Side Note: This is an old blog entry that I relocated here after I deleted another website of mine. The original date of this post is sometime around June of 2010. I will also include a few of the comments it received. Anyway...
This stuff happens, especially to the newbies. If you’re new to the garden scene and/or just simply would like to remedy this corn plant-related mishap, there’s a few things you can do to prevent this……
 |
| A beautiful field of corn plants basking in the sun... |
The most common mistake made when planting corn, is by not putting the seed deep enough into the ground. Most packets of corn seed will instruct you to sow the seeds 1 inch deep, as this is not always enough; somewhere around 2 to 3 inches deep would yield stronger plants with a more stable foundation of root support.
Besides planting deeper, there is a couple more things you can do to help hinder the falling down of your corn plants. After your plants reach a height of 2 feet or more, and you have weeded out the weak sprouts, mound a pile of dirt around the base of each corn stalk. I’d suggest a nice, well-rounded pile of dirt, roughly 2 to 3 inches high. The main reason this helps, is because as your corn plants get older, they will start to develop anchor roots above the surface. By having a nice mound of dirt around the base, it will give them more to anchor into, etc.
If all else fails and/or you’re enduring a bad season of high wind and hard storms, you could always drive stakes into the ground and tie them off - by securing the lower section of each plant. This is an easy solution, but would only be worth the effort in small, personal gardens. If you have a lot of corn, you’re better off planting them a little deeper to begin with, so you can avoid having to put in all the extra effort to prevent them from falling over. Of course, due to random weather conditions and bouts of strong gust, it is normal for some of your plants to get blown down regardless of preventive measures.
Fertilizing your corn:
The wonderful corn plant is often referred to as a “nitrogen lover.” They utterly thrive in soil & fertilizer that has a high nitrogen content. Typically, for most vegetables, I select a balanced fertilizer such as 10-10-10 or use Miracle Grow supplements as 18-18-21. But for corn, it’s better to use pure ammonium nitrate fertilizer or Miracle Grow supplements as 24-8-16, for example. Although, you can never go wrong with using rich, organic fertilizer and compost for any plants within your garden.
Also, corn is very dependent on a regular supply of water. If you have a small to mid-size garden that you’re able to easily water, I recommend that you do so – to combat any sessions of drought that the hot growing season of summer often casts down upon thee. If corn doesn’t get enough water, it will not produce quality ears.
Good luck with your crop and take advantage of the garden season while it’s here in full swing……
If you do have good garden results, yield a lot of produce, and you lack the freezer room, you may need to invest in some good chest freezers, as well. Speaking of freezing, here is a post related to that, if you like squash: "How to Freeze Summer Squash for Frying Purposes."
The original comment field, below:
Comment#1: Farmer Joe says:
June 15, 2010, at 9:59 am
I hate it when that happens. I remember the first year I grew corn, having this problem. Mine would fall down on one side, since they were planted near a big, wooded hillside and would always lean towards the west for sunlight. I got lucky since I lived by a creek, and I toted medium sized rocks in 5-gallon buckets back and forth into the small corn field. I would surround the plant’s leaning sides with rocks for support. It was enough to get through the season, but the next year I planted them away from the hill that blocked a good portion of their light, and I also planted them deeper in the ground, like you have already mentioned. I suppose I could have used mounds of dirt around the base, but that year I was frustrated with them constantly falling down after each rainstorm and wanted something heavier like big rocks.
That was also some good advice on the fertilizer. Yep, that corn stuff loves the dang nitrogen more than anything I’ve ever grown. I also use a different fertilizer for my tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.
Comment#2:
Thanks for dropping by…
Yep, I’ve used rocks as well. But many of these spur-of-the-moment “quick fixes” can often be avoided, by simply planning ahead. Ahh, there is nothing like learning through experience, no matter what it is.
By the way, good luck on keeping your corn plants perpendicular this year; ’tis been stormy down here of late……
Comment#3:
Jessica says:
July 8, 2011, at 1:52 am
Hi. I was wondering if anyone can answer a curiosity question, I cannot answer.
What is the stuff that is small and on the top of the corn plant?
It looks like rice but it's not of course. But what is it and what do I do with it?
My daughter wants to know, and she keeps asking me and I do not like telling her I do not know. Moms are supposed to know all and see all but this I am stumped on bad. Help, HELP!
Comment#4:
Administrator says:
July 10, 2011, at 10:04 am
Hi, Jessica…
I was late getting to your question. This blog post is mainly about people having trouble with their corn plants falling down, leaning, etc., but the answer to your query is simple:
You are referring to the corn tassels. They are what pollinates the corn plants, hence forth the corn production. However, when people are trying to create hybrid varieties, they perform something called detasseling; it’s where they cut the tassels off of one particular variety in the field, to leave the grain open/available to get pollinated by another existing variety of corn plants that are growing in the field – to produce a hybrid corn variety.
Anyway, hopefully everybody is having a good corn crop this year and it is still standing strong. Those heavy rainstorms seem to be corn’s worst enemy during its first few weeks of growth. I had better luck this year, at least when it comes to the “falling down” problem, by planting later in the season and, of course, following some of the tips on this page.
Enjoy the rest of the garden season! Cheers!
---End of previous Comment Field
---End of Post "Corn Plants Falling Down in the Garden?"
No comments:
Post a Comment