albucsfan
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Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 12:20 pm
Location: North Alabama

Sweet Corn very short

So, I planted a few stalks of sweet corn this year, and I wasn't expecting anything out of them for awhile yet, but now I am starting to get a bit concerned....I am starting to see the beginnings of tassels on a few of them, and none have set ears yet, and all are very short (between 2 and 3' tall) :?

Should I be worried? I am fairly sure that I have time to start new ones if I have to (fall comes late to alabama and lasts awhile too) but I am not sure if they will keep growing or not?

Any advice would be appreciated!!

Thanks!

Steph

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engineeredgarden
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Location: NW Alabama

I wouldn't be concerned at all, as it might even produce multiple ears on each stalk. Variety could be a factor, too.

EG

albucsfan
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Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 12:20 pm
Location: North Alabama

Phew! What a relief!
It sounds odd coming from someone who grew up in Iowa, but I don't really know that much about sweet corn....
Seen lots of field corn (de-tassling mostly) but very little sweet!

Thanks!! :D

Steph

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rootsy
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You will see the tassle in the whorl long before ears begin to form and the tassel begins to emerge...

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jal_ut
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Corn is day length sensitive. It will tassle when the days are the right length for the variety. You need to do some research to see if you can learn what varieties do well in your area and what the proper planting date is for the variety.

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jal_ut
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[url=https://www.aces.edu/dept/grain/cornPRO.php]Read Me[/url]

Here is a paper on growing corn in general in Alabama. Not much mention of what a good variety would be for a backyard garden.

Good Luck.

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rootsy
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Location: Litchfield, Michigan

Actually corn is GDD determinate...

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jal_ut
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"Because corn is a short-day plant, some cultivars will not flower when the day length is more than 13 hours. This is rarely a problem with commercially available sweet corn varieties in the Southeast, but a grower should be mindful of day length when planting heirloom or tropical corn varieties."

[url=https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-50.html]Source[/url]



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