SCIENTIFIC NAME: Zea mays

CULTURE: Avoid cross-pollination of super sweet varieties and non-super sweet varieties using any one of the following three options: 1) Plant differing varieties in blocks at least 100 metres apart, or 2) Stagger plantings by a 12-day interval and separate by 8 metres, or 3) Plant varieties with maturation dates at least 12 days apart in blocks at least 8 metres apart. Don’t sowing fungicide-treated seeds before soil temperature reaches 13-16°C. Sow untreated seeds above a soil temperature of 18°C. Sow 19-25mm deep, 15-18cm apart (or 2 seeds every 22cm, thinning to 1 plant), rows 75-90cm apart. Increase this rate for untreated seeds. Blocks of at least 4 rows are required for proper pollination for well-filled ears. Successive plantings can be made through early summer; extend your sweet corn season by planting various varieties of different maturities

INSECT PESTS: Promptly plough in or remove and compost of cornstalks post-harvest to reduce insect pest load in the next corn crop

HARVEST: Corn is ready for consuption 18-24 days after ears first show silk (depending on weather warmth). Browning and drying of the silk generally indicates that the kernals are ‘milky’ and full. Record the date when half of your plants show silk

DAYS TO MATURITY: Maturity is heavily influenced by temperature, weather conditions, varieties. Use ‘days to maturity’ figures as a variety comparison and not as an accurate predictor

AVG. SEEDING RATE: 1,000/170m, 5,000/830m, 25,000/4150m, 30,000/acre at 2 seeds/30cm. in rows 90cm apart

SEED SPECS: SEEDS/KG.: Avg. 6380