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I planted out my sweetcorn a couple of days ago, as they were about 8 inches high, and we'd just started having some sunny weather. Now I see they are looking very pale and yellow and I think all the rain is drowning them. Is there anything I can do?

Cut off the bottom of some old water bottles remove the lid and place over the plant like a mini cloche. Spraying with Maxicrop might help bring back the colour a little.

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Paul

was going to put mine out today but still a bit cold up here .you could try putting fleece over them keep them cosy

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The yellowing could also be from being hungry, if its rained a lot, then it could have leached some of the nutrients away from the plants, so try a top dressing of a quick release fertilizer (Chicken Poo Pellets perhaps) and see if this helps them too!

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Blessings
Suzanne (aka Mrs Dobby)

'Garden naked - get some colour in your cheeks'!

The Dobby's Pumpkin Patch - a blogspot work in progress!
Last updated 5th November2008 - new piccies!

Is it me, or is it just too cold for sweetcorn atm?
Mind you, you are in London, that should keep the temp up.
I would say cold though, did you harden them off properly?

Cool name! Do you live in Wimbledon? Welcome to the forum!

Thanks! No not Wimbledon, I just like reusing things

Sowed 30 plus sweetcorn 2 weeks ago in mini greenhouse and only 3 have shown. Moved the remainder indoors to see if anything happens and bought some more seeds just in case?

NN

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If there is no football and gardening in heaven - I'm not going.

I always used to have problems germinating sweetcorn until I started pre germinating them on damp kitchen towel. I would start doing that to your new seeds, cos I don't think the other ones are going to come up now.

I have sweetcorn that's been out in the garden for two weeks now, had them under bottle cloches (old fizzy drinks bottles), which I had to take off this morning as the sweetcorn were getting squashed they were so big. Have replaced the bottles with ones with the tops cut off as well which give some protection and, later in the year allows me to 'earth up' the sweetcorn a little bit which I've found works well. Also makes watering easier as the 'bottle' direct the water to the roots rather than the surrounding weeds

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Cheers
Marion
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A smile costs nothing but gives much
Gardening requires a lot of water... most of it in the form of perspiration.

Perfect Winky. Full marks although I use a grass clipping mulch rather than earthing up.

The yellowing is definitely the wind chill, it happens with beans too I doubt there would be nutrient leaching Mrs D ...unless the ground is very poor. I do find the foliar feeding acts as a tonic though.

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Advertising is the rattling of a stick in a swill bucket. George Orwell
Paul

thanks for all the replies - It was about 20 degrees last week and I thought summer had arrived so I planted them out. sigh, they are too big for bottle cloches so just hope they can stand the shock.