Re: [gardeners] Big corn plants but no corn...
Craig Watts (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 2 Aug 1999 21:38:20 -0400
This was a post I sent to Byron. Don't have the "hang" of the room thing
yet and have been obsevrving.
How do I post to the room???
You may find your corn question answered a little here.
anyway, here it is...
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Byron,
You've understood me in the wrong direction. Years ago in the garden with
my Dad, we over fetilized when planting in the spring.That's when we go the
tomatoe trees and no fruit.
I am not that "every two week" fertilizer dude. Matter of fact , I compost
heavily and build the soil and let mother nature do 90% of the work. I only
fertilize months after the plants have established themselves, blossumed
and now have fruit beginning (@june). I use mostly 10-10-10 cuss I don't
know any better, and use it "VERY" spareringly. Just a couple of granuals
per plant around the base. Litterly "a couple of grannuals".
Then I may hit it again litely when the plants have been havested and are
on there second go round.
Therefore, I fertilize twice per season.
My garden this year has been excellent. Mostly due to a soaker hose system
we set in place. We in North Carolina and have been blessed with an early
draught, followed by extreme heat. Yup, it's 10:30 and 97.
We did a great job on the soaker system. Bought three sections of soaker
hose and "cut'em all up". Found a "T" connector from rain bird lawn systems
that would slip fit regular garden hose. (Yup, cut that all in pieces too!)
Put a quick connect on each section of garden, ran regular garden hose
between the "T's", and soaker hose down off the "T's", and finished by end
capping the soaker hose with 1/2" wood dowel and a automotive hose clamp.
Only thing I could do to better the system is mulch.
This year the corn was excellent! We have two small rows and learned a
trick from Mel Bartholemeu- Square Foot Gardening. When the top tassles are
giving off pollen, take a brown shopping bag and collect the pollen from
each plant into the bag. Then go back to the beginning are sprinkle the
pollen on the "arm pit" hairs (commonly known as the silks). Great for the
small garden and the "corn ears are full and beautifull"!
The tomatoes are great. The vines are hanging with the weight of "four to a
group". We grew Camealas this year. Along with the peppers (bell, habanero,
jalapeno, banana), and the green beans won't quit.
Squash has made it's last dieing attempt, but hey, it's late july. Not bad.
So I'd like to say hi to the room, introduce myself, appoligize for this
long novell and the atrocious spelling!
Craig Watts
kingdomm@worldnet.att.net
Craig Watts
kingdomm@worldnet.att.net
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From: Greg Park <park.steel@worldnet.att.net>
To: gardeners@globalgarden.com
Subject: [gardeners] Big corn plants but no corn...
Date: Monday, August 02, 1999 5:01 PM
Hi all,
I hope some experienced corn growers can help me here.
I am growing golden bantam variety of sweet corn this year. The stalks are
getting close to 6 feet tall but I have yet to see an ear forming. Is this
normal? If not, is there something I can do to stimulate ear growth? Or
am
I too late.
I am growing sweet corn for the first time in a looooooong time and am
using
a different technique that I found in the Kitchen Gardener magazine.
Basically, the article espoused planting the stalks in closely spaced
hills.
I only amended the soil with compost a month before planting and have added
nothing since. The plants are extremely healthy looking...they just lack
anything resembling an ear of corn :^(
Looking forward to some pointers,
Greg
Zone 10, Santa Monica, CA