I guess I need to clarify, the question was how many ears to save seed on corn. 200 is an acceptable standard in most publications. As Dangould stated Susan Ashworths book seed to seed is the best resource for home gardeners for saving seed. The statement on using pollen from 100 stalks and silk from another 100 is 200 different plants and this is for hand pollinating. So 200 plants wind pollinated is acceptable if no other corn within a mile tassling. On the distances I stated that for older varieties larger distances were needed. Even on hybrids which are smaller plants 2ft-3ft between rows and 1-2ft between plants is need to produce a good crop.When growing a seed crop more distance is better than when growing for home cunsumption. The intent is to provide maximum light and nutrients to each corn stalk to produce the best seed. I know because I grow heirloom corns for seed both commercially and for preservation.Bill in PA it may look as if the corn in the rows is only a 8iches apart and that is true but if you measured it is probably closer to 24inches between rows vice the 18inches. This works for modern field corns which are smaller plants have less leaf spread and produce smaller ears. For the others I am not talking about growing sweet corn in a small home garden for eating. A couple of rows of intensly planted corn will probably produce a few ears satisfactory for a home grower. I answered the question as a grower and a preservationist for someone who maybe interested in growing a corn variety for seed and preserving the genetic diversity of the corn with out having any significant affect from inbreeding. Corn and other outcrossing crops can quickly develope inbreeding problems in just a couple of generations if sufficent seed from sufficient plants are not saved. For the home gardener do as you please but if you grow and pass on to someone else grow for a seed company or are intently passionate about preserving the variety get some good reference books such as Seed to Seed. Corn is a crop that takes a lot of room to produce a good crop. And it is a fun crop to grow in a small intensive plot and can produce satisfactory ears for eating. But it cannot produce seed good enough to preserve the genetic diversity unless the 200 plant minimum population size is used and adequte spacing and nutrients are used to allow each plant to produce full size ears that are well pollinated and full. Rodger Winn

as to pix posting.. at your album.. right click on the HTML code... it will say 'copied' .. and paste it right here where you type.. and if you see the pic after hitting preview.. we will see it ... if i were you.. i would wait and see on those.. and in the mean time.. go get some new ones.. its probably not to late to still get some young nursery stock .. kinda cover your odds ... ken

Hey Nik, yes root pruning is just what you described. A sharp shooter shovel works best since the blade is so long and sharp. I even sharpen mine on the grinder before I do any root pruning. The general rule with root pruning and removing top growth is that you need to remove nearly as much top growth as you do roots since the diminished roots will have to support supplying water and nutrients to all of that foliage left above. It's really a judgement call as to whether or not you root prune now. You will need to coddle those plants a bit for a while if you do and of course, there's the loss of the top growth... The longer they stay in the ground root pruned, the more new roots they'll grow but *for me* I would be disappointed to lose the top growth if it turned out to be for nothing :). If you choose to root prune now and it turns out to be unnecessary, you can always still give them the root stimulator to speed the recovery. Nik, the Demo Garden is something I think you would enjoy seeing. It is behind the annex where the extension office is. I can never remember if that is annex I or II. Also kind of behind and to the left of the criminal courts building. If the apartments that are in some of the pics I've seen of your place are where I think they are (across from City Park), then you are very close to the garden. The garden was constructed solely through donations and master gardener labor. We just did a children's gardening school there yesterday where the kids were supposed to make their own stepping stones and also some to leave in the garden with their names and hand prints on them....Mostly what we really made was a mess, LOL! Anyway, you're welcome to take a looksee anytime you'd like. Rose, I just removed a WELL established Texas Star Hibiscus a few weeks ago (temps were in the mid to high 90s). A friend of mine wanted it so I root pruned it. Some of those roots were about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter..... LOL, I was hopping up and down on that silly shovel! Just one of the VERY good advantages of living in the sticks is that no one can see me doing any of those great circus tricks. Anyhow, the hibiscus sulked for a day or two, but I continued to water it and a little over a week later when I took it out (cutting through a few more roots that were growing straight down), there were great new roots all over the root ball and it didn't bat an eye when my friend planted it out. I just put it in in an empty mulch bag since the root ball was pretty good size and she was going to plant it when she got home with it. I think this method really gives the plants a helping hand in recovering from the stresses of being relocated. Hope it helps you in the future too :). Kristi

How many plants you need to save depends upon several factors... the variety, soil fertility, hours of full sun per day, and plant spacing are some of the most important. Spaced 6-12" apart, in full sun, you can expect 50-100 seeds per plant from most varieties; in fertile soil, better than that. Subtract from that if plants are shaded or planted more closely, and account for the fact that bad weather can cause losses if the dry & near-dry beans sprout or mold. 5-6 plants of each, properly spaced, should produce the amount of seed you intend to save.