bag? I don't know where I heard this, but you can take a paper bag and put it over the tassle to collect pollen and then dust the silk with it. I really don't think I dreamed that up. Anyone else heard of that?

Of course, that's far too much work for a big plot, but on a small back yard plot it should help ensure full ears.

N80 · May 15, 2008

ray66v said:
If your nitrogen is depleted, it will take a lot to get it up to a high level.

I use 10-10-10 and 46-0-0 combined. Load her up and retest after a week or
so.

You really want this right, to get good healthy corn.

Can I add it after the corn is up? Like now?

Dirt clods can be a result of working the ground when it is still wet.

Around here, dirt clods are just a result of working the dirt.

Edit: I put a whole 50# bag of 17-17-17 on this 15x90 foot plot. (The potassium and phos are virtually non-existent too.....hundreds of years of cotton I suppose).

Luremaker · May 15, 2008

N80 said:
Can I add it after the corn is up? Like now?

I side dress my corn with 46-00-00 after it is almost knee high. Then give it a little water.

N80 · May 15, 2008

Excellent, thanks.

charlz · May 15, 2008

jinman said:
In a small corn plot, has anyone pollunated by using a paper bag? I don't know where I heard this, but you can take a paper bag and put it over the tassle to collect pollen and then dust the silk with it. I really don't think I dreamed that up. Anyone else heard of that?

Of course, that's far too much work for a big plot, but on a small back yard plot it should help ensure full ears.

You can just cut a tassel(s) off and 'dust' the silks... no need for a bag.

ray66v · May 15, 2008

I don't have trouble with pollination except the outer side of the upwind row. I would not worry about it if you have more than a small plot.

You can always add More nitro, the earlier the better. Some like to side dress when the corn reaches knee height. Ideally you carefully hoe it in on the sides, and even pull the soil over it mounding it on each side. this is a BIG job if your garden is more than a few rows. So, I like to build up the fertilizer before I plant, making sure the testing shows there is a surplus of nitro. The bulk of the rain to help feed the corn is in the early going. Once it gets hot, the growing slows.

If it gets really dry while the plants are young, you may want to do some hoeing around the plants to break the "crust" that forms on top of the ground.

Keep with it, and you could be rewarded with your friends fighting to get some of your crop. My flying club last Friday, had a bidding war for the first dozens. The winner offered $12/dozen!

4720 OWNER · May 15, 2008

Yes, i have people fighting for my crops too. I call them leeches. Want the crop, but not the work to get it. Ah well enough of that. I think the Native Americans used to put fish down the corn hole as well, so can multi task and go fishing to fertilize the corn!!

oliver28472 · May 16, 2008

I gave an Earthway push planter away to a friend a couple months ago since my little patch isn't big enough. It worked great for that. I planted corn with it at a previous home and it was good there. I bought a sidedressing attachment for mine. It was a plastic hopper that hooked on the frame. Had a slide door on the bottom controlled by a little handle. It worked OK for the ammonium nitrate. You will have trouble with racoons. One brother quit planting corn in his garden because he is on the road during the week and the coon devistated his crop. The other brother traps his coons/possums. With five rows you shouldn't have pollination problems. The wind will take care of that.

N80 · May 18, 2008

Well, here is my little patch of corn. That's my daughter thinning it. Every kernel we planted came up so the next patch I'm just going to put one seed per hole. Down the hill below, almost to the water, you can see my sunflowers. They are doing great. The deer are eating them but not as bad as last year. Maybe I'll actually get a sunflower this year!