Transplanting Sweet Corn

[Ozark]

I know sweet corn can be difficult to transplant, but I'm going to try it this weekend.

On May 27 I planted 8 rows of Luscious F1, a 75-day Se sugar enhanced hybrid. My seed was a year old and it may have been stored too warm. Also, we've had a bunch of rain every day since I planted the corn. Whatever caused it, I got only about 40% germination.

My garden is a mudhole but the rainy days are ending. I think conditions are right to try and transplant the 1" corn seedlings I have, spacing them 9" apart in only three of the rows. Then I intend to re-plant the remaining five rows with Incredible F1, which is also a Se sugar enhanced hybrid but it's an 85-day corn. I'll plant Incredible 12" apart, as it grows bigger stalks. The two harvests should come about 18 days apart, so the two varieties shouldn't cross, and since they're both Se it probably wouldn't matter if they did.

I don't know how deep the tap root goes on 1" corn seedlings, but my idea is to move a big, deep shovel of muddy dirt with each plant, even taking care to keep them turned in the same direction they were in relation to the world. What do you think? Have you ever tried anything like this before with corn? Did it work?

[Tormato]

I've transplanted corn before. No problems.

I usually transplant 3"- 4" tall plants. Lots of roots on those. I've used both homemade paper pots and 16 - 20 ounce drink cups. The paper pots do not have to be removed.

[joseph]

I routinely transplant corn. My procedure is to pick up the corn plant along with a shovelful of surrounding dirt, and plop it into a hole that I have just dug in the same way in it's final destination. I don't worry about orienting it with respect to the world.

[Jeannine Anne]

I start corn on 3 inch pots..NO MORE THAN 3 WEEKS before it goes into the ground. It hates to be transplanted and the time frame seems to fool it. If done as above it starts to grow as soon as transplanted. If left in the pot too long it stops, when you transplant it, it seems to know and it sulks for a while so very often you gain nothing by trying to do ittoo early.

It need to be unimpeded.

Sounds crazy but it is so true.

[kath]

I've had luck both transplanting plants that have germinated in the ground but needed to be moved because of poor germination in a sowing by digging a shovelful of dirt up with the plant and also sowing seed in 72 cell trays and planting out when seedlings are a few inches tall and before the roots get too big. Only takes a week or so.

Wish I had done it this year- had a really poor showing for the first sowing in ground. Not sure what the problem was but it really set me back this year.

[Ozark]

Thanks for the help, everyone. I transplanted my corn seedlings yesterday, condensing 8 rows down to 3 rows because of poor germination (old seeds, too much rain). I think it went real well as 24 hours later none of the seedlings have wilted. Now I hope they'll take off and grow and not be stunted from the move.

I'll be seeding the other 5 rows with another Se corn variety tomorrow. I've got fresh seeds and there's little rain in our forecast, so germination should be OK this time.