[themoog]

Well, the title says it all  !

This is the 2nd year that I've tried sweetcorn on the allotment. Last year I didn't chit (and had poor germination), started the seeds off in loo rolls, planted out at the right time but the plants never grew more than a foot high. The corns were tiny and I thought that I'd not fed the soil sufficiently before planting out. The variety was Swift (I think).

This year the plot had well-totted manure dug in a couple of months before planting out. The seeds (Mainstay) were chitted in the airing cupboard (great germination) and sown in Richy's paper pots. Planted out in early June (with a bit of blood, fish and bone for good measure) and they've not grown any taller since (about half a foot). The bases are weak and keep breaking and I've given them up for a bad job. They were desperately trying to produce tassels on tiny plants.

What am I doing wrong. Is it the pots? Is it the feeding? Is it the variety? When I grew a few plants in raised beds as a trial a few years ago they were great, but I can't give over a raised bed in the garden to sweetcorn every year, there's just not enough space.

Sorry for the long post, but has anyone any ideas for next year?

[Tattyanne456]

was it new seed? i found i had poor germination /results with old seed. new seed no problem

[Muddylou]

Sorry, I can't help with your stunted corn as this is my first year growing.
I have the totally opposite problem, I'm growing corn (seeds came from Thailand).
They are well over six feet tall and not a male flower or anything to be seen.
They're very green with stalks as thick as a mans arm and leaves like rotor blades, the other plot holders keep coming and having a look at them.
I've resigned myself to them not producing any cobs before the cold weather, but I'm looking forward to seeing how big they get. I've got my own jungle on the lottie. 

[Kimberley04]

Wow, they sound fab Muddylou, hope you get some cobs.  What variety are they?

[Muddylou]

Wow, they sound fab Muddylou, hope you get some cobs.  What variety are they?

I don't know, my GF's (Thai) Mother gave them to us on my last trip to Thailand, beginning to think they're Bamboo..lol.

ps. Hope someone answers your question Themoog, I may have the same problem next year.  

[Trillium]

Corn, regardless of how well it germinates (or doesn't) is a heat loving plant. Even in Ontario it will grow well in the warmer southern areas with more 'heat units' than up north with less heat units. The northern farmers grow only shorter varieties specially bred for quick growth in their shorter seasons. I suspect North Wales falls into the northern Ontario growing sector...simply not enough heat and sunlight to support growth. Corn also needs a lot of raw manure rather than rotted manure which is why farmers spray ammonia on their fields or simply use fresh 's**t' (as they put it). Corn is a nitrogen glutton which is why its growth is alternated annually with a bean crop.

[Swing Swang]

In answer to original question I'd try some nitrogen ans see if that encourages some growth.

Muddylou - my guess is that it's down to your variety. I had a similar problem last year. I planted a 120 day variety of South African white maize. Started them off really early, and they got to nearly 3m by the end of the summer, but the frosts killed off the plants in November before the cobs had filled out. This year I'm trying a 90 day variety of South African white maize to see if I can get it to ripen in time. The pre-chitted seeds took off, but have since been over-taken by my British F1 sweetcorn. I'm hoping that the South African variety will ripen later (which will also prevent cross-pollination as they share the same bed), but it might just be that this variety of maize is just not suited to our climate. I'm going to keep experimenting for another couple of years though because there is at least one farmer who grows this crop commercially in the UK(www.mwanakafreshfarmfoods.com)

Wish you every success, and if you have any tips then pass them on.

SS

[Kristen]

My Swift in the greenhouse reached about 5', and we've had great cobs off them.

I grew some in the same batch, and they were planted outside.  They are about 2'6" tall, and have cobs forming.

Both were sown on 01-Apr and planted out on 01-May (outdoor ones with fleece - the roots were already well through the paper pots, so had to go out ...)

I sowed another batch in paper pots on 09-May, planted out on 31-May, and the male flowers have formed - they are around 4' tall

So seems to me that they need warmth, and that an early planting doesn't achieve much.

I also reckon that the "crop" is only going to last for about a fortnight, so sowing a whole packet in one go is going to hard to eat! so next year I'm going to do batches of 9, or maybe 12, plants every 2-3 weeks.

[Faz]

I dug in a load of fresh manure in the patch where I have sweetcorn planted in a double row., with 4 courgette plants in between. The patch is partially shaded and this has made a massive difference to how well they have grown - the plants at the shaded end are only about half the size of the others, though they are all flowering now.

Still waiting for courgettes though!!

[themoog]

Thanks for the replies. I've checked my records and the first variety was Lark F1 (great in the beds, pants on the allotment) and Mainstay this year.

I suspect that it might be the pots as they seemed to stall between germination and planting out. I'm beginning to think that biodegradable pots stunt the roots rather than help protect them on planting, as I'd been led to believe.

I'll go back to plastic pots next year and see what happens. I thought that I'd given them enough nitrogen but it's worth knowing how hungry they are and I can keep an eye on that. Everyone else's on the site are doing beautifully but no-one seems to know why. Lots of shrugging and 'I just put them in and see what happens'  .

[Trillium]

I'll either not buy plants in bio-degradable pots or I'll chuck them before planting as I don't have luck with them at all. In fact, I've just turned over some 3 yr old compost and found a whole peat pot still intact! Bio-degradable my foot! They're just not worth the cost or effort so go back to regular plastic pots, really enrich your corn area with lots of manure or high nitrogen feed and try a shorter variety.

[Kristen]

"I'll go back to plastic pots next year and see what happens"

My understanding is that Sweetcorn don't like being transplanted, so I grow mine in Richy's Newspaper pots.

[maxie]

I always transplant mine from plastic pots and the only problems ive had was when they were potbound, so i always sow late and plant out at the end of may when theres still plenty of space left in the pot.I also use a good size pot.
I also give mine a good handful of rooster chicken pellets mixed to a slurry in the planting hole and then give it a good spread on top of the bed as well it seems to give them a boost.
Ive only had one bad year,last year when it rained for days when they were trying to pollinate   

[mumofstig]

My first year with sweetcorn and i grew them in paper pots and it worked brilliantly. I transplanted when the roots were coming through the paper and they just carried on growing. Cobs very nearly ready

[Bombers]

I just sow two to a cell (15 cells to a tray jobby) and pinch out the weakest.



and transplant (carefully) before the roots are appearing out the bottom! 
Ohh.. and plenty of manure.