I planted a small test plot of corn this year, and the results are in—huge stalks! These are going to be part of a breeding project for future planting. Has anyone else experimented with breeding or growing unique corn varieties?
Is this for a competition?
Hadi said:
Is this for a competition?
Nope, it’s for breeding purposes. I’m testing the population to see when they bloom. They were a bit late but went from seed to seed in 140 days. Planning to grow 100 plants next time and crossbreed with something earlier.
@Sky
Respect, fellow landracer. I’m breeding for wind resistance with Indian corns between 3 and 5 feet tall.
Quin said:
@Sky
Respect, fellow landracer. I’m breeding for wind resistance with Indian corns between 3 and 5 feet tall.
You might want to try Papago corn. Here’s a link: https://imgur.com/a/5caZdbB
@Sky
Thanks! I’m focusing on flint and dent corns for now. Sweet corn is a pain to preserve in the summer heat, but flint can stay on the stalk without much hassle.
Quin said:
@Sky
Thanks! I’m focusing on flint and dent corns for now. Sweet corn is a pain to preserve in the summer heat, but flint can stay on the stalk without much hassle.
I thought flint corn was safe too, but sparrows destroyed mine during the milk stage. It was a battle until the kernels hardened.
@Corey
Zapalote Chico is your friend. Blackbirds ignore it, and even raccoons hate chewing through the husks. It’s a low-yield variety but worth considering.
Sky said:
@Corey
Zapalote Chico is your friend. Blackbirds ignore it, and even raccoons hate chewing through the husks. It’s a low-yield variety but worth considering.
Sounds promising, but I can’t find seeds or info on how it does in New England. Maybe I’ll give my popcorn another shot—it failed last year due to drought and bad planning.
@Corey
I have some seeds of ZC, but the USDA germplasm bank might be the only source for now. Hopefully, I can share seeds after I grow a larger batch. And yeah, drought years are brutal—good luck next time!
@Corey
I get some damage during the milk stage too, but I don’t save those for seed, so it hasn’t been a big issue.
A-maize-ing.
How many ears per stalk did you get?
Keegan said:
How many ears per stalk did you get?
It ranged from a small nubbin to two fully developed ears per stalk.
Keegan said:
How many ears per stalk did you get?
It ranged from a small nubbin to two fully developed ears per stalk.
Were they regular size, or did they grow larger too?
@Keegan
They were mostly standard size, but I’ll measure more closely next time. Stay tuned!
Out of beans?
Soren said:
Out of beans?
Jack should’ve asked for giant corn seeds instead of beans!
Soren said:
Out of beans?
Jack should’ve asked for giant corn seeds instead of beans!
Haha, he had beans in his ears! Speaking of, did you get any good ears?
@Soren
Not really. This variety is from the Amazon Basin, so it doesn’t adapt well to long daylight hours.