I've had pretty good luck with my first crop of Sugar-Dots, even though the last 30 days were hot (99-100 degrees) and dry. I've been watering with soaker hose, so my sweet corn looks much better than the field corn around central Texas. I planted the first of April and have been eating sweet corn for the past few days. (My corn patch is only about 40 x 25, so I can afford to water).
My question is on planting a second crop. I have plenty of time, since the average first frost around here isn't until mid-November. My concern is sprouting and protecting the seedlings from the heat of July and August. How much water is needed to sprout? I have fine-grained soil that has quite a bit of black clay, but tills and loosens well enough. The surface tends to form a slight crust. The area not cultivated (and unwatered) can get very dry and develops large, deep cracks.
Should I plant a little deeper than I did in the spring since the surface dries out easily? This spring I soaked the seeds for about 2 hours before planting. Should I soak longer or less? Will deeper planting help the seedlings endure the heat better? Is there anything else I should do to protect the young plants? Should I try to protect them? Is planting during the heat of summer likely to be a waste of time and seed?
Thanks in advance for any recommendations.
David
Second Corn crop?
David. It hotter than blazes here and next door to me just put in his corn seeds about a week ago and they up about four inches. So far they doing good, but takign alot of water since we havent had any rain.
he didn't soak seeds, just planted 3 seeds per hole and planted onion sets in between. Hadn't seen that done before and don't thinkthe onions are gonan make it cuz the corn so thirsty.
I would not plant any deeper, planting deeper just means that the seed will use all its energy to try and make it to the surface and may just die in the ground without ever making it to the top.
The most important think is making sure they have plenty of water think it duing the fifth and sixth flag leaf, to be able to produce the milk.
If ya can affrod to water and got a taste for late summer corn, I woudl go for it.
I got one small section of groudn that didn't get anythign planted in it and I have thought about putting some out for me as that section of groudn on a slope and stays fairly damp from run off.
Good to hear as I just planted ny corn in an EB, as I aways do, three days ago and they are about an inch high. There is no need to ever soak the seed prior to planting as corn sprouts rapidly. I have never grown it during our summer months but with the fuel crisis and the future price of corn I thought I'd try. Will plant another EB in a week or so if this continuues to do well and then another after that. This should give my family enough corn. Also have peppers coming along quite nicely!
Never thought of a fall crop of corn. I might give it a go. My beans are burnt out and my squash is a bust -- SVB I believe.
I guess I'll give it a shot. I'm going to re-till and plant tomorrow or Friday. I've already go soaker hoses ready, so water shouldn't be a problem. I'm thinking of planting a new batch of yellow squash, too. I'll post an update with progress once the seeds sprout.
David
Here we plant sweet corn up til about the first of August, depending on cultivar. Biggest problems is that stalk borers/budworms are rampant in the fall. Have to control them.
I would plant a bit deeper in hot and dry weather...plus tamp the soil down after planting with the back of the hoe.
Feldon. What did your squash plants look like. Did ya happen to take any pics of it? Did it have spots all on th eleaves. White spots? It may not have been a virus but a form of powdery mildew that effects the plants when the humidty starts getting up around 70% in our hot heat areas. Ya may need to apply a fungicide to keep them from having problems.
Famerdill... what do you apply as a preventive measure for fall corn for the bores?
I have not found any preventive measures that work. I check the corn daily and when I find the first frass, I top spray down into the whorl with carbaryl. Once the corn tassels it will usually make it.
Starlight, the plants aren't dead yet, they are hanging on by a thread. But the leaves are dying about one per day on 4 plants. Some of the leaves are still lush and green. Then they wilt and turn brown and die.
The stem is the most telling part. It is leathery, dry and cracked, and completely split open. The center is completely hollow.
Feldon.. With the stems being hollow make sme think off hand that you might have squah bores, but when you add wilting to it, remind me more of curly beet wilt, which infects squash.
When you look at the hollow inside. Is it sorta smooth or does it look like it chewed up in stages?
With the second the plants wilt because the virus affects the nutrient an dwater uptake.
I would take one of your plants, Dig it up and take it over to your local extention office and have them send it to the lab. The extention office doesn't chare for plant pathology tests. Getting a lab test is a good idea, because if the virus there it wil affect some of your other crops and reinfect a secodn batch of squash.
Thanks FarmerDill. Will tuck that bit of information in th eback of my head just incase I need it. Hopefulyl I won't but ya nevr know what critters or such Mother Nature gonna hit the plants with.