Sweet Corn

[jal_ut]

A question for you corn growers: Does the pollen falling on the silk have any bearing on the flavor or nature of the corn? IOW does it really matter if you get pollen from field or silage corn on your sweet corn? Yes, it will matter if you save seed for planting, but for eating this season..........???

[applestar]

Yep it matters, because unlike tomatoes or squash which are fruits and we eat the flesh but not the seeds, it's the seeds of corn we eat, and the characteristics of the seeds Including flavor are made up of combination of the genes from the parents, so the pollen of field/silage corn supplies the male half of the genetic material.

[Taiji]

Hmmm...I had always known that corn that cross pollinated would affect the outcome of the corn, but didn't realize til now that it's because we eat the seeds, not the flesh. Seems simple now that you explained it!

The question I have then is, say you have two varieties with the same approximate maturation time; if you stagger your planting 2 weeks apart, is that long enough to be safe? Or, what would be a better time between plantings? Or, if you have 2 varieties such as Silver Queen, (about 92 days maturation) and say, Bodacious (about 75 days) if they were both planted at the same time would you be safe from cross pollination? This is assuming the different types are all planted relatively close to each other distance-wise.

[Allyn]

If you separate the varieties by at least 250 feet or offset tasseling time by at least two weeks, you can avoid cross-pollinating corn. That offset tassling time can be starting seeds two weeks apart, having at least two weeks difference in maturity or a combination of the two. Not all corn varieties will cross-pollinate, but the ones that do can produce very undesireable results and ruin a crop. You definitely don't want to cross 'eating' corn with 'feed' corn. It'll all end up being 'feed' corn 'cause you won't want to eat it.

In your example, I would plant Bodacious about a week before Silver Queen, just to make sure they aren't tassling at the same time.

[imafan26]

Actually I heard it had to be 600 ft.

[Allyn]

Actually I heard it had to be 600 ft.

I've also heard it will pollinate up to 1,200 feet away. According to the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service and the Mississippi State University Extension Service, the minimum distance apart is 250 feet. I went with the most authoritative source, but I'm taking their word for it. I haven't confirmed it.

[applestar]

I haven't thought about the actual distance (maybe someone can figure it out?) but on my 1/3 acre property, I can plant two kinds of corn in two different smallish patches located on opposite ends of the property with the house in between and they won't cross pollinate. I think the house creates sufficient buffer and disrupts direct air flow and air-borne pollination.

[imafan26]

The other way to create the buffer and the one recommended for the home gardener is to make sure they diferent varieties are planted at least two weeks apart so the tassels won't be out at the same time.

[applestar]

By planting different varieties with all yellow vs. all white ...or other colors like red or black... corn, you can sometimes spot the off-type if they have been cross pollinated by stray pollen.

With field corn, I think often the shape of the kernel is different from sweet corn.

So if a cob has mixed colored or shaped kernels, you'll know that it's been contaminated/cross pollinated by the other variety.

[ButterflyLady29]

But once they're mixed you can't undo it. The whole crop is lost.
I've heard corn pollen can travel for a mile or so depending on the wind. But just to play it safe I would try to stagger planting times or plant varieties that mature at different times.

I've had sweet corn that got cross pollinated. GROSS!

[jal_ut]

Interesting notes here. Thank you all.

Lucky for me, no field corn near. And no nearby neighbors planting corn. I only plant one variety and to get a spread out harvest, I wait till the first planting us up three inches tall then plant again, and when second planting is up three inches tall plant again. With my short season a fourth planting would likely not make it.

[Gary350]

FLAVOR of your garden corn will be determined by the corn that pollinated your crop. Corn is usually self pollinating but if the wind is blowing your corn can get pollinated by the neighbors corn crop.

I worked DeKalb Corn Company many years ago. Corn is usually self pollinating. DeKalb plants 10 rows of 1 type corn then 2 row of a different type corn. The entire field is planted with 10, 2, 10, 2, 10, 2, pattern. Then the corn starts to make tassels all tassels from all the 10 rows is removed so they can not self pollinate. All the 2 rows will pollinate all the 10 rows that is how they get cross pollinated corn for seed. Only the 10 rows are harvested.

If you plant sweet corn in the garden it will self pollinate unless you remove the tassels or plant a different corn next to it. Peaches and Cream corn seed is a mix if white and yellow cross pollinated corn. When it self pollinates you get white and yellow corn kernels.

My cousin had a problem with his 2000 acres of field corn got cross pollinated by the neighbors field of Monsanto corn. When he tried to sell his harvest it tested as Monsanto. He did not buy Monsanto seed and had no sale receipt for Monsanto so Monsanto demanded a $75,000. fee before he was allowed to sell his corn crop. My cousin decide not to pay Monsanto $75,000. he spent the $75,000. on solos and equipment to make cattle feed from his corn. Now he can tell Monsanto where to stick it, plus he makes and extra profit every years not selling his crop to the middle man.

[TheWaterbug]

The other way to create the buffer and the one recommended for the home gardener is to make sure they diferent varieties are planted at least two weeks apart so the tassels won't be out at the same time.

But you also have to check the "days to maturity" for each type. I planted Bi-Licious and Delectable 2 weeks apart back in 2011, but because they have different days to maturity, they ended up overlapping tassels and they were both ready at about the same time.

They're both SE types, so it didn't cause any problems, but they definitely overlapped.

[Taiji]

Another little fly in the ointment though, that I thought about after I asked the question, is that I realized the corn I plant first will grow more slowly since it will be cooler weather. So, the 2 week later corn will probably catch up and maybe both will tassel at the same time anyway. I've set stuff out here in cooler weather many times and the same type of plant planted later catches up.

But, that's interesting that 2 SE types tasseling together might not have a negative result? So then, if you only plant SE together, or SU together, or Sh2 together, then no problem?

[Gary350]

Growing up on the farm grandpa use to plant sweet corn at the far end of the garden a spot about 100' 100'. Sweet corn was always good but one summer sweet corn was tough and not sweet grandpa said, it tastes like field corn. Grandpa said it must have been windy one day and cross pollinated the garden corn with the 80 acre field corn across the road. It was common to have evening thunder storms about 4 pm with strong wind so grandpa was probably right. After that summer grandpa use to make sure there was no field corn near the garden before planting sweet corn. Grandpa owned 20 acres about 4 miles down the road one year we planted sweet corn there because the 80 acres across the road was field corn again the his 20 acre field had soy beans planted near it. Wind direction and distance from field corn determines how likely your sweet corn will be pollinated by field corn. Not much you can do if your too close and wind is blowing your direction from a very large crop of field corn.

[jal_ut]

Taiji: Another little fly in the ointment though, that I thought about after I asked the question, is that I realized the corn I plant first will grow more slowly since it will be cooler weather. So, the 2 week later corn will probably catch up and maybe both will tassel at the same time anyway.

Did you note that I suggested waiting until the first planting is up and 3 inches tall to plant the next crop? This works for me using the same variety of seeds. Another approach may be to use different varieties with different maturation dates?