Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

homestead - Re: [Homestead] Corn, was Seed stash

homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Homestead mailing list

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Corn, was Seed stash
  • Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:13:03 EST

In a message dated 11/10/2008 6:15:06 AM Pacific Standard Time,
erthnsky AT bellsouth.net writes:


> >No matter which way I plant
> the rows, or whether I plant in hills vs. rows or how much I hill it up,
> I have lodging issues, generally caused by storms, which I can't
> control. The thought occurs to me, however, that perhaps I can make the
> plants stronger.
>


Bev, beware of what you read on corn sites that are written by and for
agribusiness. They know as much about raising organic corn as the person who
oils
the giant weaving machinery knows about knitting.

I've had not one stalk lodge in the past three years. Before that it was
quite a problem. One factor is that our storms have been milder. But mainly
I
think it is the increasing fertility of my corn field. Starting four years
ago
I began putting more manure on the corn and this last year after I'd hilled
up the rows leaving trough 30" wide and ten inches deep between rows, I
filled
the entire space with raw stable litter. The stalks were massive and the
anchor roots were ten inches across.

Heritage OP corn had been selected for centuries when mild, slow acting,
organic fertilizer was all that was available. New hybrids and sweetcorn
hybrids
are bred specifically for concentrated inorganic salts, they don't respond so
well in organic plantings. Likewise, organic fertilizer on old OP corn makes
it grow spindly and weak.




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page