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Post by Drahkk on May 10, 2012 3:03:27 GMT -5
My Plan B, when I don't get to hilling up my corn when I should (never have, yet), is to dump compost or manure around them. It's a two-fer, since I always want to up-humus my soil, anyway. Corn pretty much likes any depth of goodies it can get. Pile it on enough, the corn doesn't blow over. Good idea. That bed could use a couple of inches. My pile isn't nearly ready... I'll have to see where I can get a load.
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Post by johninfla on May 10, 2012 12:11:36 GMT -5
I was looking up information on Hopi Blue Corn and I ran across this quote, " If high production levels are attempted using conventional high soil fertility and additional irrigation water management techniques, severe lodging may be expected." from this site www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1993/v2-228.html so I'm wondering if a solution might be to try to keep it stressed and short? the article goes on to say that, "To keep plant height to a minimum, it is advantageous to stress the plants both with low soil nutrition and water until the 12 leaf stage." Just a thought..... John
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Post by mnjrutherford on May 11, 2012 4:23:35 GMT -5
Isn't that relatively "cool" in your part of the planet?
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Post by RpR on May 14, 2012 23:28:53 GMT -5
I have ended up hilling corn that lodged, why I simply hill it in the first place is one of those should, would, coulda items. Field corn, or old school sweet hybrids, seem more durable but some of the newer corns seem to be more fit for a green-house where there is no wind ever.
Depending on how large your corn field or plot is I have avoided the the problem on occasions when I was very energetic using heavy (old wood) one by ones or one and one-half by one and one-half stakes (each at least five feet long) put two at each end of a row and then simply run bailing twine from end to end using two or three strands. If the rows are too long use stakes in the middle.
This year I have planted some very tall corn, which sellers warn, is prone to lodging so I have put the plants from twenty to twenty-four inches apart and will hill when the corn is high enough. I have had too many stalks break while being righted over the years (or with the onslaught of second or third wind events) the stand of corn become a total cluster-f simply because I did not hill when I should have.
One thing that is very annoying is when a strong wind blows in from the direction in which a strong wind "never" comes from. The corn then if already leaning from winds from the other direction can simply snap off like a nail that has been bent too often.
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Post by steev on May 15, 2012 21:00:13 GMT -5
There are reasons why hunter-gatherers think farmers are nuts.
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Post by Drahkk on May 16, 2012 6:10:38 GMT -5
Depending on how large your corn field or plot is I have avoided the the problem on occasions when I was very energetic using heavy (old wood) one by ones or one and one-half by one and one-half stakes (each at least five feet long) put two at each end of a row and then simply run bailing twine from end to end using two or three strands. If the rows are too long use stakes in the middle. I was wondering if anyone had tried a Florida weave. I thought about it, but never went through with it. Guess I'm not the only one with a little OCD when it comes to stuff like this. Steev, even the other gardeners around me are convinced I'm mildly insane; why should I care what the hunters think? MB
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Post by steev on May 16, 2012 10:47:20 GMT -5
My neighbors got past the "mildly" opinion of me long ago.
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Post by RpR on May 16, 2012 23:50:22 GMT -5
Not too long ago, after a mild wind attack on my corn, as I did not have enough stakes to do as I listed, I put one stake at the end of each row and ran the twine (looping at each stake up-down-over-up-down-over till I reached the end and then did the same thing in the other direction.
It worked well.
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Post by Drahkk on May 17, 2012 18:31:33 GMT -5
I thought I should mention that by now, most of my corn has righted itself completely on its own. Many were above 45 degrees within 72 hours, and I didn't want to bury the melons and NZ spinach I have growing under them, so I decided to just see what they would do left to their own devices. It's nothing short of amazing to me; I've never seen a sweet right itself so well from so much damage. I wish I had taken pictures. Just another testament to the strength and adaptability of landrace stock, I suppose.
MB
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Post by steev on May 17, 2012 22:36:52 GMT -5
Mutts rule! Even I don't always rise above 45 degrees within 72 hours anymore.
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Post by Andre on Jul 26, 2013 5:25:35 GMT -5
Little storm last night in the south west of France. Do you think these will survive ? I confirm that almost only the tallest plants (more than 5 feets) has been "shot down".
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Post by mayz on Jul 26, 2013 6:52:53 GMT -5
That's why I don't like tall corn. Your sandy soil is certainly a drawback concerning lodging In my conditions lodging appears when ears are well developped
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Post by Andre on Jul 26, 2013 7:10:17 GMT -5
And it's only the beggining of the storms seasons in this area ! We are waiting for another bigger storm tonight... :-(
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Post by richardw on Jul 26, 2013 15:01:31 GMT -5
Interesting the bed in the middle flattened and the one on the right untouched,are they the same variety?
Also i think that when you space them wider than what you have them they tend to grow a much wider stump which handle wind much better
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Post by Andre on Jul 26, 2013 15:38:40 GMT -5
I think the flatten bed in the middle is due to a "little tornado" effect but yes these are different varieties.
You are probably right about a wider stump with wider space. But I also found some broken stalks with intact stumps still in the ground...
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