Corn Pollination question

[june]

I need some advice.  I want to grow 2 kinds of corn and keep them both pure.  One is 101-110 days to maturiy, one 125 to 140 days to maturity.  Do you think that if I plant them both at the same time, they will mature at rates different enough to keep them both pure or that I would have to bag in order to maintain pure seeds?

[macmex]

June, I suspect if planted at the same time you'd have enough of a lag between the two, in silking, that they would not cross. If you wanted to make it even more certain, try planting the earlier one a week ahead of the later corn. I'd certainly be inclined to go this route before having to do all the work of bagging. Then again, if you watch them maturing, you can probably decide to bag if they look like they're going to overlap in silking and tasseling.

[june]

Update on my indigenous corn patches.  I spent all winter and all the cold gray days  reading, searching for seed, and fantasizing about growing corn.  Then it came time to plant and I realized that I can't grow all my daydream corn patches and still keep so many strains pure--so I started minimizing my bucket list.  This is Navajo Robin's Egg--a beautiful corn (desert), but rare and difficult to grow in many parts of the country.  Here my seedlings planted April 1 (still pretty cold then, it started off sluggish but doing pretty good now.)  This at 30 days.

[june]

So, Navajo Robin's Egg has a 30 day head start.  Suppose to mature around 101 days.  Today, May 1, I planted my 2nd corn patch....this one Oklahoma Cherokee Sallu Yah (a white flour corn)--(130 days to maturity).  I'm hoping to plant another patch late May or early June...(variety still undecided).

[june]

...And here's what I hope my Navajo Robin's Egg will look like.  My seed are supposedly from an original (pure) strain and very rare.  The 'speckles' are caused by a 'jumping gene'.

[june]

Oklahoma Cherokee Sallu Yah....this Cherokee flour corn came to Oklahoma via the Trail of Tears March.

[chrysanthemum]

Those look beautiful, June. I wish you much success.

[heavyhitterokra]

June,
Congratulations on your early start! That sounds like a very interesting project.

[june]

I got a little over 4" of rain during storms.  My soil is very well drained and I'm hoping my 'desert' corn doesn't mind.

[heavyhitterokra]

As long as it's warm out your way, that rain ought to just give your corn a head start. My garden is under water today, but my raised beds kept my plants up out of it. Sounds like very good news that you got plenty of rain to get things off to a great start.

[macmex]

Looking good! I find that an early planting of corn generally gives me a lot larger ears than a late one. I think it establishes a much better root system when it gets started during the wetter spring time than later on.

Beautiful corn!

[june]

Hi Bon,  I'm always willing to share any kind of seeds that I have.  I mill my own flours as well and bake all our breads.

[chrysanthemum]

Hi, June. I just wondered how your corn is faring after the strong front went through this week?

[june]

Chrysanthemum, thanks for asking.  I think its doing OK.  I just have a small patch...maybe 20 x 30.  It seemed the wind way coming from all directions at once and I was pretty worried.  Some of it leaned a little, but I straightened it and hilled a little better and I think it is OK.  This is the Navajo Robin's egg, planted April 1...I think it will be tasseling soon.  Next time I plant this, I will plant more stalks together to help support each other.

My second planting (Oklahoma Cherokee Sulla Yah) planted May 1 is small enough that it was not harmed at all.  Plus, it seems to be a much stronger stalk and hardier corn.

[june]

I got close to 5" of rain with all the wind.  My soil is super sandy and I live on a hill, so it never floods.