RE: [gardeners] Corn is falling over
Seyfried,Alice (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 29 Jun 1998 15:48:53 -0400
Every day for a week??!! Oh, what have I gotten myself into? I was
hoping that I had enough that I wouldn't have to worry about it. Do you
mean pollinate ALL the ears 7 TIMES? Do you realize I work full time,
have 2 toddlers and a husband who's never home? Can I use the pollen
from the same plant as the ears? Why do they call them ears, anyway?
Alice
seyfried@oclc.org
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kay Lancaster [SMTP:kay@fern.com]
> Sent: Monday, June 29, 1998 3:25 PM
> To: 'gardeners@globalgarden.com'
> Subject: RE: [gardeners] Corn is falling over
>
> On Mon, 29 Jun 1998, Seyfried,Alice wrote:
>
> > Thanks, Kay! No, they haven't started tassling yet. They're about
> knee
> > high right now. I'll keep an eye on them and pray they straighten
> up on
> > their own. If they don't straighten up by the time they start
> tassling,
> > I'm sure I'll be back to find out how to hand pollinate them. My 4
> year
> > old is so excited to be growing corn (his favorite veggie and his
> first
> > garden), I'll do anything to make sure these survive.
>
> With a 5x12 block of plants, you'll need to hand pollinate anyway.
> When the silks start to emerge from the ears, find a tassel that's
> starting to shed pollen. Break off a bit of the tassel (a branch or
> two), and "dust" the silks with the tassel, as if you were using
> a feather duster. Alternatively, you can put a paper bag over
> a tassel, and hold the opening closed around the stalk. Shake like
> crazy to get pollen to shed into the bag, then use a paintbrush to
> transfer pollen from the bag to the silks.
>
> Do pollinate every day for about a week -- you'll get nicely filled
> ears that way.
>
>
> Kay Lancaster kay@fern.com
> just west of Portland, OR; USDA zone 8 (polarfleece)
>
>