Subject: Re: sweet corn
From: hillersb@aol.com (Hiller SB)
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
Date: Wed, 01 Jul 98 12:31:27
Message-ID: <MOD$980701.25857@rec.gardens.ecosystems>
References: <MOD$980630.18783@rec.gardens.ecosystems>



In article <MOD$980630.18783@rec.gardens.ecosystems>, kjeanh@aol.com (Kjeanh)
writes:

>
>>I've never gardened on a small scale before and have been told my single
>>row of sweet corn will not pollinate so the ears won't fill out. Can I
>>possibly hand pollinate? The stalks are just starting to tassle now.
>
>Asolutely! When the tassles open up and you can see the pollen is ripe,
>either
>a) cut the ripe tassles off and rub them on the corn silks that are ready, or
>b) use a paintbrush to pick up the pollen, then brush the pollen on the
>silks.
>Silks that are ready are sticky on the ends; if they have dried up, it's too
>late. Don't worry. Not all the tassles and silks will be ready at the same
>exact time.
>
>
>Kelly
>e-mail to orangerose@aoldotcom
>
>
>

It is so windy here in the mountains I wonder if the pollen is blown away from
my corn patch never having seen a silk. It may pollenate a corn patch a few
miles away...

I always felt cutting off a tassle is like cutting off a man's you-know-whats.
You can pick a non-windy day and simply bend a corn stalk over to its
ready-and-willing neighbor and stimulate the silks that way. Kinda like me
whispering sweet nothings in your ear....I'm sure it wouldn't be the first
date, either!

Vince