Epilogue

On July 16, just 12 days before harvesting of the first cob, I broke my leg. So, this is where the corn garden account ends for the year. We harvested our crop, and enjoyed every cob, except those begged off by the neighbors.

I hope you benefited from my account, and perhaps have some new ideas about how to grow citycorn.

July 15, 2005Light Breeze

Today we had winds somewhere in the order of 10-15 MPH. This was enough to knock over several pots.

Part of the problem is that the crop sits on a slight incline, the pots have small bases, and the center of gravity of the plants is high.

This photos shows roots emerging from the bottom of a pot, which would also contribute to instability.



All pots were righted, and where possible plants were tied to lawn furniture, a camellia bush, and air conditioner.


The corn leaves are now covered with pollen.



The patio is covered with pollen and chaff from the spike.

July 15, 2005Dehydrated plant

Sometimes on a hot afternoon the leaves would curl up towards the axis, this is the plant’s first line of defense against dehydration.

July 13, 2005Spikes

On some of the plants, the spikes are looking shaggy because they have essentially released all of their pollen.

July 11, 2005Longhorned Beetles

These guys showed up on the crop about the same time last year. They spend most of their time hiding. An OSU Agricultural Extension Agent identified it a longhorned beetle.

07/11/05Twelfth Week

Spikes appear on several plants.

Five cobs are silking.

07/07/05Silk Appears

First silk sighting today!

The pot has been topped off with about 1/2-inch of one part steer manure to three parts soil. Each morning it will get a 12 oz. Miracle Gro feeding, and on hot afternoons a watering, both as low to the ground as possible to discourage aphids and not interfere with development of spikes, silk, or pollination.

Harvest is twenty-one days after silk’s first appearance. Each plant is tagged with a number to keep track of its dinner date.

How the cobs and silk grow together.

July 9, 2005
Third day of silking.

The cob

Showing how cob and silk grow together. The corn stock is just to the cob’s right.

July 11, 2005
Fifth day of silking.

Looking down on the silk.

Side view of the silk.

Cob.

The top of the cob is growing away from the stock.

Silk and cob.

July 13, 2005
Seventh day of silking.


The silk is starting to dry up.

This photo shows a second silk developing below the silking we have been following, both on the same plant. You can also see how cob coninues to grow away form the stock.

July 15, 2005
Ninth day after silking begins

The silk is now visibly drying out, and changing color.

The second cob is just starting to silk.

07/07/05 Greater Yellow Underwing (Noctua Pronuba)

Last evening, about dusk, I glanced at my corn, and saw this climbing up a stalk.

It shares some of the characteristics of a black cutworm, and had some differences. When disturbed, it rolls up into a ball, it emerges from the soil in the evening, and has a soft body. There are also some differences; it does not have symmetrical dots on it’s back, in no literature could I find a description of a cutworm having the dots on its back, and it is “blacker” than the pictures of cutworms that I could find.


July 8, 2005
An Oregon State University Agricultural Extension Agency volunteer identified the moth larvae as a greater yellow underwing (Noctua Pronuba), just another fancy cutworm. There are several photos of the adult on the Internet, which will be left for you to discover.

They will damage a corn crop. Control is via BT or diatomaceous erath.

07/07/05Spiders

Last year, I thought the spiders disappeared just at the pollination began, this may have been wrong. There are spiders, but most webs are on the underside of the leaves.

07/07/05Aphids

Heeeere come the aphids.

This spike is the only one so heavily infested. Aphids will continue to take over. I prefer to live with them. Hosing them off, also removes pollen. Spiders and lady bugs are keeping these pests in control, a strong wind will reduce their numbers.

07/07/05Pollination Begins

Pollination started today. The spike’s shaggy top is where the plant starts this process, and works down.

07/05/05Eleventh Week

The crop continues its upward journey.

Last year, the crop was about 7’ tall before the spikes developed. This year, there are spikes on plants as short as 3-1/2’. The tallest plants are about 5’, all of these stocks have spikes.

They are now given a 12-oz. Miracle Gro feeding three days/week in hopes of getting some height. The salad bottle is marked at a 12-oz. fill line. The longer neck makes it easier to reach across several rows.

A spike starting to open.

The swelling at on the left hand side of this stock is the start of a corn cob.

06/28/05Crop Thinning, Spikes Ermerge

The stocks are developing side-plants which may interfere with their ability to grow vertically.

This particular plant has four suckers. The superfluous foliage will probably not develop in time to produce a crop. The extraneous growth will be removed in hopes that the forecasted warm weather and extra root system will instigate the plants to go vertical.

The suckers were cut 1”-2” above the ground.

Crop clippings.

The crop now has a different look.

Several plants are starting to develop spikes.