Heirloom Sweet Corn Germination Rates

[YumYum]

Who here grows their own heirloom sweet corn and replants the seed?

This is the first time I've ever tried to save seed from corn. It is Stowells Evergreen Sweet corn. On 9-9-23 (8 days ago) I put several of the dried seed in a pot to test the germination rate and it looks like 50% so far. Maybe it is a little early to call but I was expecting something better than that. Never had 50% germination with Incredible Hybrid Sweet Corn which is what I usually grow every year. It seemed more like 80-90% germination with it.

As a matter of fact now that I think about it, when I planted the Stowells Evergreen seed this Spring, only about half of it came up.

Is this normal to get such a low germination rate from heirloom sweet corn? What kind of corn do you grow and what germination rates do you get?

 

[Meadowlark]

What kind of corn do you grow and what germination rates do you get?

I grow "Honey Select Triple Sweet" and germination rate varies with conditions, but it averages something between 60% to 80%. I always plant extra and thin if needed.

 

[redback]

I understood that 'heirloom sweetcorn' was maize. All sweetcorn is hybrid here in South Aussie and the germination rate of their seed is practically zero - not that I've ever tried.

 

[Meadowlark]

I understood that 'heirloom sweetcorn' was maize. All sweetcorn is hybrid here in South Aussie and the germination rate of their seed is practically zero - not that I've ever tried.

So, how do you know if you have never tried it yourself?

 

[redback]

I'm surprised you don't know that. I learnt about hybrid seed in high school. Why would I try what all the experts advise against. Honestly Meadow where's your in-depth seed knowledge?

 

[YumYum]

the germination rate of their seed is practically zero.

Why is that? Too dry or something?

 

[redback]

Why is that? Too dry or something?

Hybridization. Hybrids of hybrids of hybrids leads to sterility and throwbacks. Also coating the seeds in fungicides and insecticides results in these poisons being carried into the next generations (I feel a soil test coming on. lol.) - as well as death to the soil life and the advance of desertification.

 

[Meadowlark]

Is this normal to get such a low germination rate from heirloom sweet corn? What kind of corn do you grow and what germination rates do you get?

Do the questions refer to germination rate of the original corn either purchased or saved as seed or to the germination rate of seed you saved from previous year's harvest?

 

[YumYum]

Do the questions refer to germination rate of the original corn either purchased or saved as seed or to the germination rate of seed you saved from previous year's harvest?

Well both can help me. My question is about the germination rate of heirloom corn. It could be from either saved seed or store bought. I only threw my example of hybrid corn in there because that is what I'm used to working with. I know you shouldn't save seed from hybrids. Really I'm wondering if it is something that I did wrong to get low germination rates from this heirloom corn I'm trying to save seeds from.

How long do you let your corn go before pulling the cob?

 

[Meadowlark]

Thanks.

Of course, it makes a big difference. I was answering as if the question was about germination of purchased seed not about germination of saved seed that may or may not be heirloom or hybrid. These days, I don't save corn seed especially hybrid sweet corn which is all I grow. The taste of the modern hybrid sweet corn from the garden is so far superior to the old heirloom varieties and the field corn that my ancestors grew and, as a result, I haven't grown anything but hybrid for many years and, of course don't save any second-generation hybrid seeds.

As I recall from my younger days, my grandparents and parents always saved corn for seed the following year. They let it fully mature on the stalks all the way up until nearly first frost (that was in Missouri). We had a manual corn sheller that you ran the dried mature ears through to separate out the seed kernels from the cob. The kernels were completely dry and hard as a rock before ever doing this.

A walk down memory lane and I found that those manual shellers are still sold today. I ran many hundreds of ears through those things each fall. Some of the kernels were saved for seed and some went for livestock feed.

I'm going to hazard a guess but if you tested those seeds Sept. 8 and assumedly you harvested some time before that, it may not have been adequately dried. The seeds should be completely dry and hard as a rock as I mentioned. I'm fairly confident we didn't process the ears before late Oct. back in the day.


Thanks for the walk down memory lane...the sheller looked exactly like this:

 

[YumYum]

The cobs are actually still on the stalks. I just plucked several kernels off some cobs to test germination so I would know that I could pick them since this is my first with saving corn seed.

5-2-23: Corn was planted.

7-5-23: Started silking.

8-11-23: Harvested eating ears and left some ears for seed still on the stalk which is still planted in the ground.

9-9-23: Picked off some kernels to test germination. Ears still on stalks in the ground. This is the 130th day after sowing seed and 66th day after silking. Stalk, husk, ears are brown and dry looking.

This webpage has been the most help in stages of growth. The kernels should have been mature according to that but I did not see any black spot on the kernel so I'm still unsure if it was too soon to pick the seed off. I can wait more and test germination again.

Do you know if taking seed off the second cob on a plant is a bad ideal or not?

I think the test kernels I picked where near the tip of the ear. Maybe that was a bad place to get them or something.

 

[Meadowlark]

Do you know if taking seed off the second cob on a plant is a bad ideal or not?

I think the test kernels I picked where near the tip of the ear. Maybe that was a bad place to get them or something.

Not that I know of.

I would think the very best kernels would be the oldest ones at the base of the ear not the ones on the tip end which sometimes don't reach full maturity.

p.s. that web site you referenced is really an outstanding presentation on the stages of growth.

 

[YumYum]

Not that I know of.

I would think the very best kernels would be the oldest ones at the base of the ear not the ones on the tip end which sometimes don't reach full maturity.

p.s. that web site you referenced is really an outstanding presentation on the stages of growth.

Really there isn't much information pertaining to how long an ear of corn has to be on the stalk for optimal kernel fertility. I've watched Youtubers and some just set aside an ear they picked when they harvested them for eating back in the milkstage. They never follow up on what happened when they planted those seeds though.

I think you are right about the lower end of the ear being better.

 

[YumYum]

I decided to go out and pick several kernels from the tip, middle, and base of the same upper ear and do a germination test again to see what kind of difference there is on the area of the corn cob. I did see a few kernels with the black spot so it should be mature enough for seed at this point. Maybe not on the lower ear of corn though since it seems to lag behind a little.

 

[YumYum]

I did another germination test off a single cob.
Tip: 4/8 sprouted.
Middle: 7/8 sprouted.
Base: 4/8 sprouted.

So there is better fertility at the middle of the cob. I guess if you want better germination rates, then you'll have to discard the tip and the base kernels.