Questions from Growers

[Sue Bea]

Name:    Coral
Subject:    corn flowering

Message:    Hi! I am involved w/rainbow family & was passed purple mayan corn seeds by a friend. My corn is 9 feet tall but not flowering or fruiting. I live on the front range of northern Colorado. Any tips on nutrients to help my corn flower? I know many people who would like seeds for next year & was hoping to pass them on from my plants. Help is greatly appreciated! Om Shanti & grow! Coral

Dear Coral,

I am going to copy this into our forum (http://www.schoolsforchiapas.org/forums/) and see if anyone has any ideas for you.

When did you plant the corn and how long is your growing season?  Has it tasseled? The first time I tried to grow this corn in Oregon, I had a similar experience.  You may have to start the corn indoors in order to have a long enough growing season.  If you can get ears, it should naturalize to your growing conditions over time. In terms of nutrients, corn is a heavy feeder but I don?t know of anything that would specifically encourage the production of ears.  If you uncover anything on this subject we would be very interested to know more!

One other question about the source of your seed...  Did you get information about the Mother seeds in Resistance program?  Do you know about the Zapatistas and how this project is designed to help them combat the influx of GMO corn flooding across the border from the US?

You will find some information in the forums and more on our web page (www.schoolsforchiapas.org).  If you are able to contribute, we ask people who grow this corn to donate $6.50 which will allow us to purchase one GMO test kit for use by indigenous, Zapatista farmers in Chiapas.  We also like to stay in touch with our growers, see pictures of the corn, etc. 

By growing this corn, you are helping to preserve biodiversity of indigenous food. I hope you will be able to persuade the corn to produce a few ears this season.  If not, I hope you will persevere in the next growing season and try starting the seed a bit earlier.   

Best of luck. Yours for a world where all worlds fit.

Susan Beattie, Coordinator
www.schoolsforchiapas.org

[Pedrocafe]

I just spoke with a grower who lives in Central California.  He has about 20 pounds of corn ready to be returned to Chiapas and will ship that seed to anyone who is willing to carry it down.  Is there someone who can take this on?

[Sue Bea]

three years in a row.. I get aphids that kill the stalk just as it blooms.. What do you guys use to ward off these and any other insects.. I have marigolds, beans, and squash going around the base.. I spray a little warm soapy water.. Is there a specific time to kill aphids? I have gotten them up to 7 to 8 ft tall stalks.. I really want my elotes!! Do you have any literature/ advice ? this is my one crop that I can not produce anything on..
Gracias,
Max

Hi Max.

Thanks for your letter.  What a drag about the aphids!

I'm going to post this letter on our forums and see if anybody else has any ideas for you.  We haven't had any specific problems with aphids on our corn but I'm happy to share with you how we fight aphids and other insect pests in our garden. We have had amazingly good success using Neem oil in a homemade solution.  We became aware of the many amazing properties of Neem several years ago and have since launched a rather extensive Neem project with the indigenous communities in Chiapas.  (You can read more about Schools for Chiapas project here.)

Among the many (MANY) beneficial effects of Neem for health and agriculture, the two qualities that combine to make Neem an effective, safe and organic insecticide include it's ability to fortify the skeletal structure of an organism (a good thing for those of us who wear our skeletons on the inside but quite problematic to those who wear their skeletons on the outside) and it's ability to interrupt reproduction.  As a result, the bugs in a garden treated with a solution of Neem will find it difficult to fly, walk or reproduce.  You will not see an immediate "die off" (as you would using a toxic insecticide) but give it a day or two and you will see a definite reduction in those bugs that have an exo-skeleton.  This means you can't combine Neem and lady bugs but Neem is harmless to other beneficial pollinators (bees and butterflies) as well as other garden visitors like earthworms and birds.

Our Neem project is specifically designed for local use in the communities (so we don't have any product to sell you) but you can find many sources for Neem on the web.  Rather then buy a commercial neem based insecticide (which can be pretty expensive), we suggest you buy 100% Neem oil and make your own solution.  It's simple and you can use a small backyard sprayer (or any old spray bottle) for application.  Combine 1 tablespoon of Neem oil to a liter of warm water with about 1/2 teaspoon of non-toxic soap (like Dr Bronners) as an emulsifier.  You can use more Neem if you want to make the solution stronger but we have had good success with this dilution rate. Apply directly to the leaves.  You can also spray the soil around the plant.  Best to use the solution immediately and re-apply after it rains (or you water it off).

Good luck and let us know how things go!  The elotes are definitely worth the time and effort!
May you and your garden grow strong!

Susan