Allotments 4 All

The 'Incredible' sweetcorn I am trying this year on my new plot are not very incredible at all at the moment, and I'm really not sure why! They were planted out a week before the 'Extra Tender and Sweet' I put on my main plot, and the majority of plants are the same size and have just gradually gone yellow. I was suspecting the soil as being somehow deficient, but if you look at the picture below a couple of plants are greening up and seem OK, so if it was the soil surely they would all be affected? As you can see from the second pic, the other sweetcorn is doing well, and has had the same soil prep of manure last year, plus a bit of extra mushroom compost as a top up:any ideas/remedies please?

Poorly 'Incredible' sweetcorn... :-\



...and the reliable 'Extra Tender & Sweet'....  ???

looks like a nitrogen deficiency issue, Deb

I wondered that too........I think I'll try with a seaweed feed and see if they perk up! ::)

Ditto I would suggest giving them a feed and remove the bottles as with this weather (Hot and Dry) it might be detrimental

Did you disturb the roots when planting out?  They don';t like being moved, if this is the case they should recover with some tlc.

I have to say that my germination rates for the sweetcorn Incredible have been p-ss poor this year, sorry to swear but i was having germination rates of less than 50%.  >:( i will be planting another variety next year.

Is it me, has it been a generally bad germination year this year, i have had really bad germination rates across the board (except for my parsnips... :))

I've been getting between 50 and 70% germination from trays of Kelvedon wonder. That's tolerable, but I've been quite worried about squash germination this year. Odd varieties have germinated well, others in the same tray have completely failed. Overall I've probably got about 10-20% germination. I've tried a lot of varieties from different sources, put them on the windowsill as normal, under the water heater, on top of the water heater, and nothing's made any difference.

I had pretty good germination for incredible, though it went in pretty late, in rootrainers in one side of a 40W double-tray propagator running flat out.... so pretty warm too....

chrisc

Quote from: chriscross1966 on June 17, 2010, 13:59:02
I had pretty good germination for incredible, though it went in pretty late, in rootrainers in one side of a 40W double-tray propagator running flat out.... so pretty warm too....

chrisc

I know, i sowed them at the normal time of year in the root trainers in the warm south facing porch, but i have to hold my hands up and say that this year has not been a normal year i should have left it until may (normally i sow in april and plant out in may) and then plant out mid to late june.
All i can say is that growing vegetables is different every year and you live and learn  :)

I had 32 out of 40 Incredible germinate, they grew 3 to 4 inches high then keeled over,I then sowed direct into the soil and only 14 out of 36 have germinated.  :'( :'( :'(

I didn't have any problems germinating them, it was when I planted them out it all started! I've given them a dose of Powerfeed anyway, we will see if thart sorts them out.....but I've also sown some more late 'Extra Tender & Sweet' as a back up....... ::)

I tried baby sweetcorn this year and germinated them in a seed tray.  I didn't bother with modules but perhaps should have knowing about them disliking root disturbance.  Anyway, I recon 90% germinated and grew to 4" very fast, which meant I had to plant out a bit early.  I had a few plants that died but most have made it and now growing strongly.  What is weird, is that the best specimens are bunched together with almost no elbow room!  

Deb P,
In the variety perhaps?
Stick with the one that works for you?

It might be the variety.....I tried it after it was highly recommended on this forum! ::) ;D If this lot do not perk up in the next week I'm tempted to bin them and try my favourite 'Extra Tender & Sweet' there instea, that should tell me if it is the variety or not.

this year i have followed info from a previous page on here and Germinate all my seeds in plastic containers on damp kitchen tissue, No more wasted space in my seed trays

On the topic of germination for newbies if reading.

Corn seed does not keep long, 2 years, but fresh each year is best . You will germinate some  if the seed is older than than 2 years  but it loses is viability rapidly.

I have always bought it in bulk as it is much cheaper,  that gives me some to share and I can still use it at 3 and even 4 years but germination gets poor,however due to the low cost anything I get after year 2 is a freebie anyway so I don't mind.I have never known older seed to produce poor plants. Once germinated they do fine.

I don't suggest you buy in bulk unless you plant a lot of corn.A pound of seed it a lot of plants!!

XX Jeannine