sweet corn

Itoero · June 7, 2013

The sweet corn in my garden, has grown for 15-20cm and is now making sideshooots but doens't grow in height anymore.
What can the problem be?

ChrisK · June 7, 2013

Can you post a pic?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Itoero

The sweet corn in my garden, has grown for 15-20cm and is now making sideshooots but doens't grow in height anymore.
What can the problem be?

Redbaron · June 7, 2013

Usually lots of tillers means the corn has very favorable growing conditions. But since your main stalks have stopped growing, it could possibly indicate the main stalks were damaged somehow.

I would look close for some kind of damage to the main stalks.

Itoero · June 9, 2013

What happens if I let the side shoots grow? Can I still get big corns?

gatorgoat · June 9, 2013

Corn looks fine to me but I'm just a second year corn newbie. I was watching this thread because my corn crop this year did the multiple stalk thing. Almost every plant has three stalks. It's now just over six feet and covered in corn. I think you'll be fine.

ChrisK · June 9, 2013

Corn looks fine! The small tillers are normal for some varieties and wont develop much more, just leave them. Genetics + environment control tillering.

If you look down into the top whorl of leaves of the main stem you will probably see the tassel starting to emerge.

Can't tell how far apart you have the plants. Usually planting in rows or clumps gives better pollination and thus fuller ears.

You will be enjoying fresh corn on the cob in no time!

Redbaron · June 9, 2013

Looks OK so far. That is normal tillering. As Chris said, you can look down into the whorl and check the growing part. As long as that is also good, you'll be fine. There is no benefit to removing tillers. Likely they will remain small, but even if they get big, it doesn't slow the growth of the main plant. Last year a few of my tillers got so big I actually got a bit of sweet corn off them. Not the big full ears the main stalks produced, but enough to blanch and freeze for the winter. Was a nice unexpected and fairly rare bonus.

June 7, 2013	#1
Itoero Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Belgium Posts: 186	sweet corn The sweet corn in my garden, has grown for 15-20cm and is now making sideshooots but doens't grow in height anymore. What can the problem be?

June 7, 2013	#3
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	Usually lots of tillers means the corn has very favorable growing conditions. But since your main stalks have stopped growing, it could possibly indicate the main stalks were damaged somehow. I would look close for some kind of damage to the main stalks. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

June 9, 2013	#6
ChrisK Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 1,448	Corn looks fine! The small tillers are normal for some varieties and wont develop much more, just leave them. Genetics + environment control tillering. If you look down into the top whorl of leaves of the main stem you will probably see the tassel starting to emerge. Can't tell how far apart you have the plants. Usually planting in rows or clumps gives better pollination and thus fuller ears. You will be enjoying fresh corn on the cob in no time! __________________ Blog: chriskafer.wordpress.com Ignorance more frequently begets knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science. --Charles Darwin

June 9, 2013	#7
Redbaron Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 4,488	Looks OK so far. That is normal tillering. As Chris said, you can look down into the whorl and check the growing part. As long as that is also good, you'll be fine. There is no benefit to removing tillers. Likely they will remain small, but even if they get big, it doesn't slow the growth of the main plant. Last year a few of my tillers got so big I actually got a bit of sweet corn off them. Not the big full ears the main stalks produced, but enough to blanch and freeze for the winter. Was a nice unexpected and fairly rare bonus. __________________ Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture

June 9, 2013	#5
gatorgoat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 12	Corn looks fine to me but I'm just a second year corn newbie. I was watching this thread because my corn crop this year did the multiple stalk thing. Almost every plant has three stalks. It's now just over six feet and covered in corn. I think you'll be fine.