Q: I have planted super sweet corn for several years and I am perplexed. Only some of the planted seeds come up, and I end up with gaps in rows instead of full rows of corn. When I dig down, I can find the seeds that did not grow, so nobody ate them. What’s going on and how do I fix this?
A: By being smart enough to dig down and look for seeds, this eliminates furry or feathered critters as your bad guys. You solved part of your problem.
Your corn dilemma is not uncommon. Unfortunately, there seem to be a number of duds in with the good kernels, and they all look the same. Very wrinkly seeds are not all viable. Here are a few of suggestions.
Soak the corn seeds in room temperature water for four hours before planting. This will hydrate the kernels a bit. Some people soak seeds overnight, so start with four or five hours and see if this gives you better germination.
When planting, put the corn closer together in the rows. If the spacing is supposed to be 6 inches apart, put them in 3 inches apart. When the green shoots just emerge from the ground, dig up the ones that are too close together and transplant them to the gaps in the rows. This will fill out rows with the correct spacing. Since corn is a monocot, like grass, one little shoot will be all to see in the beginning. When corn is this tiny, you can use a tablespoon to transplant the kiddies to new locations.
Another choice would be to wait until the corn is up and growing and is several inches tall. Then put in more corn seeds into the gaps. This way, some corn will mature later to extend your corn-grazing season.
Q: My house is about 30 years old. Every spring or early summer, I find one or two big black ants wandering in the house. This is the only time I see them. They don’t look like they are doing anything except walking around, until I step on them. I don’t see them any other time. I have tried ant poisons but they never touch these. Do I have ants eating my house? I’m really worried.
A: The fast answer is no.
Now that you regained your composure, you can get the rest of the exciting ant story. Without any description other than big black ants, I’m guessing these could be carpenter ants. Carpenter ants very rarely feed on baits so this is not unusual behavior.
Stepping on them is quick but not helpful for identification. You should catch one and drop it into rubbing alcohol so you can look at it.
All ants have three main body parts: a head, thorax and abdomen, in that order. They all have a small space between the thorax and the abdomen. On a carpenter ant, there is one small pointed bump on this connecter or pedicle. The abdomen will have small golden hairs scattered on it. Some carpenter ants also have a small tuft of hairs on the tip of the abdomen.
Carpenter ants do not eat wood, but they do cut galleries to live inside as a colony. If all you see is one or two ants early in the spring, these aren’t residents; they are scouts. If there are large trees near the house, the scouts could be coming from the trees. They are looking for decayed wood. If they find a suitable place to live, then the family moves in.
Most people will have an occasional scout or three, but if you find more than five ants, if it’s continual during warm weather or you find ants during the winter, you have unwanted guests. Then the big hunt begins for the water-damaged wood.
Carpenter ants are more of an indicator than a disaster. They tell you that the most expensive thing you own has water damage that needs to be fixed. Fix the wood; end the ants. Killing the ants doesn’t fix the basic problem.
Questions? The Michigan State University Master Gardener Horticulture hot line is at 888-678-3464. Gretchen Voyle is MSU Extension Horticulture Educator, retired.