Blown over sweet corn...

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I knew our garden was coming along too well, no bug problems, no rain problems, it was just a matter of time...

Saturday we had a storm that packed 40+ mph winds. It blew over most of our sweet corn patch. When I tried to straighten it back up a lot of the stalks just broke.

Other corn in the area seems okay. What did I do wrong? Was my soil too soft? Seed planted too shallow? Is Silverqueen especially prone to weak roots? Are you supposed to hill your corn? Should I stake my corn next time?

[Forerunner]

Some varieties are more prone to this than others.
My Stowell's Evergreen does it in a fairly bad wind..... but always stands back up enough to mature.

Try planting taller crops near a wind break..... barn, stand of trees, etc.
These storms likely ain't gunna subside anytime soon.

Standing them back up is usually a futile effort.
They'll make their own elbow and straighten naturally.
Packing a little extra dirt around the roots, before or after, isn't a bad thing.

[Yvonne's hubby]

Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay

I knew our garden was coming along too well, no bug problems, no rain problems, it was just a matter of time...

Saturday we had a storm that packed 40+ mph winds. It blew over most of our sweet corn patch. When I tried to straighten it back up a lot of the stalks just broke.

Other corn in the area seems okay. What did I do wrong? Was my soil too soft? Seed planted too shallow? Is Silverqueen especially prone to weak roots? Are you supposed to hill your corn? Should I stake my corn next time?

I raise silverqueen and have it blow down fairly often. as long as its not tasselled out it will stand itself back up.... well, mostly up anyway..... in just a few days.

[pheasantplucker]

I had the same problem last year...I learned I hadn't thinned my corn down enough. The few stalks I tried to straighten snapped...so I left 90% of them the way they were. They still put out ears...

[BruceC]

Do you think seed depth has anything to do with that? I heard a competent source say you should plant corn 3” deep.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Originally Posted by BruceC

Do you think seed depth has anything to do with that? I heard a competent source say you should plant corn 3” deep.

That's about how deep my neighbor drilled in his sweet corn and it stood up just fine. I only planted mine about an inch, and in tilled soil. His was no till.

[pheasantplucker]

The roots are going to spread out and work down further than any depth you'd plant them. I don't think planting depth would have any effect.

[Oldcountryboy]

Originally Posted by Matthew Lindsay

Are you supposed to hill your corn?

Yep, there you go! You just answered your own question. I hill mine twice. First time when it's about 8 inches tall, and then again when it's about two feet tall. Each time you hill the cornstalks, they will send out more roots which in turn not only makes a sturdyer stalk but also the extra roots seeks out more water and nutrients to feed on.

If your soil lacks nutrients, throw some 10-10-10 fertilizer around the base of the cornstalks before you hill them.

Tomato plants like being hilled too. Again when you throw more soil around the base of the plant, it will send out more roots to seek more water and nutrients.

[How Do I]

I'm growing Bloody Butcher this year. Had a few blow over during the weekend storms. Only two bent along the stem. I leaned those up against a neighboring plant and they looked to be straightening back up today. A few others that were leaning, the soil seemed pretty loose at the base. Saw a mole burrow heading to those. Could maybe have something to do with it? IDK. The soil was pretty loose so I just straightened them up, put some more soil around the base of the plants and tamped it down with my palm. Those were looking good and straight today too. Grew Silver Queen last year in the same spot and didn't have any problems.

[rambler]

Water under the bridge for this year, but sweet corn is very prone to this, and tends to straighten itself up if left alone. Too bad you tried to straighten it up, that hurt more than helped.

Field corn likes to be planted 2 inches deep, brace roots kick in about tasseling time. There is a week long time the winds can get to it before the brace roots, but after it's growth spurt. I suspect sweet corn has a similar deal. Planting corn shallow and the brace roots don't work right. Plant deep and the corn has to work hard to emerge, takes away energy it woulda used for good corn. Hilling would help on shallow planted corn.

--->Paul

[salmonslayer]

We live and garden in the hills where we get a lot of wind (had some 50mph gusts last night) and we get a fair amount of blow down every year. I prop them up where I can, in some cases I will put up wooden stakes and then use jute twin to hold everything up if a row has gone down, and in other cases I just let it go. Corn is pretty resilient and will still produce if its not straight up and down and we havent found planting depth to have much effect on the problem. We get so much wind we have 47 tomato plants all in cages we make from old field wire and even our pepper plants have to be staked.