Last year I planted corn. It was fine till the corn ears were ready. Then, I go out and all corn is gone and stalks all broken down. There is a fence around the garden, so whatever it is, it's a climber. This year I planted corn again and I'm already seeing signs of some broken stalks. I put a scarecrow, thinking that might scare it away, but still there. I also noticed this afternoon I had 1/2 watermelon in my compost bin and it was cleaned to the rind. What could be doing this and what is a good remedy to get rid of it?
It has been my experience that raccoons tend to be the culprit more often as they are clever enough to figure out to pull down the corn. They are good climbers, too. These animals will avoid plants like cucumber and squash because of the prickly leaves. You can also leave the scent of a dog around (dog hair) to deter these pests. Keep trash receptacles tightly sealed and remove any pet food that may be laying out. This article may also help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/getting-rid-raccoons.htm
I have 6-7 foot tall candy corn plants. Tassels are beginning, but there is no sign of any ears. What is happening? I planted the corn around late May.
Your corn could have been lacking enough nitrogen and water. As a result, it didn't initially produce enough foliage to make good corn. Corn demands more nitrogen and water than most crops. Water stress delays the emergence of the silk more than it delays the tassel. So pollination may be lacking. The pollen may be spent before much silk shows up. Here is more information that may help: http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/timeless/silks.html
Our corn has opened at the top. It looks like folded material inside and is covered with some awful black stuff.
I am wondering if you possibly have corn smut fungus. Check out the following article and let me know what you think:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/corn/corn-smut-fungus.htm
Happy gardening!
We have just recently found the corn smut on the corn in our garden. Can we get rid of it? Is it dangerous and can it spread to other vegetables in our garden? What can we do to try to control the outbreak?
Here is an article on corn smut that will help you:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/corn/corn-smut-fungus.htm
Happy gardening!
On a whim, I planted some popcorn kernels and discovered that they actually did sprout into corn stalks. However, when I transplanted them, they stopped growing and just started pollinating when they were around two feet tall. There was one that grew around five feet tall and grew large ears but when I tried to pick the corn, I got a grand total of 9 kernels of corn. I know I did something very wrong and I would like to grow sweet corn, but I need some help on that. What happened to make the corn harvest so lousy?
Several things could have happened. Corn will tassel early when put under stress. From what you describe, I would suspect the early tasseling and the then poor harvest was due to the transplanting. Corn does not transplant well and the disturbance to the roots during transplanting would have delayed and stunted everything after that. In the future, try direct seeding the corn and you should see an improvement in the results.
I planted a couple hills of Indian corn to use as decorations. Multiple times critters dug up the seeds and ate them. I finally succeeded to get one hill to grow. I have 5 or 6 stalks now, over my head, tasseling out, but not one of the stalks has any ears on it. What gives? And thank you!
It may be a pollination issue. This summer has been difficult for pollination of plants due to the high heat in most places as well as humidity, which makes pollen sticky and not really good for wind borne pollination plants like corn. You may still be able to hand pollinate though, if the tassels are still good. This article will help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/corn/corn-pollination-how-to-hand-pollinate-corn.htm
My corn has a lot of baby corn growing at the bottom and my plants are about 2 feet tall right now. I pulled some off but they are coming back. Do I take them off or what do I do?
It's unusual that you have more than 2 ears of corn per stalk. Most corn varieties only produce 2 ears per plant. If you have more ears forming, let them grow! As long as your plants are getting proper care, there's still plenty of time left, have some fun by watching your later crop mature and then enjoy your sweet corn harvest later in the year! Here's an article that provides some tips on growing sweet corn: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/corn/grow-sweet-corn.htm