[Flying Cyril]

Out of 30 sweetcorn seeds sown last year I ended up with 5 plants, t'others rotted before coming up. I've solved this problem now, I've bought a propagator. When the plants were full size I hand polinated them, there were 3 corns on each plant. When the time came to pick and eat them I found that only one from each plant was any good, t'other 2 were not fully developed. Should I pick the smaller ones off to concentrate the growth on the bigger one or should all 3 have been useable ??

"Flying" Cyril.

[muntjac]

sweet corn can ripen at different times on the plant take the lower ones off when they are  big enough to grasp with your thumb  and fingers wrapped around tyen leave the next one up for a week or so .. you must plant corn in a block  to aid pollination i prefer the diamond myself   like so

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[milkman]

Not sure how you went about your 'hand pollinating' - sweetcorn is a wind pollinated plant - I get reasonable results by giving the plant a good flick with my finger and watching the dusty pollen flying off the top onto the cobs below.  I never expect to get more than 2 good cobs per plant though.  And as MJ says, plant them in a block, also protect them from the wind until they are well established and growing away strongly.

[Flying Cyril]

Ta lad's.
I planted them in a block but with only 5 plants t'was a tad small. I went for a square with 1 in the middle. I planted them between my pallet greenhouse (which was battered to firewood by these winds we've been having) and the shed. I hand polinated by just rubbing my fingers over the tops to collect the pollen and then rubbing them over the sticky female bits. The 2 lower cobs were about the size of bananas but the top ones were a decent size.
"Flying" Cyril.

[shaun]

to pollinate corn you should try this
in late march put a couple layers of wet kitchen paper in a butty box put the corn on that and cover with a couple more pieces of wet kitchen paper,put the lid on and put it under your bed in the dark(dont let it dry out).
after a week have a look and they should have sprouted(any that havnt shooted throw away)
when the shoot is about 10mm long very carefully pot them in pots of compost about 25mm deep.
put them in a frost free greenhouse or cold frame and plant them out late april/early may.

[milkman]

i think what your describing there shaun is a method for getting it to germinate not pollinate  :oops: .... has it been a long day?

[Axe Victim]

rubbing my fingers over the tops to collect the pollen and then rubbing them over the sticky female bits.

I have tried this technique and, by and large, it has worked for me....I ended up with a huge cob!

 

[shaun]

i think what your describing there shaun is a method for getting it to germinate not pollinate  :oops: .... has it been a long day?

thats right milky germinate not pollinate ive had a long day in the wind and rain  

[muntjac]

was ya stood on something shaun ? thought you short folks didnt feel the wind that close to the ground    ,i used to be so skinny i had run round in the shower to get wet

[shaun]

nope i was in Anglesey mate and it was a t**t of a day and i had to drive all the way home on my lonesome  :cry:

[muntjac]

well when ya go agin in summer gets ur butt to below te menai bridge and take a bas rod with ya n some nice lug worm or baby squid if ya can ,,, i had 27 in an afternoon from 2lbs to 6.1/2  there mate .. bloodyyy marvelous

[shaun]

thats where i was right on the straights its my boses house between menai and beumaris
got another 6 ton bags of leaves though so it wasnt that bad

[muntjac]

lol

[shaun]

i was planning on doing nowt tomorrow but dreams just have a knack of not comming true,when i got home message on the phone off site rep to tell me the council have dropped the rubbish trailer at my plot on friday (i asked for this in september) and want it back monday morning  :evil:
so thats me in the morning hail rain or snow.