SWEETCORN SUCCESS OR FAILURE

Seems that moisture is OK, wouldn't water any more - or as long as you have droplets on the lid. I would unfortunately tend to agree with others that you're best bet is to re-sow....

Try using a spray bottle for watering (recycle and empty detergent one). This gives a nice even coverage and isn't as aggressive as pouring water. Keep trying though, I'm sure you'll have success soon enough.

 

I've been gardening for a lot of years now and this year I planted 60 sweet corn.How many have I got 00000,so you see there is not only you who has failed.I normally get a good return and have over the years have had plants to pass on, so I am having to talk nicely to my friends to see if anyone has any spare,
I hope this makes you feel a little better,and wish you better luck next time.

 

If not "too wet" during germination then I think main cause would be old seed, or seed that had been stored somewhere too hot.

Sweetcorn is very prone to rotting (particularly the hybrid super-sweet varieties). I chit mine on damp kitchen paper. I've found that it is crucial that they don't get too wet, so what I do is:

One sheet of kitchen paper in bottom of Tupperware container (folded in half as necessary to fit the container).

Wet it adequetly from the tap (in situ in the container), and then pour away any excess water - any that will flow, or be shaken, from the container).

Spread the Sweetcorn seeds on the (now wet) kitchen paper. Make sure that there is a bit of a gap between each one.

Put a second sheet of, dry, kitchen paper on top (folded to fit, as necessary) and press down - that will cause it to "wick" up moisture from the lower sheet.

I find this way gets me moisture both sides of the seed, so that they are "damp" without becoming "wet"

Put the container somewhere warm-ish - 20C should be fine. open once a day (to let fresh air in, and "inspect"). Should be less than a week before they are ready to pot-up (I use newspaper pots, as I think that Sweetcorn want minimal root disturbance on planting, and a reasonably decent depth of "pot". No more than 3 weeks to planting out, so start hardening off after a couple of weeks ...

 

I have heard of this way before ,so next time I sow sweet corn will try it.This year is the first time I have had this problem with no seed coming through,so am now looking round local garden centre's to see if any plants are still to be found but not very hope full now.I have been to 2 but both sold out.

 

I've sown 3 lots of sweetcorn this year,all new seed and if I have a dozen plants that's all there is I've lost them to rotting...it's got to be an atmospheric thing and dismal outdoor weather

 

Normally I expect to get 99% germination from sweetcorn, but this year with seeds sown in thermostatic heated propagators and not overwatered I only got this from 48 F1 seeds



Back to non-F1 seeds next year, so I can save the seeds for free and get much better germination.

 

Sown indoors I presume?

I wonder if it is seed quality? A variety becomes popular, has been on the market for a few years, the "pure parent lines" for the F1 become a bit more ragged and are sub-contracted out ...

I grew Swift for my first batch, from seed bought in the local garden centre. About 50% germination ... that was leaving me insufficient seed, and plants, for the season so needed a bigger "second batch". Decided to buy seed from Moles Seeds (cheaper if buying "reasonable" quantity) and they only hard Lark - I've not grown it before, but I have read that it is very similar to Swift, so "fair enough". Also several weeks behind my first batch, so no issue with cross pollination ...

I sowed about 55 seeds and on potting-up I threw 5 away, of those 4 had "sort of germinated" and probably would have been fine, but I only had room for 50 newspaper pots in the tray. Thus only one total failure. Why is that then? Same damp-kitchen-paper method I always use.

And, whilst I'm on this ruddy Soap Box!, the plants of Swift are not coming on by leaps & bounds - like they used to when I first started using that variety, half a dozen years ago at least. They are only gently getting established. (That might be a factor of something mentioned in another thread - namely that Multi Purpose Compost has less "food" in it, to save manufactures money). I'll feed them from now on, but they've only been pricked out 3 weeks or so, so should not have needed any before now. They ought to be ready to plant out by now, but they aint :(

 

Last year I grew Sweet nugget F1's...seriously reccomend ,but this year ,fresh 'seed' and a right kerfuffle ,grown in exactly the same way but many rotted...saying that the ones I do have are looking pretty sturdy,would be nice to plant them out if only the weather would sort it'self out

 

Not the only one then first sowing, seed tray greenhouse was quite warm then got 3 out of half the packet,tried with the remainder got nothing did get a bit cold.
Next time as above good shout how do you make newspaper pots?

 

Some pictures & explanation on my blog:
http://kgarden.wordpress.com/tips/how-to-make-pots-from-newspaper/

Various methods shown in YouTubes too - although some of them look dubious to me, or rabbit on without focusing on the job at hand ... I should make a succinct, but detailed, YouTube eh?

 

As this thread appears to have swung towards the sweetcorn I'll chuck in my twopennurth.................

Don't worry about it Becks - sweetcorn is nasty stuff that is fit for cattle feed and nowt else (along with parsnips)!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously though, as this appears to be a widespread issue is it possible that there is a lot of old seed floating around? Maybe last years long (oh so long) and cold winter discouraged a lot of people from bothering in 2013. Just a thought.

 

Hahaha ... you've obviously not tasted a Supersweet variety cooked immediately after picking?

If you have then you're a heathen!!

 

Guilty as charged!
I love the little hard baby corns - they taste like chestnuts to me.

 

Chestnuts!! Oh I don't know about that! But I Corn

 

That's 'maize' and I also grow that as it rapidly dries for storage/overwinter use for hen feed.