Is my corn toast?

[Red Horse]

We had a storm last night and all the corn was laying down this morning. Will it stand back up? The stalks aren't snapped, just sort of laying down. It wasn't a particularly bad storm and this seems to happen every year, maybe I'm planting it wrong. The plants were about 6ft tall and just tasseled.

 

[SmiYa0126]

I would wait and see, can you try to prop it up a little?

 

[nao57]

Immediately get water on the corn. Also increase the watering interval. You can often pull a damaged vegetable plant out of trouble by increasing the watering interval. You don't necessarily have to increase the water but the interval matters. So if you were watering once a day, then you can do 2 or 3 times a day. Unless its like over 90 degrees, then I'd even do 4 times a day.

You don't have to do this forever, but just to bump them through the damaged period where its trying to heal. And the plant is getting more stress than normal now that its damaged, and more heat vulnerable. This is why you increase the watering interval temporarily also.

Now... this works very well with most vegetable plants. Except I'm not a corn expert and haven't really done corn. Where I'm at isn't suited to corn. But I've used this trick when I get heat stroke on squash plants and cucumbers, and a few others.

I can't guarantee all the plants will make it. But what do you have to lose?

You could also do some tie downs with sticks holding up the damaged stalks until they get stronger. Maybe tripods with tie downs and sticks like a swing set set up with ropes might actually work better?

I'd love to hear about the result later on how many you save.

 

[tripletfeb]

My sister had her corn blow over in a storm last week. She tied them to a stake and they are doing great now

 

[tripletfeb]

We had a storm last night and all the corn was laying down this morning. Will it stand back up? The stalks aren't snapped, just sort of laying down. It wasn't a particularly bad storm and this seems to happen every year, maybe I'm planting it wrong. The plants were about 6ft tall and just tasseled.

Just noticed in your picture, that the corn seems to be planted in a row instead of a square. Corn should be planted in a square because it is a wind pollinator and if the corn is planted in a row, it won't be able to get pollinated. And it is stronger when planted in a square. Or rectangle shape

 

[Red Horse]

Immediately get water on the corn. Also increase the watering interval. You can often pull a damaged vegetable plant out of trouble by increasing the watering interval. You don't necessarily have to increase the water but the interval matters. So if you were watering once a day, then you can do 2 or 3 times a day. Unless its like over 90 degrees, then I'd even do 4 times a day.

You don't have to do this forever, but just to bump them through the damaged period where its trying to heal. And the plant is getting more stress than normal now that its damaged, and more heat vulnerable. This is why you increase the watering interval temporarily also.

Now... this works very well with most vegetable plants. Except I'm not a corn expert and haven't really done corn. Where I'm at isn't suited to corn. But I've used this trick when I get heat stroke on squash plants and cucumbers, and a few others.

I can't guarantee all the plants will make it. But what do you have to lose?

You could also do some tie downs with sticks holding up the damaged stalks until they get stronger. Maybe tripods with tie downs and sticks like a swing set set up with ropes might actually work better?

I'd love to hear about the result later on how many you save.

I put stakes down around the outside of the bed and zig-zagged gardening wire (the stuff with the thick fluffy Styrofoam covering) from one side to the other all through the bed. I propped everything up and watered the heck out of it twice a day for several days and maybe 1/2 stood back up on its own, the other half is still a bit slouched but supported by the stakes and those stalks are still growing. I lost 2 plants that had actually snapped at the base instead of just curved.

 

[Red Horse]

Just noticed in your picture, that the corn seems to be planted in a row instead of a square. Corn should be planted in a square because it is a wind pollinator and if the corn is planted in a row, it won't be able to get pollinated. And it is stronger when planted in a square. Or rectangle shape

I did plant it in blocks of 16 but something must have watched me plant because so many of my seeds got dug up. I definitely need to make sure that next year I'm more diligent with re-sowing, and definitely need a cat. The one that chased off the good stray that hung around apparently doesn't have the same taste for voles as the other.

 

[tripletfeb]

I did plant it in blocks of 16 but something must have watched me plant because so many of my seeds got dug up. I definitely need to make sure that next year I'm more diligent with re-sowing, and definitely need a cat. The one that chased off the good stray that hung around apparently doesn't have the same taste for voles as the other.

I see. Sucks when our best laid plans get ruined

 

[nao57]

I put stakes down around the outside of the bed and zig-zagged gardening wire (the stuff with the thick fluffy Styrofoam covering) from one side to the other all through the bed. I propped everything up and watered the heck out of it twice a day for several days and maybe 1/2 stood back up on its own, the other half is still a bit slouched but supported by the stakes and those stalks are still growing. I lost 2 plants that had actually snapped at the base instead of just curved.

That's actually amazing. It looks like you are tackling it head on. Losing only 2 plants is pretty skillful actually. From the initial pic I might have thought you'd lose more than that.

Keep at it!