Corn Pollination question

[heavyhitterokra]

I've had coons ruin as many as 50 ears of corn in one night. An old sow coon and four or five babies can destroy a lot of corn in a hurry. I had a freak corn plant once that had 12 ears of corn on a single stalk. I had all kinds of dreams and aspirations about saving seed from that plant to multiply it in years to come, then one night coons stripped of every ear and completely destroyed that plant.

That was the year the old man at the feed store told me about baiting a live trap with peanut butter, marshmallow cream, and chocolate ice cream topping. I caught a lot of coons off of that recipe, but it was too late for my corn.

This year, grasshoppers killed all of my corn before the coons had a chance at it.

[chrysanthemum]

June, I’m sorry to see that damage. How soon do you think it will be before the corn is ready for harvest. It must be getting close if the critters are attacking. It seems to me that whenever I think, “I’ll just give that one more day,” that’s when something bites into it.

[june]

Cherokee Sallu-yah corn is progressing along, but I'm nearing a tipping point--the point where the coons are taking more than I'm willing to give.  Does anybody know how green I can pick it and still use for seed saving.  I'm trying to wait at least until the shucks turn a little, but most of it may be gone by then.

[june]

Still way too green--right?

[woodeye]

Oh Wow, june. Sorry to see you having this problem! I've never saved corn seed, so I'm not sure. I would think it has to be fairly dry for seed saving purposes. I hope that others with experience in saving corn seeds can give you a more definite answer...

Edited: If I didn't go ahead and pick it, I would slip a sock on each ear that is left and tie it snug, then duct tape the ear to the stalk, to see if that would confuse the coons...

[macmex]

I'd say it's too green yet. I wonder if you could put something like a used knee high over the ears, whether that would help?
A live trap would help, but that's pretty bulky for a one armed gardener to handle.
Yet one more idea: I wonder if you could dust the ears with cinnamon, whether that might repel them? Something that would burn their nostrils when then sniffed.

[june]

I've stapled bags over a few ears...too much work and expense to do the whole patch--and they can probably just rip right through the bags if they want too anyway.  I'll just try to be patient for a while longer--even if it is frustrating.

[chrysanthemum]

june , I am so sorry to hear of the continued coon damage.  You have such a beautiful crop, and to have it stolen.  Ugh!

Here are some suggestions I’ve read about that may work better than paper bags.

1. Wrap the ear in duct tape and tape it to the stalk.

2. Filament/strapping tape.  Same idea just a suggestion that it’s harder for the raccoon to tear.

3. Athletic/tube socks over the ears, taped at the bottom.

4. Solar-powered motion sensing lights to frighten them.  They’ll get used to them, but it may buy you some time.  We got a two-pack of cheap ones last month from Amazon, and it does seem to have helped keep skunks out of our garden.  It could be coincidence.


The next couple of ideas are things I haven’t read about, but I might try as an experiment if I thought I was doomed to loose the corn anyway.

1. I might pull up a couple of stalks and try to replant them in a large pot on a protected porch or deck or even inside a garage or sunroom.

2. I might pull up a couple of stalks and try to hang them upside down to dry inside a garage or shed or something.  Something like what people do with green mature tomatoes before a frost.

I have no idea if the stalk would hold enough moisture or nutrients to let the corn get a little more mature.  I have never saved corn for seed, and I’m not being at all successful with growing corn this year, so I have no claim to expertise, success, or experience with those suggestions.  I’m just thinking of things I might try in order to get some seed.

Are there any seeds unharmed on the damaged ears?  I’m wondering if the coons will leave those alone, but if there might just be a few good seeds that you could glean from each one later in the season.

[heavyhitterokra]

June,

So sorry to see that.  I know you've been working extra hard on that crop.  Would it help to put chicken wire around the corn stalk?  I've never tried that, but it might work well enough to save at least one or two ears for seed.

I just spent more than half the day trying to reinforce my 7' foot tall deer fence with more barbed wire.  It used to have seven stands, now it has eleven.  So far, so good, but the evening is still young.  We'll see ...  It seems like this year has been extra bad for destructive vermin for all of us.

I'm starting to see why coonskin hats were so popular once upon a time.  They were probably taken pretty seriously when they started causing damage like that to someone's corn liquor and winter hog, chicken, work horse, and milk cow, feed crops.

[june]

I sort of like this idea...but then again, I'n not going to tape up this whole corn patch.  There is enough that they're not going to get it ALL.  I do want to save enough to keep myself in cornbread for a year and seed for me to grow and to share.  I should be able to start pulling ears in another couple of weeks.

[woodeye]

june
Good job! That should increase your odds of saving some. 

I'm gonna grow corn next year, I will be armed to the teeth with duct tape to use like that, corn is a precious commodity. In the meantime, I am gonna stockpile socks too...

I like the idea of chicken wire from heavyhitterokra too, I may have some of that ready for use also... 

[heavyhitterokra]

I suppose a person could probably just wrap chicken wire around the portion of the stalk where the ears are located, in order to save materials? I've never tried it, but I do know what it's like to lose 50 ears of corn to coons in one night. That's when those live traps baited with peanut butter, marshmallow cream, and chocolate ice cream topping come in handy. I cook up a mess of that in an old gallon bean can and paint the trip pan of the trap with it. I drizzle a trail of it on the ground, from the front opening to the trip pan. I have to stake the traps to the ground using short lengths of rebar though, or the coons will just roll the traps over to lick the goodies off the ground.

[woodeye]

That's what I would do if I used chicken wire, just take short pieces  and tie around the ear. I would go around the stalk too, so the coon couldn't pull the ear off the stalk. That's also the reason I'd duct tape around the stalk too if I used the sock/duct tape method...

[macmex]

Now it's important to keep in mind that animals vary in their behavior, from place to place and in different circumstances. It's next to impossible to say what they will or will not do, with dead certainty, but... I would think as the corn gets past milk stage, the coon will start to lay off. They like it best when it's tender and somewhat sweet.

Squirrels, on the other hand, will get your corn when it's dry and hard, still on the stalk.

[woodeye]

macmex, Thanks for the heads up. I hope to have some dried corn out there next year, so I'm now aware of that squirrels might be tempted...