I bought a pot of sweetcorn plants which I planted out on the lottie on Friday. They're probably about a foot high. Our soil is light clay but I have worked organic matter into it. They seem quite sad and droopy. Is this normal? If not, any advice on what I can do to make them perk up? Planted runners and french beans same day and they're fine - bright and perky. ???
they don't like there roots disturbed so could be that, but if truth be known i've not managed to get a decent crop of sweetcorn last two years from transplants. I sowed direct into soil this time and they are looking good after about a month now
They are probably just suffering from some moisture stress. You have to remember that sweetcorn doesn't have normal roots, they are adventitious roots which means they won't recover as quickly from any root damage (these roots don't send out new side roots they have to regrow entirely new roots from the base plate). Give them some water and a few days.
remember to sow them in cardboard tubes next year,
then plant out before the roots reach the bottom
The man with whom I share my allotment sowed his sweetcorn about middle of May into pots. He is an old man and he did not seem too bothered when he didn't manage to get them in the ground and as they were getting to big for the pots , he re-potted them. About 10 days ago he managed to get about 20 in and the others are still in the greenhouse. I think somebody has forgotten to tell his sweetcorn that they don't like their rots disturbed :o :o as they are at least 2ft high and are very strong plants. They make mine look a right poor effort.
Rosemary
Thanks for the advice! :) Have watered well and will see how they go.
I've had to give sweetcorn a miss this year. They got that dreaded fungus that turns the kernels grey and swollen? Thought aliens had landed!! Apparently I shouldn't try it again for 5 years!!! :o :o :o sigh, oh well. C'est la vie! Lottie
Another one mubgrub:
Smut.
 undercarriage plan, you've got smut! Ustilago maydis if you prefer. Whether you want to act on the next bit is up to you. Smut infected corn is quite edible and even fetches a premium with some restauranteurs. I've never tried it (I don't particularly care for corn, bit un-American that) and the fashion for it is not what it was over here but some of the best restaurants in the world still feature it when it is in season locally.
 For anyone who hasn't seen it:
http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Corn_Smut.htm
Smut.
Now that just sounds rude ! :o
My sweetcorn always looked awful and never produced much until:
1) I now earth them up
2) I now grow only variety Xtrasweet Improved.
We are still eating cobs from last year (stored in freezer)
dont think the lack of sun is helping either they seem to grow like weeds in France when we pass them them driving to the Vendee!
someone once told me that those french plants are actually feed maize for their large livestock population. I dont know if thats just a less sweet variety of our sweetcorn or something completely inedible to us humans.
Quote from: undercarriage plan on July 05, 2005, 18:51:59
I've had to give sweetcorn a miss this year. They got that dreaded fungus that turns the kernels grey and swollen? Thought aliens had landed!! Apparently I shouldn't try it again for 5 years!!! :o :o :o sigh, oh well. C'est la vie! Lottie
I got smut on the last plant to fruit in 2003: it is more prevalent in really hot conditions (so doesn't usually appear in the UK unless we get a record-breaking hot spell!). Yes, it is a five year avoidance, so just rotate your corn bed to somewhere else. I didn't know what it was when I cut the plants down so threw them on the neighbouring bed so of course I now have two beds with a quarantine on... ::) ::) They grew ok last year in a different bed.
moonbells
Where did you get the Xtrasweet improved variety. Is that the correct spelling?
To David R
You are probably right on the French plants. Its called maize and is from the same family as sweetcorn so ideal growing conditions are the same for both. My family grow a lot of it for feeding to the cattle over the winter. My sister once tried to cook some of it but it was rock hard and inedible. :P
To Ed Chigliak:
Marshalls supply Xtrasweet Improved and yes, I believe that's the correct spelling, although I can't find the old packet (I've grown it three years running now).
Quote from: Irish Eyes on July 06, 2005, 13:22:59
To David R
You are probably right on the French plants. Its called maize and is from the same family as sweetcorn so ideal growing conditions are the same for both. My family grow a lot of it for feeding to the cattle over the winter. My sister once tried to cook some of it but it was rock hard and inedible. :P
There are varieties of corn available over here that are so hard and dry, deliberately bred, they are used in stoves for heating and cooking. The first peoples (as native Americans now prefer to be known) used to heat and cook with these types indicating how old this practice is. Perhaps your family could try that?
I have only just planted some sweetcorn seeds out, last weekend.
So I am interested to see if they will grow and catch up with
the rest of you...
Debs :-\
Smut???? Well I never!! My mum did warn me..... ;DLottie
My poor corn has been overtaken by my squash plants! Remember Emma, next year, start your corns first so they are bigger than your squash plants!! >:(
Sorry about your plants EJ.
Good news here though as the sweetcorn has started to perk up - looks like all the rain has done some good!
Not for mine it hasn't. Some of the lower leaves seem to have started rotting.
Hope it's not too serious.
Quote from: EJ - Emma Jane on July 07, 2005, 22:31:25
My poor corn has been overtaken by my squash plants! Remember Emma, next year, start your corns first so they are bigger than your squash plants!! >:(
I had much the same problem with my courgettes, but I pruned the biggest leaves off the courgettes and evrything seems to be okay at the moment - harvesting from the courgettes and the sweetcorn is doing okay. May plant it a little further apart next year though....
I haven't timed my sweetcorn too well this year either, intending to sow some more in the next few days. Put one batch of seedlings out about 3 weeks ago, and another around a week ago. So far so good with most of them. :)