Good morning to all and welcome back to another Ridin’ Out the Recession.
This morning I’d like to share with you a response from Kunoichi she’d sent back to me, in regards to the “skipped corn,” in our larger garden, which from here out we’ll describe as simply, the garden. Our raised bed garden up by the house is called raised bed garden anyway, so what’s the difference??
Poor Corn Production, and How ‘Bout helping Me Out Here??
As you know, I’ve been moaning since a week or two after our garden started sprouting up out of the ground, in regards to our corn this year.
Our corn really has done poorly as there is a ton of skips in the rows, or missing spaces. I’d shared earlier we had the same problem with our lima beans, but only with the ford hooks. I figured this was simply the bean seed being so large that the seed itself was clogging up our drop tube, and it was doing this.
Deb and I reset the skips in these, and they’re doing very well now, so, one problem solved.
The corn…this is another matter. Once I saw the poor performance of the plants, I thought it may have been the soil. On the other hand, we put cow manure down extensively over the fall and winter, plus we had the whole garden area planted in peas last fall, after the spring garden croaked. Thus, supplying nitrogen.
So besides the cow manure, and a couple brush fires, that we’d stack and burn in the garden area as well, plus the peas being planted, I’m beginning to seriously doubt the soil at this point.
Another reason for my feeling this way is that all other crops are doing well now. It has been awful dry this spring, and the ole water sprinkler keeps everything alive, but I’ve always felt you could water all you want, but the real benefit to your garden really comes from…rainfall.
But, finally all these little plants have gotten to the point their root system has developed more, and they can handle the heat better, number one, especially since they’re getting big enough now, that they’re creating shade. This in itself helps hold what little moisture they get.
Number two, after watching the disappointing performance of our corn this spring, I had one of those “bright ideas,” that come to me from time to time, but just worry Deb to no end. I think bright idea, Deb thinks, uh oh! Anyway…I think it is the seed,. And as a matter of fact, I’m convinced it’s the seed!!
What I did was go ahead and replanted the corn. 5 rows 100’ long, a total replant! Guess what? Less seed came up this time than the first.
I’m like what in the world, and Deb’s going, “That’s good Dub, that’s REAL good! I can’t wait to see your next, “BRIGHT IDEA! You’re simply amazing. Sure glad we ain’t depending on your corn crop to feed us, huh?” She’s a smart aleck anyway…she’s also still in bed this morning!! LOL!!
Anyway, a few columns back, I’d discussed this, along with the bean skips and showed a few pictures.
Here’s Kunoichi’s comments;
Hmmm… is it just the angle of the photo, or are those corn skips all in the foreground and not so much in the back? It looks almost like a vertical patch across the rows, with a few looking very yellow. They look almost “burned.”
Have you tried testing the ph levels of your soil? If it’s too acidic, you might want to be adding gypsum or bone meal instead of clay. Corn likes soil on the acidic side (5.5 to 6), but too low, and it can no longer make use of the nitrogen, calcium or potassium.
Might be worth picking up some test kits and see.Gosh, you have a nice big garden!
*nostalgic sigh*
No, Kunoichi, I haven’t tried testing the ph level of the soil, but looks like I need too, just to be sure.
No, the skips are all across the corn rows themselves, front back, and center, the entire length of each row, every row. It must’ve been the camera angle for sure, because I was standing outside the fence, holding the camera over the fence as low as I could reach.
Everything else is doing great now, hmmm, I just had a thought. You reckon Deb might just be going to the dern garden while I’m gone and be snatchin’ them little corn shoots up, just messing with me? Naw, I wouldn’t think, but I wouldn’t put it past her at times either!
The yellowing, I’m not too sure about that, but the package said we’d planted yeller corn! Reckon it’s just a coincidence? I’m just kidding around with you on that one.
But yes, I believe this was a lack of nutrient to an extent. I’ve since fertilized and all the corn looks pretty good now, it just has not come out of the ground like it should have from the beginning.
Help me out guys, I’m still at a loss in regards to this, and as I said, the corn that did come up, actually looks pretty good now! I’m going to be stubborn, and insist that it is the corn seed! What cha think?
Kunoichi, Bonnie, Sandra, Sandy, anybody??
Let me share with you guys, that today around noon, the bee lady comes again. She’s bringing me a starter hive. She’s going to suit me up as well, and let me film what she gonna’ be doing with her hives. At least I believe I’ll film while she’s working them.
We’ll see!
They came by yesterday, and we saw them for a few minutes. It was Sherry, the Queen Bee, and her Momma, who I’ve now dubbed “Momma Bee!” How bout them apples? Ole Dub, has “dubbed” someone.
Listen guys, we appreciate you coming to visit, thanks so much!
You all have a wonderful day, and we’ll be talking again soon!
God Bless!
Dub and Deb
Well, I’ve asked around, and no gardener I know has had this happen to them. I’ve only seen something similar with commercial growers, and it was due to acidity.
It certainly may be a bad batch of seed, but I’d suggest picking up a ph test kit before changing seed suppliers, just in case.
Two for one day.
“Bee Lady cometh”
Cannot wait for this one, Dub. I know how you like to experience things first hand.
Bees are a very important part of Nature. Bees have been Man’s friend since he saw a bear climb a tree and stick a big paw in a bee hive and pull out a large hunk of comb and honey and eat it. Man has been climbing trees since seeking that natural sweet. Lucky you, we now have little boxes on the ground for easier harvest. Your Bee Lady gives new meaning to “Queen Bee”.
Corn Queen
Corn is a product that has been hybridized and geneitcally engineered for quite sometime now.
Ask your dealer about the viability rate of the seed. It should be labeled. To test your own seed look up on the internet how spout seeds to check for viabilty rate.
Pale stunted corn. Not being there and seeing corn up close and personal, think you have ph or fertilizer problem. Gypsom is recommended soil amendment in sandy soils. Peat and such washes away. Find you a small test spot and sprinkle some lime around your plants and scratch into soil and see what happens. Readers out there please correct any of these statements and lend a helping hand.
Rule of thumb here in the past was a hill (long row, soil peaking in middle) 5 seeds per hill 12 -18″ apart. There was a ditty (little poem) that applied to planting corn. One for birds, one for God, three to grow. Don’t remember it all. Do remember that the corn was thinned to two to three strongest plants. We had a lot of corn.
Hands on gardener here. Feel my way through it.
In reference to the lime. Don’t run off and buy a big bag of costly lime for the test.
Go to Grocer and look for pickling lime in the little bag. Works just fine. That way you won’t get stuck with the fifty pound bag in the garage that Deb can’t pick up.
Okay, Dub, here goes nuthin’! First, I am probably in agreement with Kunoichi that it may be wise to get a soil-testing kit, though I have never tested mine. We just keep adding organic matter and mulch. A couple of years ago we had very few seeds come up at all on our first planting; I’m talking corn, beans, peas, and all! I woke up early one morning for some reason and instead of taking my coffee to the porch swing I sat down by the kitchen table and looked out the window. My little garden was literally COVERED with crows. They were feasting away on our seeds, almost as if they had a map to where each one was. THAT was an easy answer. I just replanted. By the way for Sandra, whether it was right or not, my daddy used to say, “One for the worm, one for the crow, one for God, and two to grow!” He also used to have a plaque that said, “The kiss of the sun for pardon, the song of the bird for mirth; one is nearer God’s heart in a garden, than any place else on earth.” I loved it. I told my siblings that none of us really know what is in Heaven, but I’m sure that if God gave my dad a little plot of ground and put a hoe in his hand, he truly IS in Heaven! Sorry ’bout that; back to Dub’s corn. I think a little sodium nitrate would green it right up, but………you can’t get that everywhere anymore. Comment on that would be appreciated, Kunoichi! Let us also talk about watering. Yes, a good old soaking rain is the best. However, I don’t sprinkle any more. If the weather has been dry for a long time, I thoroughly soak my garden and then don’t water for a while. (I don’t have to water frequently anyway, tho, as I use a lot of mulch.) Anyway, if you sprinkle a lot and don’t deep water, the plant doesn’t have to really work to grow strong and GET water. The roots will stay shallow because you are giving them all the water they need that is easy to get to. If you let them sort of dry out a little, they will put down longer, stronger roots in their search for water. In a houseplant, there is a difference between leaves getting dry and leaves turning a little yellow. The yellow often means that you are giving them too much water. I’m by no means an expert on the matter, but that’s what I taught for all those years when I was teaching vegetative propagation for an international greenhouse company.
Good luck with your bee lessons, Dub, and it should pay off for y’all big time! I LOVE my honey that I get from a neighbor. I am no longer afraid of bees like I was when I was just a young’un, either. After having to return horses, dogs, and even a steer to my neighbors here and there, our bee keeper knocked on our door one day and told me he had a swarm of his bees swarming in my holly tree. He apologized, but wanted me to come out and watch. I was a little leary, but did go out with him. When we got close enough that some bees were beginning to be all around me, I started backing up a little. He told me if I wouldn’t panic, run, or show fear, they would NOT sting me when they were swarming. He was right, I guess. I just stood still about 12 feet away from my holly tree, with bees all around me, and watched an amazing thing. Only a handful of bees were actually hanging onto the tree limb, but the rest kept sort of hanging onto each other until a sort of “funnel” of bees was complete. Nary a sting did either one of us get, and I was in awe at watching them hang onto each other and build that funnel formation with very few of them on the actual limb. When the swarm was complete he told me he would go get a “box”, sit in under my tree, and that they would go to the box around sundown and he would come get them and take them home. He did, and they did. I don’t know what kind of bees he has now, but he did not have good luck with the five-banded Italian bees. Right now has very happy bees that are doing real well. Ask your bee lady if they really don’t sting when they are swarming, or was my neighbor just “pulling my leg”!
Good luck with your corn, whatever it takes. Try a little something different in a few different places in the rows!
OOPS! I forgot to tell you that I also agree with Kunoichi on the seeds themselves. Any reputable seed purveyor knows the germination percentage for that particular batch of seeds. If in packets and it doesn’t say, I don’t buy. If in bulk and they are measured out in bags for you, ask!
Dear Bon, thanks for reminding me of the corn ditty. It was exactly the same. I need to embroider that and hang it on the wall. Memory chips are getting full and getting harder and harder to retrieve complete info.
I do remember the crows, oh yes. My Dad would send me out with my bag of corn seed to plant and then there would be that walk up and down the rows pointing out spaces. Back to the corn rows with my bag of corn seed and fill. Grandaddy would be notified and out he would come with his blunderbus and shoot birds while we were at school and work. As a child I thought this would never end, but then CORN! So much corn.
I used to sneak into the field and and pick juicy little nibbles from the stalks and sit by the post of the barbed wire fence and Mike the Mule and I would enjoy the fruits of our labor. Woe was me if I got caught. Mike the Mule would just smile because he was not the thief he just ate the corn. Child labor? Don’t know about you but I thought it was grand. Miss it and them. Walking back in time and smiling
Hey Sandy, I can identify with snitching the corn and yes, even the mule. We had one that we had to work with blinders she was so spooky. The rest of them were great and we would ride them to the swimming hole. I agree with you on the child labor. It was not only a good thing, but a FAMILY thing. I miss it, also. My growing up years and my parents were both blessings in my life. I SO don’t miss tobacco worms, though! Ha ha!
Haven’t planted corn in years. I was raised on field corn and it is only good about 1-2 weeks in July. I make creamed fried corn with that and in the freezer it goes. It is getting harder and harder to find.
When I did plant some corn I never had any luck with it but didn’t persue it.