Halloween Forum banner

Corn Stalks question

Static: 
24K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  pmlmadero 
#1 ·
A friend of ours just harvested the corn out of his very large garden and is ready to plow down the stalks to get ready to plant pumpkins. Is there a way to cut the stalks and preserve them until Oct? This is my only chance for corn stalks this year but I don't want to go to all of the trouble if they will be useless by Halloween. Anyone have any experience with this?
 
#2 · (Edited)
Are they still green or dry?

Your biggest problem is going to be mold. The trick will be to get them dry ASAP, and keep them that way. The best way to do that would be to leave them standing in the field and not water them...since that's not an option, chop them at the base (do not pull, tilling in the roots can be beneficial to the plot since corn roots add various things into the soil, you wouldn't want to remove them.) and stand them up as individually as possible in a nice sunny spot that gets no water. Best way to chop them is with a nice sharpe scythe or (barring that, or knowledge how to use one as they can be quite dangerous in the unskilled hand) a sharpened hoe.


Dried, they can last quite a while. But, mold, well, you don't want to keep that around. Once dried bundle them up and handle as little as possible as they will be brittle.



To be honest, some of mine from last year have yet to rot, and could be stood up right now, but would look VERY disgusting...which might not be a bad thing all together...

Minor comment to be careful if you have allergies. Dried corn is one of the few things that make me have to grab for the inhaler.
 
#5 ·
I don't think it would be an issue to cut them down now and let them dry out in the sun and turn brown. Unothorodox was right in saying trying to keep them dry and standing up. I had to learn the hard way to make sure ALL the corn is off the stalks. Otherwise, squirrels will have a field day and make a mess with them.
 
G
#6 ·
You know, I have often thought of doing the same thing. I always wonder if the stalks, after drying, could be dipped or brushed with diluted Elmer's Glue, and thus stay together better.

I think if you could dry them out and not handle them, it would be worth it. ESPECIALLY if it is your only chance for corn stalks this year- then, if it doesn't work out, you can always toss them!

I used some cut flowers one year by pulling them out of the ground and hanging them in my garage. I spread them out so they could dry and did not mess with them. They got really cool looking and worked great.
 
#8 ·
here's a tip I was given - you live in a high humidity area. After cutting your stalks, hang them upside down in a garage or similar dry, hot place. This way the stalks will process the water left inside them naturally. Water in plants want to flow one way if at all possible. you will get drier stalks, with less chance for mold. hope this helps. HM
 
#11 ·
I reuse my corn stalks year after year, I keep them in a tarp in the crawl space. Be sure to remove any ears of corn before you store them or put them in your display as critters will most likely find a food source and tear them apart. Good luck.
This post is very old and I tried to find your haunt on social media to reach out to you there but I couldn’t find your haunt. This is SUPER interesting though that you reuse your cornstalk year after year! You put it on top of a tarp and leave it open and exposed or do you put it on a tarp and then a tarp over it?!
 
Top