Should I pull out the corn stalk as soon as it's done? And..

[SLC]

I have already harvested corn from a few of my corn stalks, and it's now just an empty stalk. Should I pull it? Or is it better to leave in the ground? Does it give off nutrients for the rest of the corn still growing, or does it take away from it? What should I do?

Also, something ate my 2 best ears I was gonna eat last night! I went out and one was still on the stalk, but all shucked and eaten! Another one, in the middle of the patch, was ripped right off the stalk, laying on the ground, eaten. I have lived there for 2 years, and I have NEVER seen any animals around my area except for the tiny bunny that lives in the wooded area between me and the neighbor, and I don't even know if bunnies eat corn. Either way, it's too small to get up there anyway.

Any idea what could have done this? Could birds do it? There's plenty of them around. Is there something I could do to prevent this from happening again? My garden is in a 18 inch raised bed.

[applestar]

I think shucked and eaten is usually raccoons or maybe squirrels.

I've planted pole beans to climb the stalks in the past and have left the stalks in the garden. But at least in my humid climate, the stalks tended to get moldy after they have completely browned and tended to be unsightly. I do leave them up later in the ear for Halloween "haunted garden" sometimes. Works well, especially with tattered frost blankets fluttering/whipping around.....

I use pruning loppers/pruning saw to cut the stalks off at ground level and just sow/plant around the stumps.

[SOB]

All the 'coon damage that I am used to seeing has the stalk bent over. They will climb the stalk until it breaks and then eat the corn. I guess if it was a small 'coon then it could make it up without breaking the stalk but I would be surprised...

[rainbowgardener]

When I used to live on five acres and had plenty of room, I tried but gave up on growing corn, because every creature in the world LOVES corn. We had deer, raccoons, squirrels, occasional chipmunks, rabbits, possums, groundhogs, many birds, wood rats and shrews and other miscellaneous rodents .. They all went crazy for corn. I think you would have to grow it inside of Fort Knox...

[jal_ut]

Skunks and Raccoons are the worst offenders here. Occasionally birds will get after it, but they usually only peck out the top of the ear.

What to do with the corn stalks? Different ways to handle those. I just till them back into the soil. You gotta have a good tiller to do that though. You can put them in the compost. If you have a shredder, it makes them break down faster. You can cut and remove them when the corn is done if you wish. They are of no further benefit to the rest of the crop. Nor will it hurt to leave them for a while. Cut them for Halloween decorations. You decide.

[TheWaterbug]

Do you till multiple times? Or just once?

[applestar]

For people who don't have chipper/shredder or big tiller that can cut up corn stalks like me -- I put the stalks on the path between rows and walk on them or stack them along sides of my compost piles (I stack tree branches and tree/shrub prunings along the sides to keep my compost ingredients in). Once they have broken down some -- usuall during spring cleaning/prep -- I have been chopping them up with the shovel and either burying them under raised beds or in the compost pile.

I'm considering getting one of those machete/brush weeders or a sharp hand/weeder ax to cut them up since the shovel is unwieldy. Next time I find a likely stump, I think I'll haul it home to use as a chopping block.

OT : Gardening necessitates a fair number of very sharp tools that I have trouble finding a place to keep. I sometimes think how "odd" it would look -- I.e. some scene out of a serial killer sequence -- if I were to neatly hang them all up on a wall.... Right now the big scythe blade tops the list. you should hear the sound when I'm out there slooowly running the sharpening stone along the blade......

[Ohio Tiller]

You know how to tell your sweet corn is ready to pick???

The coons ate it last night!!

[bcallaha]

As far as the stalks go, I let them stand and dry a month or so, then I mow them over with my rider. It may take a few passes, but the stalks are then shredded enough that I just run my tiller through the corn patch and I'm ready for the next planting. I usually plant brussel sprouts and brocolli in the fall in my summer corn patch.

Brad

[jal_ut]

Do you till multiple times? Or just once?

I will till twice. Once shortly after the first frost, then some weeds will germinate and I put the leaves, and some manure on the garden, then I till it again sometime before snow falls. The corn stalks get cut up pretty well and buried/mixed in with the soil. By spring the microbes have reduced most of the organic matter to compounds the plants can use. You will still be able to find some of the roots and stalks of the corn, but most of the plant is decomposed.

[jal_ut]

I walked into a friends garage and he

if I were to neatly hang them all up on a wall...

had done just that, however he took it a step further and after hanging them he traced around them then painted the shape with black paint so he could see at a glance where the tool went.

I could never be that organized. My shovels, hoes, rakes are just leaned up in the corner of the shed.

I have seen tool hangers that are like two long fingers that stick out from the wall and you just put the tool between the fingers to hang it. The fingers are long enough to hold several implements.

[farmerlon]

You know how to tell your sweet corn is ready to pick???

The coons ate it last night!!

You got that right !!!

[farmerlon]

Two tips about corn stalks ...
1. IF you cut the stalks early enough (immediately after harvesting sweet corn), they are usually still succulent enough and still hold enough nitrogen to be composted as a "Green".
2. If you're using a chipper/shredder for cornstalks, that's best done after they are thoroughly dry. Fresh/green cornstalks often hold too much moisture, making for a sloppy mess that will "clog up" the machine.

... your results may vary.

[sciencegal]

With the exception of root crops, I started leaving the roots of vegetable plants in the ground at the end of the season rather than pulling them up. I suspected that there may be a rich microbial life in the roots that might benefit future plants plus the roots decay/compost during the winter which seems like it could only be beneficial to the soil. I know it is difficult to pull the roots out at the end of the season but very easy come spring.

I found [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=41541]this article[/url] interesting because it suggests that there are bacteria that grow right on the root and the plant's immune system seems to allow them to do that while keeping bad bacteria away. If the plant is allowing these particular families of bacteria to grow on their roots there must be a very good reason for that. If you remove the roots you might be removing beneficial bacteria which might not recolonize easily since they may need to roots to survive.

From the article: "Soil is the most species-rich microbial ecosystem in the world. From this incredible diversity, plants specifically choose certain species, give them access to the root and so host a unique, carefully selected bacterial community from which they then benefit in a variety of ways. To achieve this, the plant's immune system must be able to tell which of these bacteria are friends and which foes."

I don't grow corn, not enough room and I don't eat corn anymore, but I beg neighbors to cut off the stalks and give them to me to feed to the goats and cows. They love them.