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Back to: The Vegetable and Herb Patch
More Information: Vegetable
Gardening
SHERIDAN GARDENS NURSERY, INC
Burbank Store 817 N. Hollywood Way Burbank, CA 91505 (818) 841-8845 www.sheridangardens.com
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Summer
Corn
To hand-pollinate you first want to carefully watch the silk on top of each cob. When the silk is full, it’s time to pollinate. In the morning after the dew has dried, bend the tassel (on top of the stalk) in a jar or paper bag. Shake the tassel so that the fine yellow powder, or pollen, collects at the bottom of the bag or jar. After you have
collected the pollen, take a paint brush or cotton swab and apply the
pollen to the corn silks being sure to cover each thread of silk.
Unevenly covering the silks or missing some strands will cause ears of
corn with missing kernels. To guarantee your results, you will
want to repeat this process at least once.
Corn also needs to be fertilized, at least twice during the growing season. Apply high-nitrogen fertilizer when the plants are 12-15 inches tall and again when they are about 30 inches tall. |
Growing
corn in the backyard really isn’t difficult as long as you have the
three essentials-- adequate space, sunshine, and water. Ideally, a
minimum of 4 rows should be planted together. By planting the corn
together in rows, you help to ensure that there are enough plants side
by side to cross pollinate. However, sometimes there is not enough
space to plant 4 rows and that is when hand pollination comes in handy. 
Corn
needs ample water; it won’t produce if it’s thirsty. At the
time of planting, you will want to keep your soil moist but not so wet
that you can squeeze water out of it. Keep the soil moisture level
so that it approximates the moisture level of a well-squeezed sponge.
After the stalks have grown out, you will want to water according to
weather. On hot
dry weeks you will water more often than during cooler, more humid
weeks. Do not let the soil dry out, especially when the corn
begins to develop silk.