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Zone 6A

I have a small plot of land 8' x 25' fully enclosed since birds are a real threat here. Soil has been amended with horse manure and tested by Penn State extension annually.

The variety I sow is Silver Queen (su variety). The seeds are treated and harvested less than 200 miles from me, same zone too. The first planting starts around mid-May and the 2nd planting is around June 1. Due to my small plot size, I space the seeds about 5 inches apart in every direction. Germination is nearly 100%. The close proximity helps to keep the stalks from falling over. When the pollination phase begins, the tassels open about 5 days before the silks appear. So by the time the silks are just about fully exposed the tassels have already exhausted all their pollen.

Pollination is never going to be 100% but I would say 60%-70% is my success rate. The ears are full and plump but only at the bottom 3-4 inches. The two inches at the tip are pollinated but the kernels are small and underdeveloped. Waiting on these kernels to develop would cause the kernels at the base to turn chewy and starchy.

I should also mention I only get one or two (rarely) ears on each stalk. I know a larger plot of su corn would be very beneficial but I don't have the space. The sweetcorn is very good and I'll continue to grow it. I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck with the small plot I have. One more thing, I have to plant in the same plot because it is the only space I have that is protected from the birds. Soil is amended to withstand a consecutive year of corn. Tips and tricks would be appreciated!

  • Does the close proximity of ~5 inches, stunt the development of the pollination phase? Development of the ears?

  • Would sowing earlier or later cause the pollination phase to change? (i.e. tassels open later and silks emerge earlier)

Rohit Gupta
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giuseppe
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  • Other than a bit of corvids plucking the seedlings, (which could be dealt with by floating row cover for a month or so if at a problematic level) birds are a complete non-issue with my corn less than 200 miles from you. Deer and raccoons are another matter. – Ecnerwal Sep 30 '22 at 12:31
  • What depth do you plant the seeds? – Jurp Sep 30 '22 at 13:32
  • Most rows in non-mechanized corn plantings are in the 15-20" apart range (they're usually 30-36" in a typical farm field). You say your plants are 5" apart - does this apply to the rows, too? – Jurp Sep 30 '22 at 13:38
  • @Jurp seeds are soaked in distilled water 12 hours before sowing. Planted about 2 inches deep. 5" apart in every direction (columns and rows). It is very dense. Just trying to make the most out of the small plot that I have. – giuseppe Sep 30 '22 at 14:34
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    5 in. is too close for rows. the space is needed for the pollen to fall down onto the silks of the ears. I learned when i did that in my small garden the first couple years. – blacksmith37 Sep 30 '22 at 18:02
  • @blacksmith37 - exactly where I was headed with my questions. – Jurp Sep 30 '22 at 22:00
  • I was adding support to your comment. – blacksmith37 Sep 30 '22 at 23:53
  • So there is a roof made of netting? Wow. I had problems with birds grabbing my pea seedlings in France but I think I remember thwarting them with some netting on the ground. They didn't want to get tangled up in the netting. I have not had that problem in NY Southern Tier. / You could try little plots of different varieties, different spacing, and see how they compare. / If there is a legume you enjoy eating, you could plant that in one section and rotate crops, to get the full benefit of the nitrogen fixing. / You could try hand-pollinating some and see if that helps. / You could plant... – aparente001 Oct 03 '22 at 01:43
  • ... in double rows. This would allow you to squeeze in more plants, but still allow the air circulation others advised. So, two lines fairly close together, and then some good space before the next double row. Note that you don't need to space the rows quite as far apart as the package says, in my opinion, if (a) you are not using mechanization to control weeds; and (b) your soil fertility can support a more intensive approach. But you do want to have a safe place to walk, to avoid soil compaction. / If you are concerns about stalks getting knocked over, it sounds like you may have ... – aparente001 Oct 03 '22 at 01:47
  • ... significant wind, or some heavy storms. In which case, in the long term, wind breaks could be helpful. A lot of wind can stress the plants. While you're waiting, you could try a shorter variety. / Do you hill them up at some point? You didn't mention this. Is your weeding shallow to avoid damaging the roots? / If you are in PA, there should be a CCE station near you with workshops, access to experts, garden and farm tours, etc. Do you practice composting? That can be a fun project. You can adopt neighbors' leaves and grass clippings; do add non-meat kitchen scraps. – aparente001 Oct 03 '22 at 01:49
  • Oh, and you could get a soil test to see if it would be helpful to go for a different amendment ratio, adjust the pH, etc. – aparente001 Oct 03 '22 at 01:52

2 Answers2

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In agriculture, a "narrow row" planting for corn has the rows 30 inches apart. There are also farmers going for rows 20 inches apart, but no closer. Your rows are 5 inches apart, way too close together to give you a good yield. It's also recommended that plants be spaced 6-7.5 inches apart within each row when using narrow spacing (5-5.5 inches apart when planting in rows 40 inches apart), so again, you're planting too closely together.

Generally, corn plants too close together compete against each for nutrients, water, and sun. In addition, because corn is wind-pollinated, too-close spacing actually dampens the effect of wind on pollination. See here for more details on some of this. Note that one authority on home-gardening stated that you should just follow the spacing and row widths as stated on the seed packet.

Jurp
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Jurp has good and accurate information for your corn growing. The spacing of the corn plants is critical to their good growth and 5 1/2" is overly tight. Now that you have tested that, you can do further experiments with more distance between the plants. The dimensions Jurp mentions are certainly what agriculture practice has been. You may find that if you keep your soil rich and nutrified you can 'push' your yield and plant count - but it will be by trial and error. Make good observations. I would recommend hand pollinating the corn yourself to ensure good complete pollination. You have a very small plot.

KRay M
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    Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers [in the help center](/help/how-to-answer). – Community Feb 28 '23 at 22:05
  • Please explain who or what Jurp is. – Rohit Gupta Mar 01 '23 at 01:55
  • Jurp is one of the other people who answered the question and made comments – KRay M Mar 01 '23 at 07:11