Sweetcorn

[chadspad]

I am growing sweetcorn again this year. The plants are looking very healthy but theyre only about 3 foot high, instead of probably 5-6 foot other years, and already theyre flowering. I dont remember the others flowering at that low a level. Maybe I bought a variety that are smaller but I havent got the packet anymore and seeing as it was all in French I probably couldnt understand half of it anyway . Has anyone else had this happen or have I forgotten from last year that the flowers started that early?

[ohareward]

Hi chadspad. There are smaller varieties of corn, so yours could be one of those. As long as they are planted in a block to mask it easier for polination, and yours are healthy, there should not be any problem. Keep us informed.

Robin

[Millymollymandy]

Funny that Wendy, mine are starting to flower too yet they are only 2-3 foot high!

They are the remains of a packet I opened last year and I had huge tall plants so they are not a dwarf variety!

The difference this year is that these were sown early indoors, got chewed by the cat, toppled over and had to be propped up.... so I think they had a bad start, plus they are in a shadier part of the veg patch this year. Will wait and see what happens!

[chadspad]

Well thats strange M3 that we are having the same problem! I started mine under glass but no earlier than the packet suggested and having thought about it, its the same type that I used last year and they were tall. I havent had any troubles with a cat either lol. Will have to keep this updated with the progress!

[revdode]

No sign of flowering on my corn but they aren't as large as I was expecting. I think they were knocked back a little by the cold snap just after I planted them out. They were supposed to provide a little support for my beans but at the moment the beans are towering over them:-(

[Andy Hamilton]

Well I would love to have small plants growing, I planted over a 100 an only 2 have come up.

As you know plants tend to flower or go to seed early if they think they are in trouble - think coriander when it is transplanted. I wonder if anything has happened to your plants that might scare it into going to seed.

[Millymollymandy]

I think generally the weather - warm and sunny in April when I planted them out, then extremely windy, coupled with a very wet and cool May.

Andy what variety did you plant? I had bad germination 2 years ago from a variety called Lark. Can't remember the name of these ones as the packet is in the potting shed!

[chadspad]

Have also noticed with the corn that there are offshoots growing from the bottoms. Im sure that didnt happen last year. I know theres the side bit for the corn to grow from but these are like smaller plants from the bottom of the stem - is that right? Perhaps I didnt look properly last year

[p999j]

I'm so jealous of you guys who have 2 or 3 foot sweetcorn- mine is still less than a foot high and it's so blooming cold up here, it's sitting not doing much. Here's hoping it'll survive until the weather warms up. I don't really know how much success sweetcorn generally has in sunny aberdeenshire- don't know anyone else that grows it outside of a polytunnel.

[Mare Owner]

Mine is less than two feet tall, but is right on schedule for here. Corn loves hot humid sunny days, which we have been having, BUT now it has turned quite cool, I am worrying it will slow the plants down.

[Jandra]

Over here in the Netherlands I also have corn already starting to flower. It's a small variety, so I'm not worried about the fact that they are only 2 ft, but I also noticed the side-shoots.

Can't be good news, I think. My book on organic gardening (750+ pp) has extensive info on veg goups and varieties and how to grow and what possible diseases could strike, but doesn't mention these side-shoots.

Anyhow, I hope someone here has seen them before. Should they be removed? Seems to me they'll only steal food and water from the main plant.

TIA, Jandra

[Millymollymandy]

I think that's normal isn't it? You get (or should get!) extra corn cobs on these side shoots. Last year my corn was branching out in all directions and I got up to 4 big cobs and 3 little cobs per plant.

This year they are pathetic and the corn cobs (only one or two on each plant) are really small.

Thankfully I've got 6 more plants coming on in pots that aren't ready to plant out yet. I just hope there is a warm autumn!

[Jandra]

Hi MillyMollyMandy, Thank you very much for putting my mind at ease on the topic of side-shoots. Extra cobs, now I am all in favour of that!

Good luck on your corn-growing. Hope the second batch will be more succesful.

Jandra

[Wombat]

Yup, the side shoots are normal, although personally speaking I never seem to do too well out of them!

Nev

[burek]

ineresting post
we too have planted a normal variety but they have started flowering at 2/3 feet tall, and also have side shoots...
would be interested to see if anyone has any theories on why this is happening this year.
we planted ours about 2 weeks behind other people around here and theirs are normal height... so perhaps it is a weather related problem.