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Corn Plants but No Ears?

Maize (corn)    Florida

I have another corn question from someone who has a beautiful corn stand in their garden but no sign of ears. Nearly 10 ft tall. They are using Heirloom Truckers Favorite. They say their neighbors corn is coming in nicely, but they used a different type. No idea what kind.

From the research I did, I was able to gather that nitrogen deficiency may be the cause. Any thoughts?


Posted by: Shi1 (8 points) Shi1
Posted: August 21, 2013




Answers

1
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How has the corn been planted? It could be a pollination issue, especially if the corn is planted in rows instead of in blocks. Did the corn tassel?

Nitrogen deficiency would cause the plants to be stunted and also causes yellowing. Indeed, there should be additional symptoms with all kinds of nutrient deficiency, specifically some form of yellowing. If the plants are doing well then I wouldn't think that this is the problem.

Perhaps a period of adverse weather has slowed them a little and they will still produce ears given some more time.


Posted by: Lindsay McMenemy (4 points) Lindsay McMenemy
Posted: August 26, 2013




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If the corn in tall and green, then nitrogen deficiency likely is not the problem. One other possibility is crowding. If the planting is too thick, ears may not develop, even if the corn has tasseled.


Posted by: Charlie B. (5 points) Charlie B.
Posted: August 26, 2013




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There are different maturity groups in corn, i.e. different varieties require different length of time from plant emergence to tasseling, and ultimately pollination and ear growth.

The maturity type needs to match the environment in which you wish to grow the plant. For example, a type that can grow in a warm, moist environment with a long growing season will not do very well at a location where early, cold autumns loom. This is related to the 'inner clock' of the variety, and independent of management factors. Once you have got the variety that matches your growing location, larger cobs can be achieved with a lower plant density, and higher yield with adequate nutrition and water supply.


Posted by: Carina Moeller (5 points) Carina Moeller
Posted: October 18, 2013




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Charlie is probably right. Plant density makes a big difference with corn. I planted four different plots this year to test different varieties and spacings. The best results were in a patch that was planted in 36" rows with the corn plants 6-12" apart (I thinned most of them to 12" but wasn't a Nazi about it).

In the bed I planted at 18", the corn still grew but bore very few good ears.


Posted by: David Goodman (69 points) David Goodman
Posted: September 3, 2013




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