Country Gentleman sweet corn pollination question

[albucsfan]

Sweet corn is about done for this year, and it did alright, considering the benign neglect it was treated with , but about half the ears had really hit or miss pollination, great big spots of no kernels. Mostly I just cut the kernels off these and used them for other things, but am looking for advice on how to improve this next year.

I know corn is wind pollinated and the week it started putting out silks it was dead still here, but the kids and I walked through and shook the plants ....thought that would help....guess not. So anybody got any ideas?

[TZ -OH6]

I have had to do some specific hand pollinatiing especially of groups that had more silks than tassels, so I've been collecting pollen and hand pollinating silks by tapping the pollen over the silks with a small paintbrush

https://www.flickr.com/photos/51251503@N03/5902137661/in/set-72157626992322605ed


https://www.flickr.com/photos/51251503@N03/5927638378/in/photostream

[albucsfan]

Cool! Thanks, I did not know you could do that!

I swear I have spent most of this year figuring out what I am going to do different next year!! If even half of it works next year will be awesome!

[TheWaterbug]

I have had to do some specific hand pollinatiing especially of groups that had more silks than tassels, so I've been collecting pollen and hand pollinating silks by tapping the pollen over the silks with a small paintbrush

https://www.flickr.com/photos/51251503@N03/5902137661/in/set-72157626992322605ed


https://www.flickr.com/photos/51251503@N03/5927638378/in/photostream

That's excellent! Is this an all-day affair? Do you have to use it as it sheds? I'd read that pollen only lives for a few minutes.

[TZ -OH6]

I'm pretty sure the pollen lives for at least 12-24 hours. I wanted to see what the pollen release rate was so did three collections. I also wanted to get the pollen on the silks early in the day before things got hot and dry.