MiniPop Castration...

[OllieC]

Hi all, can I just check that I'm doing the right thing by removing the boy bits of my mini pops? They're all popping up now, and the biggest was covered in pollen this morning (it appears to be a couple of days ahead of the others). So I chopped it off.

I've only ever grown biggies before, but these look like they have 3 or 4  on the way on each plant already. I'll be pleased if something isn't a disappointment this year.

Makes your eyes water a bit, poor thing.

[OllieC]

[cazy]

Thought minipop was the name of your pet, what is a minipop please?

[tim]

Small  'Alchopops'?

[OllieC]

Haha, yes, or maybe it's a small hillbilly dad...

Night mini Johnboy,
Night minipop, sorry for the castration.


On this occasion however, I was looking for help with the baby sweetcorn...

[Deb P]

It's really easy to pick Minipop too late. I grew them one year and treated them like 'big' sweetcorn, waited until the tassels turned brown before picking....result? Tough overripe cobs that fed the birds that winter......
:'(

I think you are supposed to pick them as soon as the tassels on the cobs appear.........please correct me if I am wrong! ;D

[Biscombe]

Thats right! don't let them get too big, just harvested ours

[saddad]

You don't have to chop the tops off OllieC I never do but it does reduce the chance of pollination..
:)

[cazy]

Good job I read this, I've got mini sweetcorn in my lottie, didn't know they were called pops.  I would have left them far too long, only ever grown the big ones before.

I didn't know they had boy bits, I must take a closer look at mine.  Still need to know if we should we remove them though ?

[cazy]

You got in with the answers before I got in with the question.  Thanks guys.

[saddad]

MiniPop is the variety name of the most readily available "Chinese" Sweetcorn.

[emmy1978]

Thank goodness for A4A. My minipop tassels aren't yet brown but for this thread i would have left them till they were. Going down there later to check 'em out.  ;D

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

at the start of cropping the corns gtow very quickly and they're long and thin and they're still quite tender when they're big (long). As the season goes on the corns grow shorter and fatter and you have to pick them small or they get tough.

[Jeannine]

For those of you who are having weather problems and have planted corn which you know will not mature this year, treat it as mini corn and remove the male tassle before they are pollinated,ANY corn will make mini corn if cone this way.XX Jeannine

[emmy1978]

Can I just ask how I know the diff between male and female?

[Tinkie_Bear]

The male part is the "flower" at the top of the plant and the female parts are what develops into the cobs - where the tassels are.

Helen

[emmy1978]

Thank you Tinkie. So I am supposed to take that one off? Sorry!

[Fork]

For those of you who are having weather problems and have planted corn which you know will not mature this year, treat it as mini corn and remove the male tassle before they are pollinated,ANY corn will make mini corn if cone this way.XX Jeannine

Wish I had some tassles! :(

[Jeannine]

Boys have blue tassells and girls have pink..............

[emmy1978]

 ;D ;D ;D ;D @ Jeannine. BTW I loooove that photo of you.  ;D

[OllieC]

Thanks for the replies guys and also for the extra tips. Emmy - I think the general consensus is that we can remove it if it makes us feel better, but everyone's just being polite as it's not really going to make any difference.

Fair summary anyone?