Summer Corn.

Paquebot
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Re: Summer Corn.

#81

Post: # 27329Unread post Paquebot
Mon Aug 03, 2020 10:55 pm

I have usually found that double ears of most varieties mature at about the same but with the bottom ear slightly ahead. I'll be picking from a 20-acre field next weekend and will observe that variety closer. (Friend grows 50 acres for a canning company.)

Martin .

Clkeiper
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Re: Summer Corn.

#82

Post: # 27398Unread post Clkeiper
Tue Aug 04, 2020 8:13 pm

We grow two acres of corn in 6 different patches. We fence them with 3 strands of electric wire... Now the birds are in it. The starlings have ruined about 20% of the second patch. I am sure our neighbors love us. We put out the bird cannon. Every 5 minutes it sets off a blast to keep them out of the corn. I feel terrible making so much noise. Does anyone have a better solution? They are awful. I had to pick and process about 15 dzn damaged ears on Saturday. I wanted to put corn in the freezer but I didn't want to have to salvage it to keep from wasting it.

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ponyexpress
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Re: Summer Corn.

#83

Post: # 27419Unread post ponyexpress
Wed Aug 05, 2020 7:13 am

Clkeiper wrote: Tue Aug 04, 2020 8:13 pm Now the birds are in it. The starlings have ruined about 20% of the second patch. I am sure our neighbors love us. We put out the bird cannon. Every 5 minutes it sets off a blast to keep them out of the corn.
Sorry to hear that, I feel for you. I have a small stand of corn but no bird problems. I do occasionally see them hanging out in the corn but no damage.

I harvested a couple of bottom ears and they were not filled out very well and the kernels were small. Not sure if they need to mature more.

I'm wondering if anyone had success partially peeling back an ear of corn to inspect it. Does the corn continue to grow or does the peeling stop it?

EdieJ
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Re: Summer Corn.

#84

Post: # 27439Unread post EdieJ
Wed Aug 05, 2020 12:26 pm

We had meadow larks do the same thing to our corn one year, pulling up the baby shoots and eating the soft newly-sprouted seeds. They got everything we planted 😠 but we re-planted and put row covers over until the corn was large enough - about 4" high - that they were no longer interested. But we just had a small patch, 4 rows deep about 15' long. Not sure if I'd want to try that with a huge plot of them. One of our neighbors has a bird cannon they set off every evening to discourage birds from roosting in the trees right around their house. It is very loud! But sometimes you just gotta do what you have to do to protect things you work hard for.
North Central AL (mountains)
Zone 7

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worth1
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Re: Summer Corn.

#85

Post: # 27445Unread post worth1
Wed Aug 05, 2020 1:47 pm

ponyexpress wrote: Wed Aug 05, 2020 7:13 am
Clkeiper wrote: Tue Aug 04, 2020 8:13 pm

I'm wondering if anyone had success partially peeling back an ear of corn to inspect it. Does the corn continue to grow or does the peeling stop it?
They should continue to grow the husk just protects them.
The cob is where the nutrients com from.
You might tape the husk shut again.
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worth1
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Re: Summer Corn.

#86

Post: # 27491Unread post worth1
Thu Aug 06, 2020 7:52 am

No tassels yet, this is driving me crazy.
My friend saw it and was flabbergasted.
The other silver queen corn is coming right along.
Worth
25 miles southeast of Waterloo Texas.

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Clkeiper
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Re: Summer Corn.

#87

Post: # 27786Unread post Clkeiper
Sun Aug 09, 2020 1:36 pm

yep... now another patch has been cursed with birds. I am doing 16 mor dzn today. I have given away corn and I have had people donate for it too. it is absolutely aggravating.

Paquebot
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Re: Summer Corn.

#88

Post: # 27809Unread post Paquebot
Sun Aug 09, 2020 6:58 pm

Pony, was in a field yesterday and it was always the top ear that filled out first. Not many doubles on that variety as it's best to have the entire field maturing at the same pace. It is a bit flexible since it is for cream style.

Martin

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worth1
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Re: Summer Corn.

#89

Post: # 28281Unread post worth1
Sat Aug 15, 2020 7:10 pm

Down to about three stalks of the giant white corn.
Many of them broke off in the middle for whatever reason.
No worries one has a tassel.
Might get lucky after all.
Been fun though regardless.
The silver queen is growing nicely and well over a foot tall.
Worth
25 miles southeast of Waterloo Texas.

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pondgardener
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Re: Summer Corn.

#90

Post: # 28292Unread post pondgardener
Sat Aug 15, 2020 9:28 pm

I have a small patch(5'x8') of Mirai sweet corn growing that was just starting to show tassels. One morning I woke up and found about 20 house sparrows perched on the tassels and shredding them. Fortunately I had a large 14' x 14' piece of bird netting that I threw over the whole patch. Not sure how that is going to effect the development of the ears, but I will find out in a few weeks.
It's not what you gather, but what you scatter, that tells what kind of life you have lived.

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JRinPA
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Re: Summer Corn.

#91

Post: # 28342Unread post JRinPA
Sun Aug 16, 2020 10:34 am

Woohoo. An active corn thread.

[mention]ponyexpress[/mention]
Usually for me the top cob is first and largest. The second cob can catch up but will not be larger, and will be later by a bit, maybe a week. The third cobs are not worth it and should be terminated except on the sunny south facing corners, they might make a half decent third cob there.

My ears don't pollinate at the same time and therefore won't ripen at the same time. But the longer they are on, the higher risk of animal damage. If you miss a ripe one the scent gets strong and brings in squirrels and coons. They will tear up anything, not just the "bad apple". Bugs play a part too, here it is mostly flea beetles and japanese beetles at the silk, and worms in the kernels/cob.

My first block of Incredible this year did pretty well. It rained just when the pollen started, but I got in there probably 5 days later, the again the next day. I try to hand pollinate two mornings per block. That is all harvested and we froze ~44 cobs of the first ~100+, picking 60 odd right before the big rain. Then after the big rain I got another 25 good to decent cobs the next week, plus "nubbins" as GoDawgs calls them. Those last were picked and the corn chopped down after I discovered critter damage. (I'm trying put these pics inline, but instead it is showing them at the end in the reverse order I posted...this is supposed to be freezer bound cobs.)
[attachment=7]01.JPG[/attachment] [attachment=6]02.JPG[/attachment]


I had wind blow down on the second block. They were just starting to tassel so I tied them back up the next morning, kind of a tag end florida weave. That worked great. Has stayed up fine, and I still have it tied. (Corn blown down and resurrected...re-erected?)
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I hand pollinated that block Fri and Sat mornings, good pollen there. I cut the flag leaves back to expose the silk, and use a paint brush with pollen caught in a pan. On Friday I paper bagged a few tassels, so on Saturday I had plenty of pollen collect to brush on. (yesterday after 2nd hand pollination)
[attachment=1]18.JPG[/attachment][attachment=0]19.JPG[/attachment]
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Clkeiper
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Re: Summer Corn.

#92

Post: # 28370Unread post Clkeiper
Sun Aug 16, 2020 12:28 pm

so... We read that cutting the tassel off of each stalk will help keep the birds out of the corn. So, one day I was so mad at the birds I spent an hour and a half cutting off the tops of the corn. every row every stalk. what was I out to try? I possibly couldn't lose more corn doing that than letting the birds destroy it. we also called the USDA for help. Cutting the tops off... well I cut all of the stalk all the way to the corn. that sunburned the husks BUT it also kept the birds out of the corn. so, we have borrowed a hedge trimmer from a friend and we are cutting off the tops a little higher up as each patch is getting ready. The man from the USDA brought us another bird cannon but much to our chagrin... it doesn't work and we couldn't try it while he was here because we didn't have a second propane tank to use on it. when we did put one on it didn't fire up then ours quit working also. bah humbug! using a 10# tool up in the air for a couple hundrend feet per row... that is exhausting. give a new meaning to back breaking! I literally couldn't move this morning without much pain throughout my mid back.. a couple tylenol and hours later all was much better.

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