Corn: whats on the top?

[Dave-G]

Google hasn't been very forthcoming - or I'm not asking the right questions or I'm too dyslexic to extract the information.

I've had what thus far looks to be better success this year at growing a tiny batch of sweetcorn in part of the lawn borders. I'd like to save some seeds but google seems to suggest the yellow maize with silks on them are the seeds - yet these at the very top of the stalk look more like seeds to me. They individual grains appear rather like wheat grains - confused.com

Could someone put this thicko right please. They are currently about 4 feet high with cobs and silks forming lower down the stalks.

Edited August 9, 2020 by Dave-G

[Dave at kelton]

That is the flowers that germinate the cobs to the best of my knowledge. The seeds are the individuals pieces of the cobs.

[old'un]

The things growing at the top are the tassels or flowers if you like, the actual cob contains the seeds.

[CharlieT]

1 minute ago, old'un said:

The things growing at the top are the tassels or flowers if you like, the actual cob contains the seeds.

Correct, that's what we till in the fields by the hundredweight.

[islandgun]

wind pollinated apparently ! 

[old'un]

16 minutes ago, CharlieT said:

Correct, that's what we till in the fields by the hundredweight.

You could possible answer this question then, is the variety of maize grown in the UK for animal feed? I have in the past tried boiling some ripe maize cobs and they were like eating a Chestnut with the shell on, although I have eaten them in the field when they were very young cobs and the were ok to eat, I presume the ones you see in the supermarket are a different variety to the ones I see in the fields.

13 minutes ago, islandgun said:

wind pollinated apparently ! 

Yep, I think the top tassels are the male part of the plant.

[islandgun]

2 minutes ago, old'un said:

You could possible answer this question then, is the variety of maize grown in the UK for animal feed? I have in the past tried boiling some ripe maize cobs and they were like eating a Chestnut with the shell on, although I have eaten them in the field when they were very young cobs and the were ok to eat, I presume the ones you see in the supermarket are a different variety to the ones I see in the fields.

Yep, I think the top tassels are the male part of the plant.

We started a few fish boxes of sweetcorn in our poly tunnel early on this year [they now have ears on] we stuck them outside last month because i didn't think they were getting enough wind in the tunnel [despite my wifes best efforts 😉]

[Dave-G]

1 hour ago, CharlieT said:

Correct, that's what we till in the fields by the hundredweight.

Thanks all.  

Could you expand on that please CT? I'm not trying to be clever but I thought tilling was basically breaking up soil.

[CharlieT]

59 minutes ago, Dave-G said:

Thanks all.  

Could you expand on that please CT? I'm not trying to be clever but I thought tilling was basically breaking up soil.

Generally, yes, except if you're an Exmoor bumpkin. Here everyone from time immemorial refers to sowing seeds as tilling seeds. A bit like antlers, they are always horns, only posh folks from up country say antlers. 

[Dave-G]

3 minutes ago, CharlieT said:

Generally, yes, except if you're an Exmoor bumpkin. Here everyone from time immemorial refers to sowing seeds as tilling seeds. A bit like antlers, they are always horns, only posh folks from up country say antlers. 

Arr thanks me ol beaudy, you be one of they that put cream on first?

[CharlieT]

You're beginning to sound like me, a proper chap.

[Dave-G]

11 minutes ago, CharlieT said:

You're beginning to sound like me, a proper chap.

Grew up near the Brisons

[Old Boggy]

14 hours ago, old'un said:

You could possible answer this question then, is the variety of maize grown in the UK for animal feed? I have in the past tried boiling some ripe maize cobs and they were like eating a Chestnut with the shell on, although I have eaten them in the field when they were very young cobs and the were ok to eat, I presume the ones you see in the supermarket are a different variety to the ones I see in the fields.

Yep, I think the top tassels are the male part of the plant.

All the maize grown around here is cut for biofuel and all of the crop, stalks, cobs etc sent to Anaerobic Digesters. The cobs are as hard as nails and therefore totally inedible to us.when ripe, but pigeons love them.

OB

Edited August 10, 2020 by Old Boggy

[Rim Fire]

Dave G it looks like you are trying to grow the corn in a row its best grown in a square block so the flowers at the top can pollinate each other if grown in a row the wind has got to blow in that direction to pollinate each other 

[Dave-G]

5 hours ago, Rim Fire said:

Dave G it looks like you are trying to grow the corn in a row its best grown in a square block so the flowers at the top can pollinate each other if grown in a row the wind has got to blow in that direction to pollinate each other 

Cheers - I did a single row against the fence a few years ago and the crop failed. This time I've occupied the border with three rows. 

[harrycatcat1]

2 hours ago, Dave-G said:

Cheers - I did a single row against the fence a few years ago and the crop failed. This time I've occupied the border with three rows. 

Not much chance for my granddaughters crop then.

[Dave-G]

43 minutes ago, harrycatcat1 said:

Not much chance for my granddaughters crop then.

I'm inclined to feel that wind will deflect along a fence or hedge but imagine a row in say the middle of an allotment would find it hard to pollinate.

I suspect I'd just had a bad batch and the soil was very clay bound at that time but is much better now with sand, compost and manure dug into it over the years.

[B725]

As Rimfire says sweetcorn needs to be set in blocks to be a chance of producing any cobs and the maize grown on mass for bio fuels is not for eating. 

[harrycatcat1]

Update on my granddaughters corn, the wind took its toll but some of it looks like it's getting some "whiskers".

 

[amateur]

Blimey, they are late. We have eaten or frozen all of ours now.

[harrycatcat1]

1 hour ago, amateur said:

Blimey, they are late. We have eaten or frozen all of ours now.

Nothing that I can do, you can only work with the tools that I was given 

[amateur]

1 hour ago, harrycatcat1 said:

Nothing that I can do, you can only work with the tools that I was given 

I was just wondering where in the country you are. Everything in our veg patch seems to be well ahead this year compared to previous years. 

[harrycatcat1]

11 hours ago, amateur said:

I was just wondering where in the country you are. Everything in our veg patch seems to be well ahead this year compared to previous years. 

I'm in Chesterfield but to cut a long story short my granddaughter was given the seeds, we planted them in trays, when they were 6" tall she had nowhere to plant them so I stuck them down the garden sooner than chucking them.

Now when she comes to our house she can't be bothered to look at them 🙄🙄🤣🤣

 

Edited to say, as you can tell I am not a gardener 🤪🤪

Edited August 31, 2020 by harrycatcat1
Numpty

[amateur]

3 hours ago, harrycatcat1 said:

I'm in Chesterfield but to cut a long story short my granddaughter was given the seeds, we planted them in trays, when they were 6" tall she had nowhere to plant them so I stuck them down the garden sooner than chucking them.

Now when she comes to our house she can't be bothered to look at them 🙄🙄🤣🤣

 

Edited to say, as you can tell I am not a gardener 🤪🤪

So a couple of hundred miles further north than us. It must make a hell of a difference

My wife is the gardener here. Me, I just mow the lawn, trim the trees, do the heavy work, keep the pests down and eat the produce 😂

[harrycatcat1]

1 hour ago, amateur said:

So a couple of hundred miles further north than us. It must make a hell of a difference

My wife is the gardener here. Me, I just mow the lawn, trim the trees, do the heavy work, keep the pests down and eat the produce 😂

I have to say a mate of mine who has an allotment just around the corner from me said yesterday that he has had a good year on his corn and he had picked all his. It must be just these/mine that are stunted. 👍