Sweetcorn problems

General tips / questions on seeding & planting

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Pawty
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Hi,

After some advice please.

The first sowing of 'lark' resulted in poor germination. There's still a few which are kept in reserve.

I sowed some more a few weeks ago 'swift' in rootrainers in the window. After a promising start - good germination, the centres appear to be rotting/ wilting turning black/ brown. It started on one and has now impacted 6. Pictures below.

So, what do you think the cause is? Are the salvageable or do I put them all in the bin? Is it to late to start some more - if not should I start in pots inside or out, or put some straight in the ground and hope the mice aren't hungry?

Love fresh sweetcorn so will keep trying if you think it's worth it.

Thanks in advance.

Pawty
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Last edited by Pawty on Mon May 22, 2017 10:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Pa Snip
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Pawtry

It will be of no consolation to you to know that you are far from alone, this years sweetcorn seems to be last years runner beans.

On 24 April we sowed, in 2inch modular trays, 20 x Lark and 20 x Wagtail by D T Brown.
Only 1 Wagtail has germinated.
Checking back on the empty seed packets it transpired that they were out of date, being use by 2016.
I have now sown another 37 Wagtail from a fresh newly opened packet.

A number of fellow plotholders on our site have expressed problems with sweetcorn, but not were as advanced as yours in the pictures, and not all from D T Brown seed.

As yet we have not got to the bottom of others problems. Visiting a specialist nursery tomorrow, whilst there I will ask about yours.

The danger when people start to believe their own publicity is that they often fall off their own ego.

At least travelling under the guise of the Pa Snip Enterprise gives me an excuse for appearing to be on another planet
tigerburnie
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Looks hungry to me and possibly root bound too, get it in the ground would be my advice.
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
PLUMPUDDING
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If it's some kind of mold I'd cut the wilted/rotting leaf off back to healthy growth which may stop it going right down to the centre. Since they grow from the middle they might recover. Don't get water down the tops to dry the centre out a bit and keep them warm. A feed will give them a boost before planting out.

Good luck.
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Primrose
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I wonder if the compost was a little too moist?
I wouldn,t risk sowing outdoors. Best to sow indoors I think where you can control the germination temperature and compost moisture levels.
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Hi Pawty!

I'd risk it for a biscuit & get them in the ground, something wrong with the centres, but there is yellowing on the outer leaves also which generally means a deficiency of some sort, so access to real soil may rectify that. While you wait for the outcome of these one's survival, sow again either out or indoors with the current climb in temperature I pop them out for the daytime & in for nights, just keep an eye on the weather & the other critters that love them!

As I posted I have only 2 from 24'ish even germinated so you've done better than me by far! (& Pa)!
Westi
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Primrose
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I Had virtually run of compost without having to open another bag when i sowed my sweet corn so mixed it 50/50 with garden soil and now have 12 out of 12 very healthy green shoots germinated. I wonder if the compost just doesn,t have sufficient nutrients to sustain them for long enough.
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I thought they look potbound but that apart I would say lack of nutrients
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Pawty
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Hi,

Thanks for the advice. Tried not to over water because of the problems I've had with damping off this year, and lessons learnt. I Would be surprised if they were potbound, as the seedlings are only a couple of weeks old. Also in root trainers... but you never know. Maybe I'll open one and see.

I've cut out the dead bits and gave a feed. They're now outside and left to their own devices - well - they didn't like it inside! I'll keep an eye on them and let you know if they improve. Very strange.

I'll start a load more off tomorrow- maybe I'll go and buy a new pack of seed. Each I've tried to grow were new seed and both in date.

This is where I end up with more than I know what to do with.

Pawty
tigerburnie
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I'm growing under glass with temperatures reaching 30 degrees, dropping to 10 at night, I have 6 F1 swift and 9 Earlibird, growing well at the moment
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
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Pa Snip
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Pawty

As promised I spoke to the nursery lady.

I had printed off the pictures to show her but left them at home.
From the description I gave her she felt it could be either excess water at some point or more likely, as they had been in a window, sunburn.

Her advice was to carry on as normal with them, give them a chance, and they will probably come good.

On a personal basis I wasn't too sure about the look of the compost they are in. Also have to say I am surprised at the height of them if they are only a couple of weeks old. Could they have been over fertilised.
Last edited by Pa Snip on Tue May 23, 2017 11:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

The danger when people start to believe their own publicity is that they often fall off their own ego.

At least travelling under the guise of the Pa Snip Enterprise gives me an excuse for appearing to be on another planet
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Johnboy
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When I used to grow Sweetcorn I used to grow very large quantities for mail order and local retail sales. Using 38mm by 38mm by 50mm after sowing watered well just once until germination and the mono cotyledon is around 50mm high before next watering and then only sparsely. They were produced on the benches in a cold tunnel only with no unnatural heat and not too much watering just sufficient for the plants welfare. I would put a sign outside my place on a Wednesday saying Sweetcorn ready this weekend and sales were amazing over that first weekend. I had a market stall on a Tuesday and sold over 1000 plants three Tuesdays on the trot. I take it I was doing something right. I think over watering causes the biggest problem for most growers.
JB.
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Tony Hague
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Pa Snip wrote:On a personal basis I wasn't too sure about the look of the compost they are in.


I know that some of the regulars here have bemoaned the quality of peat free composts many times in the past, but I have found results from a well known brand (N** H*******) seem particularly poor this year. It seems to run out of steam very quickly; I've had to rescue quite a few things by potting up early into a mix fortified with homemade garden compost. Quite possibly nothing to do with the sweetcorn problem though; overwatering sounds believable.
tigerburnie
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I am getting a lot of weeds growing one of the composts I bought, clearly didn't get composted that well. The John Innes soil based one I bought looks full of micro plastics and bits of glass, I reckon they got some of the stuff from a council re cycling yard, shan't buy it again.
Been gardening for over 65 years and still learning.
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Johnboy
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Hi Tony,
This is why we were all at loggerheads a few years back. Every seed has it's own supply of food but as the root structure grows a source of external nourishment is needed and try as they may these manufacturers simply do not seem to be able to get it right but sell their efforts irrespectively and they must know full well that it is not up to par and this is so wrong. I will no longer buy any supermdupa clock-ups and have bought Levingtons Original which is 75% Peat and things
appear to be back to normal.
JB.
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