Topic: sweetcorn looking sorry for itself

[janebb]

I had some sweetcorn coming along nicely in loo rolls.  They had been indoors until about a week ago and since then they have been outside during the day and in an unheated mni greenhouse at night Yesterday I noticed that one of the leaves on one of the plants had gone brown.  It was the oldest leaf at the bottom of the plant.  I isolated it from the others but today I can see that several of the other plants are going the same way. 

Is this because they have got some nasty virus or could it be too cold for them in an unheated greenhouse at night?  Have looked through several books but cannot find anything that matches these symptoms. 

Do you think I am going to lose all the plants (in which case I will start again) or is this only a temporary setback

[jennym]

They aren't soggy are they? the leaves do tend to go like that when they are overwatered. In any case, you're not too late to sow some more. In the south, you could even sow direct into the ground about now, frosts will be over by the time they come up, they are pretty hardy.

[janebb]

Thank you - do you think that it is better to sow inside or outside?  I think I had better resow because I have just noticed that even more plants are affected.

OH has suggested that it might be fusarium wilt.  I hate to admit it, but I think he might be right!  If it is this it is only a matter of time before they are all dead.

Oh well,  my first disaster of the year!

[jennym]

Why not split your chances and sow some indoors and some direct?

[Sprout]

Mine seem to be exactly the same Jane. Grown in loo rolls then transferred to an unheated plastic greenhouse. Only difference is that some of my leaves are going yellow not brown.  I don't think that I have over-watered. What is this fusarium wilt - it doesn't sound good.

[kevs plot]

The ones I grew in peat pots are doing fine, now in the ground. The ones I started 2 weeks later in loo rolls are looking a bit yellow. I also planted the last 5 seeds in a 3 inch pot at the same time and under the same conitions, and these 5 are looking much fitter.
I'm on the South Coast.

[janebb]

I think Fusarium wilt is a fungus. According to all the books it is fatal so am hoping it is not this,

The bottom leaves are streaked with brown and black although when I first noticed the problem they were just slightly paler than the other leaves. They have got progressively worse over the course of 2-3 days.

Having read all the postings I don't think I will grow sweetcorn in loo rolls again. The roots are now all coming out of the bottom which I don't think can have helped.