Flattened sweetcorn

[caroline7758]

Went to the plot for the first time since the gales earlier this week, to find about two thirds of my sweetcorn flattened. They were only about a foot tall. I've staked them all but not sure they will recover.  At least the wigwams holding my beans and sweet peas were still standing!

[caroline7758]

[pumkinlover]

Mine survived- probably because I hadn't get round to planting them out 

Hope they are ok

[galina]

That's about all you can do.  If the plants are not actually broken, they should recover.  Earthing up sweetcorn is also recommended.  But with the unseasonal gales we just had, earthing up would not have helped that much either.  You were just unlucky.  If this happens often, maybe a stake in all four corners of the patch (or more if the patch is bigger) and run string around all of them to give a little more wind support.

Hope they will recover well.   

[Deb P]

I put mine out every year with a collar of a cut down plastic bottle around to help avoid wind rock, it stays on and seems to help. I'm planting mine out soon, they are hardening off atm.

[goodlife]

I started planting mine yesterday...but this bloody wind again
No damage to mine as they are still small, but I shall wait another day or two so that the wind will calm down bit before planting anymore.
I plant mine when they are only about 4-6" tall, though they are tender 'salad' crop for slugs and snail but on the plus side wind is not quite as damaging for them.
'Damned if you do and damned if you not...'

[tricia]

This year I planted my sweetcorn with plastic bottle collars too and I'm glad I did. Not only do they offer protection from the wind, but also from slugs and snails. Another new innovation on my part has been to plant through holes made in weed membrane - hopefully to keep the weeds at bay! I find it easier to water via the collars directly to the roots as well.

Tricia

[Jayb]

I'm half way through planting one lot of mine out, but the wind has picked up again though no where near as bad as it was at the beginning of the week. I'll wait and perhaps plant the rest tomorrow?

[Deb P]

It might be prudent to wait it they are not potbound, sweetcorn hate any check to their growth otherwise. I don't bother with membrane between bottles as it is much easier to hoe between rows as you don't worry about hitting the stems and damaging them. Plus I often grow a training squash between the stems that suppresses any weeds eventually.

[johhnyco15]

first 60 planted second 60 ready to go in third 60 just peeping thru ive got  the 2 end plots  so a little sheltered but i did wait untill after the big wind

[Digeroo]

I have bottles round mine too and they were mulched with manure.  There were some stinging nettles up wind which I had not got round to pulling so I think I was lucky that they kept the wind out.   It was very breezy here.

We are still getting some very cold mornings so I have not let them out of the bottles but I do need to catch them before they become wedged into the neck of the bottles. 

I also have some more in modules to go out. 

[caroline7758]

I do use bottle collars on lots of my plants- not sure why I didn't put them on the corn! 

[caroline7758]

first 60 planted second 60 ready to go in third 60 just peeping thru ive got  the 2 end plots  so a little sheltered but i did wait untill after the big wind

180 sweetcorn plants!! I'm guessing you have more than an average allotment!

[johhnyco15]

first 60 planted second 60 ready to go in third 60 just peeping thru I've got  the 2 end plots  so a little sheltered but i did wait until after the big wind

180 sweetcorn plants!! I'm guessing you have more than an average allotment!

I'm not sure I've two plots when I'm edging them they do seem endless

[picman]

We had lots of thin branches of a Blackberry tree ( bush ) just hanging limply from the main stem , shame full of blossom , presume it was the wind... in a bit of an exposed end of plot.