Post by Good Mind Seeds on Apr 17, 2012 7:10:05 GMT -5
i know alot of people follow buffalo bird woman's advice and take the seed corn from the center of the cob. they say it is better quality seed for germination. i stopped braiding my corn once i realized how much loss i experience without vacuum sealing it. now i cut the husk off down to the base of the cob, arrange the ears in a vacuum bag, then freeze it until planting next time. this prevents weevils and grain moths from eating it to extinction in years when the seed is stored away.
another thing i have learned to use is neem leaf powder and i cake the dry ears with that before or during the vacuum process. neem is a safe organic pesticide from india that is even in toothpastes and food products. indian grocery stores sell neem oil for 1000% less in price than the neem oil you find at hippie american stores. thats where i go to find mine. a few drops of the oil emulsified in soap then diluted with a gallon of water serves as a commonly used organic pesticide. i have never used it on my corn, or three sisters, but if ever a bug bloom risked extinction of a variety, i would use neem.
it is necessary to keep at LEAST 100 of the best mother lines in order to prevent inbreeding and in order to accomplish this i do not remove the seed from the ear it came from. this way i can see the traits of the mother before i plant, i can remember what they were like, and know the lineages very well.
i keep back-years seed for more genetic variability and to have something to go back to in case of genetic contamination. it is good to get your corn tested every year so that you know that you are not growing GMO corn. i use "genetic ID" as a confidential genetic testing service, but they are not the only one.
another thing i have learned to use is neem leaf powder and i cake the dry ears with that before or during the vacuum process. neem is a safe organic pesticide from india that is even in toothpastes and food products. indian grocery stores sell neem oil for 1000% less in price than the neem oil you find at hippie american stores. thats where i go to find mine. a few drops of the oil emulsified in soap then diluted with a gallon of water serves as a commonly used organic pesticide. i have never used it on my corn, or three sisters, but if ever a bug bloom risked extinction of a variety, i would use neem.
it is necessary to keep at LEAST 100 of the best mother lines in order to prevent inbreeding and in order to accomplish this i do not remove the seed from the ear it came from. this way i can see the traits of the mother before i plant, i can remember what they were like, and know the lineages very well.
i keep back-years seed for more genetic variability and to have something to go back to in case of genetic contamination. it is good to get your corn tested every year so that you know that you are not growing GMO corn. i use "genetic ID" as a confidential genetic testing service, but they are not the only one.