Topic: Germinating Sweetcorn

[Kropotkin]

Hi all,

I have been trying to germinate some F1 Indian Summer (Suttons) and after 2 weeks only 7 of 16 have sprouted. They were placed on damp paper for 24 hrs then planted 2 in. deep in card root trainer pots containing a mix of John Innes No 2 and multipurpose compost.

Where did I go wrong and do I still have time to get some going in new pots??  ???

Cheers

Paul D

[jennym]

You certainly have time to do more.
I don't pre-germinate sweetcorn. I put them in rootrainers, about an inch deep in a mix similar to yours, water it and leave them alone - don't water again until the leaves show. I do find that they don't like it too wet when germinating.

[Doris_Pinks]

Have not even started mine yet, tis on this weekends "to do" list!
Do the same as Jenny, rootrainers, water and leave alone.

[Kropotkin]

Thanks for the encouragement

I had then outside in a plastic mini-greenhouse and may have overwatered them.
Will now add resowing to my ever increasing weekend to-do list. :)

Cheers,

Paul D

[DenBee]

I seem to be getting the same germination rate on sweetcorn - roughly 50%.

And on peas too and sweetpeas too.  Not quite sure what's up.  I suppose the lesson for me is to sow at least twice what I want.  :)

[Svea]

i had 11 of 12 come up - if you are careful/not careful, you might end up with lots more than you want and need, denbee :D

[dingerbell]

I have been very successful with Lark F1 germinating on top of soil in airing cupboard. As soon as the shoots appear, I transfer to tiolet rolls. I know they say you shouldn't transplant Sweetcorn but I have had a 95% success rate on 3 successive plantings. Then just drop loo roll into final growing position making sure that the roots are deep to give the corn a good strong footing. Cheers....Dinger

[Curryandchips]

I lost all of my first lot to mice - 60 plants  :'(

However, I sowed more seed a few days ago and they are already sprouting, sprinkled onto compost in good heat. They will then be potted on until ready to plant out, just hoping the pesky mice don't get them again.

[loulou]

thanks for the reminder i have yet to sow my sweet corn oh dear this to do list gets bigger every five min  ;D

[RobinOfTheHood]

i had 11 of 12 come up - if you are careful/not careful, you might end up with lots more than you want and need, denbee :D

You can't have too many of these!  :P :P

I've done 3 lots so far, and had varying success. Kelvedon Glory and 2's Sweeter had about 95%, but the 17p Netto ones (Silver Dew) only about 60%. All were placed an inch deep in standard B&Q compost in loo rools, in a propagator.

Still have 40 more Alan Romans 'Extra Tender & Sweet', I think.

I'm about a month earlier than last year and anticipating a decent crop this time.  ;D ;D

[Podster]

Personally I only sow sweetcorn (and squash) in my diddy heated propagator.
Only water on sowing, leave alone, with the lid firmly on and the vents just open.
As soon as they show through the soil I transfer them to an un-heated one.
This year only one sweetcorn failed to show. ;D

[lancelotment]

Got 12 from 12 'til they got about 2" tall then all 12 went brown and died  ???  The compost was just damp (not wet) and they hadn't been watered since sowing.  All seemed to have some damage to the tip of the tap root even though they were grown in root trainers.  I've sown another 12 and await their appearance.  Here's hoping!  Lance

[Svea]

sounds like damping off?
the failure of which i spoke earlier did make an appearance but has been lost to damping off

[karrot]

Ive put mine in pots on the kitchen window, 9 out of 10 have appeared, they have been watered tooooo much by the sounds of it, and carried lovingly backwards and forwards into the sun outside ::).
they are about 2" tall at mo, when should i plant outside?

[plot51A]

I sowed 20 Lark and 20 Early Extra Sweet. Got 18/20 from Lark, 13/20 from the Early Extra Sweet. They were sown in coir root trainers - and the tap root was out through the coir extremely quickly on tthe Lark - was a bit alarmed by that! Looked in my Joy Larkcom book - she says "Does not transplant well unless raised in modules and planted quite small" and"Plant before plants get too big or growth stunted." So mine have gone into the plot! The Early Extra Sweet is proving a bit slower - the difference between an F1 and non F1? Am trying Lark after so many recommendations on A4A!

Lancelotment: Just a thought - if yours were in those foldover cell root trainers perhaps the tap root couldn't get through, hence the damage and the loss?

[AndrewB]

Mine have been in plastic greenhouse for over 2 weeks in rootrainers and nothing showing yet, didn't know about the watering.  I'll give it a few days and may try again. If they do come up are they ok next to tomatoes outside?

[saddad]

I just sow mine in ordinary pots, two to a pot, and leave in the far greenhouse. If both germinate plant the whole thing, in USA where they can direct sow they tend to put three or four seeds in a hill at the final spacing and let all that germinate grow!
Mine are up now and might get out next weekend or the week after depending on the temp.
 :-\

[derbex]

I did mine in loo rolls again -and have 11 out of 12 -thinking of planting them out soon. One thing I have found is to sow them shallower than suggested. They do come up quicker in the heat.

[Looby Loo]

I sowed mine into water cups (from the watercooler at work) in regular potting compost and ignored them for about a week.  All but one of 20 have germinated and look healthy.  I think they like to be left to sit and think on their own!

[Rosyred]

How long do they take to show? Mine have been in loo rolls for a week now but I have watered them.