Crop Circles??
help! I have corn growing in my garden, they are somewhere between 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall and so far two have fallen over like a crop circle. they are broken right at ground level and lay flat on the ground. any ideas on what it could be??? is it something eating them right at the bottom of their stems?
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Bob Dobbins
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Ozark Lady
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A very interesting link, I hope that everyone goes and reads it.
I had peppers falling over last year, it just grew the peppers too heavy on one side, and when it fell, I noticed the roots on one side were weaker than on the other, and mounded the dirt. So, perhaps it is more wide spread than we imagine? That was not a very rich bed that it was growing in, last year, so perhaps it was nutrient problem. It sure wasn't lack of water trouble, all it did was rain!
I have also heard of folks having plants fall from rain, just saturating the soil until it had no strength to hold the plants in place.
Has it been raining alot? Where they are planted, would you call the soil fertile, or mediocre or worse? It almost sounds like corn would do well grown like potatoes, just keep piling the dirt up?
I have had corn fall, it was too tall and leggy, and then the wind got it, but the whole group fell not one here and there!
I had peppers falling over last year, it just grew the peppers too heavy on one side, and when it fell, I noticed the roots on one side were weaker than on the other, and mounded the dirt. So, perhaps it is more wide spread than we imagine? That was not a very rich bed that it was growing in, last year, so perhaps it was nutrient problem. It sure wasn't lack of water trouble, all it did was rain!
I have also heard of folks having plants fall from rain, just saturating the soil until it had no strength to hold the plants in place.
Has it been raining alot? Where they are planted, would you call the soil fertile, or mediocre or worse? It almost sounds like corn would do well grown like potatoes, just keep piling the dirt up?
I have had corn fall, it was too tall and leggy, and then the wind got it, but the whole group fell not one here and there!
it hasn't been raining very much at all, I water every three days or so because it seems like that it the time it takes for the soil to dry out.Has it been raining alot? Where they are planted, would you call the soil fertile, or mediocre or worse?
the article that was linked makes it sound like the plants come out of the ground to fall over, these are broken not coming out of the ground. I don't know if it is the same root condition. it has only happened to two so far and they are in the middle of my small crop so if anything they should be the most protected from wind.
I havent mounded them but I will when I get a chance this weekend. there is approximately 2"-3" of purple stem above soil line, and when I planted them I didn't want to plant them too deep because I thought the plant might rot in the ground.Did you mound soil at the base of the corn as they were growing? My understanding is to come back and hill (bury) all the purplish colored stem.
sorry I forgot to answer the question about soil....this is my first time gardening so the soil could be horrible....anyways, as I was tilling the garden I was think it would be mostly sand, being in florida, but it was dark colored, really good looking soil, but I added some composted manure to it before I planted just to make sure.Has it been raining alot? Where they are planted, would you call the soil fertile, or mediocre or worse?
so to answer your question I would assume its mediocre soil just because I don't know its actual level of nutrients.
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Ozark Lady
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Wow actually broken?
The peppers weren't broken, just top heavy, leaning, overloaded, and poor root development on the one side.
I broke some plants last year, while transplanting them, I piled soil over the break... and I got 2 plants, one for each side!
To be broken, I would guess that something or other ran into them.
If the wind broke them, it wouldn't have been quite so random, more the ones on the edge, or a certain side, not in a circle.
The peppers weren't broken, just top heavy, leaning, overloaded, and poor root development on the one side.
I broke some plants last year, while transplanting them, I piled soil over the break... and I got 2 plants, one for each side!
To be broken, I would guess that something or other ran into them.
If the wind broke them, it wouldn't have been quite so random, more the ones on the edge, or a certain side, not in a circle.