Help with growing corn

by Catherine
(May, TX)

I live in West Texas and right now (in June) we are having 90/100 degree weather daily, which puts a strain on the water supply.

I had a beautiful crop of corn growing, then a wind and hail storm came, battering my garden and put holes in the leaves of my corn. The corn now looks scraggely but the stalks are still green and strong.

Country neighbors have suggested that my corn is dying and I should conserve water and not keep watering my corn.

If my stalks are still green and strong, can the corn come back? Can the corn still produce?

From Countryfarm Lifestyles

It is difficult to give you a definitive answer without seeing a picture of how bad your cornfields are.

However, speaking generally there are a number of things that you should take into consideration when growing corn that has been subject to hail and bad weather.

If your corn has lost of lot of their leaves, recovery will be slow, but good if your corn was below the 6 leaf-stage.

If, however, your corn was more advanced in growth, and had more than 6 leaves then you may have an issue.

Make an assessment of the corn three to five days after the storm so that surviving corn plants have a chance to recover.

If the weather is not conducive for plant growth for a prolonged period after the storm, assessing the remaining stand may require waiting up to a week. It may take that long before it is clear which plants will survive and which will not.

You need to assess the viability of your plants by finding and assessing the growing point.

Use a sharp knife and cut lengthwise down the stem of a few of your corn plants in order to cross-section the stem.

Assess the viability of the growing point; it should have a white to cream color. Plants with a healthy growing point should survive, especially if the growing point lies below the soil surface.

If not, you may have to think about replant with another type of crop that you will still be able to harvest in time.