DrakeMaiden
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You are right, seedcorn, that is why I said "some degree of protection." It wouldn't be foolproof, but sometimes you have to use what you've got. 
DH wants to rip out my indian corn!!!!!
- Thread starter sparkles2307
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sparkles2307
Garden Ornament
OK I am going to hope that they tassle at different times. His corn is 2 weeks older than mine, but mine is a foot taller and more mature...no idea why. hopefully mine tassles first and has enough time that I can take the tassles off when his starts to tassle. Obviously mines not as important since its not a food source for us, but it will be for my animals when I am tired of the decorative aspect.
DrakeMaiden
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I'm still not tired of the ones I grew last year. I wanted to grow some this year too, but I did not get to it. :/
big brown horse
Garden Ornament
This is like a corn relay race! 
Cant wait to see how it turns out!
Cant wait to see how it turns out!
DrakeMaiden
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Oh you mean you haven't heard of the corn tassel tussle event? 
big brown horse
Garden Ornament
DrakeMaiden said:Oh you mean you haven't heard of the corn tassel tussle event?
Oh that is the official title?! 
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sparkles2307
Garden Ornament
DH's corn is tassling, or begining to at least. If you look into the top you can see the tassle about to pop out. Mine gots nuttin'. Lets hope it stays this way!
davaroo
Garden Ornament
I found several things interesting in the cited article:
...When pollination doesn't occur properly, the kernels on an ear of corn may be shriveled, arranged randomly or non-existent. It's not a pretty sight, and the corn is usually not edible....
The easiest way to avoid this gardening mishap is to plant one variety of corn under conditions that are optimal for pollination to occur.
This is very good advice, from a long time ago. It has been recommended in the poultry business to raise only one breed if you want success. And most farmers I know dont run a bunch of different varities of anything together.
(Be advised that pollination is something like corn sex. What follows may not be acceptable for all audiences.)
Did any one but me find this sort of stupid?
Sweet corn should be planted in a patch of multiple but short rows. If you plant in a couple of long rows, you'll be less likely to get good pollination. If the corn patch is concentrated into a rectangle of at least four rows, the wind can blow in any direction and still be pollinating. It's an efficiency issue.
Mel Bartholomew gets it right again!
For the average home vegetable garden, we are not talking about a lot of work here. Actually, the smaller the stand of corn, the more sense it makes to hand pollinate.
Works the same for melons.
One gardening guide suggests planting different varieties at least 400 yards apart. Let's see: According to my math, that's four football fields. Most people do not garden on a lot that large. Nix that.
This raises an interesting issue, though. By this logic, pollination from a neighbor's corn patch should be a concern. I'm not sure what people should do about that. Perhaps gardeners in a given neighborhood could make a pact to plant nothing but Kandy Korn or nothing but Golden Bantam.
Gardens bringing communities together - I love this idea.
I'm not much for corn, except as meal for cornbread. SO I dont grow it. But I sure liked this article. Thanks!
...When pollination doesn't occur properly, the kernels on an ear of corn may be shriveled, arranged randomly or non-existent. It's not a pretty sight, and the corn is usually not edible....
The easiest way to avoid this gardening mishap is to plant one variety of corn under conditions that are optimal for pollination to occur.
This is very good advice, from a long time ago. It has been recommended in the poultry business to raise only one breed if you want success. And most farmers I know dont run a bunch of different varities of anything together.
(Be advised that pollination is something like corn sex. What follows may not be acceptable for all audiences.)
Did any one but me find this sort of stupid?
Sweet corn should be planted in a patch of multiple but short rows. If you plant in a couple of long rows, you'll be less likely to get good pollination. If the corn patch is concentrated into a rectangle of at least four rows, the wind can blow in any direction and still be pollinating. It's an efficiency issue.
Mel Bartholomew gets it right again!
For the average home vegetable garden, we are not talking about a lot of work here. Actually, the smaller the stand of corn, the more sense it makes to hand pollinate.
Works the same for melons.
One gardening guide suggests planting different varieties at least 400 yards apart. Let's see: According to my math, that's four football fields. Most people do not garden on a lot that large. Nix that.
This raises an interesting issue, though. By this logic, pollination from a neighbor's corn patch should be a concern. I'm not sure what people should do about that. Perhaps gardeners in a given neighborhood could make a pact to plant nothing but Kandy Korn or nothing but Golden Bantam.
Gardens bringing communities together - I love this idea.
I'm not much for corn, except as meal for cornbread. SO I dont grow it. But I sure liked this article. Thanks!
seedcorn
Garden Master
This raises an interesting issue, though. By this logic, pollination from a neighbor's corn patch should be a concern. I'm not sure what people should do about that. Perhaps gardeners in a given neighborhood could make a pact to plant nothing but Kandy Korn or nothing but Golden Bantam.
As long as your sweet corn sheds pollen, you will be fine. The few kernels that get pollinated by blow-in will cause no distuishable flavor change.
In seed corn production, this is a concern because of the few pollinaters used in the field. DNA testing is now done to test for purity in today's commercial seed. Altho if you saving seed, what your neighbor plants is a huge concern for seed companies. You would be surprised how much effort/$$ is put into keeping seed as pure as they can.
As long as your sweet corn sheds pollen, you will be fine. The few kernels that get pollinated by blow-in will cause no distuishable flavor change.
In seed corn production, this is a concern because of the few pollinaters used in the field. DNA testing is now done to test for purity in today's commercial seed. Altho if you saving seed, what your neighbor plants is a huge concern for seed companies. You would be surprised how much effort/$$ is put into keeping seed as pure as they can.
