How to Dry Corn Stalks for Fall Décor
When autumn arrives each year, the leaves start changing colors, pumpkins are finally ready to harvest, and the air turns comfortably cool. These harbingers of fall also encourage people across the country to start swapping out their seasonal décor. Whether you want to decorate indoors or out, corn stalks are a great starting point. But if you plan to use them, it's important to first dry your corn stalks so that they'll last throughout the season.
Related: How to Make Cornhusk Flowers
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Drying
Sabine H. Schoenberg, the founder and CEO of Smart Healthy Green Living, a streaming service that delivers home, garden, and living content, shares her best tips on drying out corn stalks. "In order to get the stalks dried and ready in time, cut the stalks after harvesting the corn and hang them upside down in a dry place—basements and dry garages are perfect," she says. By placing the stalks upside down, they will be able to dry quickly and help them stay upright when you use them as decorations. "While you can generally buy dried stalks at garden centers, why not ask the farmer at your favorite farmer stand to cut and bring you some?" adds Schoenberg. "Farmers have plenty once the corn is harvested."
Decorating
Give a nod to harvest season by crafting corn stalk pieces for your spaces. "Why run to a store and buy plastic decorations when Mother Nature provides it all?" Schoenberg asks. She notes that corn stalks make for beautiful, simple fall décor; one of her favorite ways to display them is to simply gather a bunch, tie them together with twine or ribbon, and display them as a vertical accent in a vase. She suggests surrounding them with a few mums to create a natural, fall-centric design theme this autumn, all courtesy of materials sourced from nature.
