Harvesting Honey Cream Corn
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Jennie Boyers
Posted on: June 12, 2005

I recently purchased some of your ‘Honey Cream’ corn seeds. The plants came up great and after 60 days I decided to have a look at a cob.This is the first time I have grown corn so I am not an expert. I was not sure what to look for. When I opened the leaves up it had just one bit of corn growing on it and the rest was undeveloped. Should it take longer than 64 days to grow? Is this normal? I would appreciate some help in this matter. It is very hot here in the Cayman Islands at the moment.

I water every morning and fertilise every two weeks -- sometimes every week, just with Miracle Gro, all purpose. Any advice? I have a whole herb and vegetable bed in same area and those plants are all doing great.

Corn is wind pollinated and for this reason the advice is to plant the rows about a foot (30cm) apart and plant about two to three kernels at one foot (30cm) intervals in the row so that even a slight puff of wind will carry the pollen from the upright pollen or male flowers of one plant to the hanging (tassles) female flowers of any other plant. If you had the misfortune of a perfectly windstill few days while the stigmas (tassles) were receptive, then it is conceivable that you will have very few kernels per cob. To check if the kernels are ripe just peel back the top of the sheathing leaves of a cob to check them out and pull them back up if the kernels are still too pale and small.

The 64 day maturation date is only a guide for perfect growing conditions and is often not accurate especially if the weather has been too cold or too dry, or too wet.

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