Got a little chunk of purple corn cob from a friend's garden at the start of the year. It was not a fully formed corn, that has dried up due to draught. A couple of kernels sprouted on first attempt but very quickly dwindled into nothing.
On a whim, I put the remaining few kernels in the ground in April 2016, with very little expectations.
A week later, 2 little shoots sprouted amidst the garden weeds. As I was no longer sure if it's the corn and if they might survive, I decided to leave them to their own devices.
Update 7 May 2016:
One of the little shoots stayed on. It grew quickly. I am sure this is the corn by now, because it is certainly growing faster and taller than common grass. Plus, there is a distinctive purple tinge at the base of the stalk. Really looking forward!
Update 5 Jun 2016:
It had been about a month (4 weeks) and the corn is still going strong. It has thrown out 6 sets of leaves and seem to be developing some sort of flower buds.
A spray of tiny grain-like flowers were thrown out at the top in a few days. A friend mentioned that the corn cob will develop mid-stalk. So it's back to fingers crossed.
Update 19 Jun 2016:
A happy camper popped out about 10 days after the flowers emerged. This is about 3 days old.
If you look carefully, it is sprouting out from the middle of the stalk, around the 3rd set of leaves.
A little late, but this is the spray of the spent flowers that have dried up by now.
