May I ask advice about sweetcorn?

[Melbourne12]

For some reason, we've never grown sweetcorn on the allotment.  Until this year, that is.  Several of our allotment neighbours produce fine crops year in, year out, so we though we'd give it a try on our new allotment.

As far as I can see, we followed the preparation and growing advice to the letter.  The one obvious problem is that our block of corn is close to an apple tree, so the plants nearest the tree are a bit too shaded, but that only affects a few plants.

But rather to our chagrin, as everyone else is exclaiming over what a fantastic year it's going to be for corn, and showing off the swelling cobs, we have no corncobs at all.  The plants are beautiful, tall, green, and strong.  The male flowers are just coming out, ready to fertilise the non-existent cobs beneath.  There's no sign of rot, fungus, insect pests, or anything like that.  Just no corncobs on apparently healthy plants.

The seeds were bought from the normally-reliable Seeds of Italy, and are just labelled as sweet corn.  http://www.seedsofitaly.com/SWEETCORN_MAIS_BOX_UK_ONLY/p1834925_8313361.aspx

If anyone has any ideas, if only for getting it right next year, we'd be very grateful!

[Melbourne12]

[chriscross1966]

Patience young Melbourne.... the female "tassels" come along after the males appear to have started.... you will find fine tufts growing from what appears to be a leaf bud in the next week or two... and then the male flowers will start seriously throwing out pollen....

[Melbourne12]

Patience young Melbourne.... the female "tassels" come along after the males appear to have started.... you will find fine tufts growing from what appears to be a leaf bud in the next week or two... and then the male flowers will start seriously throwing out pollen....

Aah!  That makes sense.  But it must mean that our plants are quite a bit behind others on the site.

Thank you so much!

[tricia]

All my Lark corn plants are in flower but only one -  the tallest, strongest plant -  is showing tassels so far. Not to worry, from experience I know that the others will catch up. My plants have grown very unevenly this year, even though they all germinated normally at the same time. I wonder why?

Tricia

[pumkinlover]

Mine are only a foot tall! - As Chriscross said- patience 

[chriscross1966]

Ummm.... all mine have at least two and in some cases three female flowers out now, never known a year like it, and they've got so long to grow yet, normally only see them like this at the start of August..... sorry melbourne :D

[Digeroo]

Some varieties are a bit slower.  I can remember posting a similar thread my first year growing sweetcorn at the lottie.  Once the male flowers start to show the females are not long behind.  In a few days you will see tassles and possibly be surprised that you had not noticed them before.

I have several batches of them and first came to nothing, the second batch are seven feet tall, the third batch about a metre and the fourth batch about six inches.   

[tricia]

Yep! the tassels have now sprouted on most of my plants - even on some of the side shoots I left to grow, so yes, they are a bit earlier than last year I think. I picked my first cob on August 15 last year.

Tricia