ok figs

Did anyone else plant Hopi Corn in 2023 or 2024 and do you have any results to share?

In 2023 I only applied a little top dress fertilizer after emergence and I had varied results. I read that closer planting would result in faster canopy closure, better shading, and reduced evaporation so tried that this year. Top dressing after emergence didn't seem to work so this year I fertilized to the recommended levels and tilled it in prior to planting. As usual I experimented with various planting methods.

In response to a previous post I don't believe the Hopi water their corn. My first year I planted then decided to use drip irrigation, so tilled the first batch, installed drip in part of the area, then planted again. Some in the un-irrigated area sprouted and grew as well as the irrigated corn and yielded a few ears partly filled with mature kernels. Notably these were few and separated about 6 feet from other plants.

I had previously noticed that once in awhile plants at the ends of rows seemed to do better but now with additional observations from this year it is figuratively screaming at me "you have been planting too close together." This wasn't so noticeable when I didn't fertilize properly. In one patch I literally have a green square with a few ears forming with all short brown half dead plants in the middle. Hopi normally plant corn in groups 3 paces apart, several seeds per hole (probably to ensure emergence from depth) and this must be why. Spacing plants to have access to surrounding moisture without competition is more important than reducing evaporation by early canopy closure. See this picture of green corn around the outside and dry in the middle...



I did water this patch once at planting time...

Every year I learn something new.

This thread seems a little old but I have been trying to grow Hopi corn without irrigation for several years and success has been fair to poor. We are in northern Washington State in the rain shadow of the Cascades and get less than 10 inches of annual precipitation and almost none in the hot months of summer. I think people who live where there is a summer monsoon would fair much better.

I think something to consider is what we call success. Sixty miles south of our property are 1000's of acres of dryland winter wheat which typically yields 42-50 bushes per acre while irrigated corn can yield 150 bushels per acre or more. I don't expect unirrigated corn grown during summer to produce more than wheat which is planted in the fall and can make use of snow melt and fall and spring precipitation. I would expect better results in southern Colorado and northern Arizona or any place that does get a summer monsoon. If someone has more than 10 inches of rainfall that is even better. We had almost no snow accumulation this last winter so even our proven areas are not as good this year.

I have tried Hopi Blue, Hopi White, Hopi Pink, Wikti, Smoik Hu:n, Kikam Hu:n, Concha White, and a few other types and gradually I am getting better results. I believe there is some selection process going on probably selecting for improvements in root structure. Hopi White is said to be one of the best for deep planting. I would not plant more than 8 inches deep as I had poor emergence when I tried planting 12 inches deep but I am not planting multiple seeds per hole. The right location is a key to success. For some reason on my property planting at the bottom of low areas (accumulated silt) yields poor results while slopes near the bottoms are good. I have not been able to correlate the presence of sagebrush and rabbit brush with success. I soak my seeds before planting and planting deeper seems to help. Hopi White and Hopi Pink would be my favorites for this year though I've seen some blue streaks in my cobs this year so despite being well separated the high winds must be distributing pollen all across my property. I have successfully planted 2 ways, one using a middle buster, dropping the seed in the furrow, and covering with a rebar harrow, and the second by drilling with a garden augur.

If you want more information on my efforts see https://coragarden.com