Re:Mexico's heirloom corn strains are resurging amid more de...
by bluGill on Wednesday July 26, 2023 @12:51PM
(#36880807)
Corn is a hot season grass: it likes growing in large fields with lots of other corn plans near it. Most home gardens are not large enough to grow good corn (you can grow it, but the corn will not do as well - this can still be good enough.) With sweet corn time from field table is critical to good flavor, so people do grow it in their garden anyway, but it would be better to live next door to a large corn farm that you get it from.
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Re:Mexico's heirloom corn strains are resurging amid more de...
by Scoundreller on Wednesday July 26, 2023 @01:04PM
(#36881025)
Does it like having actual corn around it, or just lots of "stuff" around it to trap in heat that a fenced/walled area could serve as a substitute for? (obvs problem is that the fence doesn't grow with it...)
Re:Mexico's heirloom corn strains are resurging amid more de...
by bluGill on Wednesday July 26, 2023 @01:21PM
(#36881336)
Good question, but I don't know.
I'd guessing lots of other warm season grasses which need not be corn. Most gardens grow many things that are not warm season grass. That is plants that don't grow very tall.
Re:Mexico's heirloom corn strains are resurging amid more de...
by civilitty on Wednesday July 26, 2023 @01:24PM
(#36881377)
Corn is wind pollinated and having a lot of plants around decreases the chance of self-pollination and increases the chance of outbreeding enhancement.
Re:Mexico's heirloom corn strains are resurging amid more de...
by Rustwerks on Wednesday July 26, 2023 @02:21PM
(#36882432)
Corn will not pollinate correctly if it is not in a rather dense clump. If you grow it in your garden you should plant 3 or more rows(or a square/circle). Otherwise you will get mostly empty cobs.
Re:Mexico's heirloom corn strains are resurging amid more de...
by MostlyStable on Thursday July 27, 2023 @01:00AM
(#36889114)
3 rows is not nearly enough. I grow corn, and even with 9 rows, 20' each (roughly a 20'x20' square, with nearly 200 plants), I still hand polinate (takes about 5-10 minutes every 2-3 days once you start seeing silk). I doubt that most home growers will get anywhere close to enough density for good wind pollination, but hand pollination is not that hard.