Re: y2veggie
Julianne,
Hand-pollinating corn? You're asking for a lot of work but it is possible.
What you require is paper bags, preferably the long ones, like the kind they
sell in the liquor stores.
Once the tassels have emerged from the plant, place the bags over them and
staple the bottoms shut. You need to cover the tassels before the pollen is
released. In about a week, all the pollen should be shed. I would cut of
the tassel, bag and all. As you pull the tassel out of the bag, stand by
your corn and shake it over the silks. The bottom of your bag will also be
full of pollen which you can then pour over the silks as well. One bag can
do at least 3-4 plants.
I used this method on a demonstration farm where we were growing supersweet
corn (Sh2) next to normal sweet corn and popcorn. We didn't want them to
cross-pollinate so this is the method we thought up. As I said, a lot of
work but it is possible!
P.S Weeds don't require a lot of nutrients like corn does. I would still
fertilize the area well before planting.
Arzeena
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----- Original Message -----
From: Julianne Wiley <jlw@planetc.com>
To: <veggie-list@eskimo.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 29, 1999 4:54 PM
Subject: y2veggie
> Dear Drjohn4U and all,
>
> Thanks for forgiving me for my mistake with forwarding that y2k post. And
> yes, I DO have some vegetable dreams I'd like to share with you.
>
> I have a narrow raised bed, 32 inches wide and 22 feet long, along the
E-SE
> side of my house that gets pretty good sunlight in the summertime until
the
> house shades it in early to mid-afternoon. I want to grow corn there. Am
I
> crazy?
>
> What inspired me was that we had WEEDS there last year that grew as tall
as
> cornstalks. If weeds could do it with no watering, mulching, fertilizing
or
> coddling of any kind, why not corn?
>
> I'm thinking I could do 2 rows, down each long edge, so the rows would
still
> be maybe 30 inches apart. I know you're supposed to do at least 4 rows
for
> wind-pollenization purposes, but couldn't I hand-pollenate that much? And
> in case it's a total loss, I would interplant it with pole beans and
squash,
> hoping for 2 out of 3 on the same space?
>
> Has anybody ever tried a mad idea like this? How would you modify these
> plans to be more realistic or more likely to succeed?
>
> Ears perked (imagine me with corn-ears sprouting from my bonnet)
>
> Julianne
> Zone 6/7
> Southern Appalachian bioregion
> Upper East Tennessee
>
>
