I think my corn might be better off than I thought it was

 

About a month ago I posted a message about the corn in my front yard.  At
that time, the corn plants--many of which were just a few feet tall--were
tasseling, and I worried that all the pollen would be gone before we got any
ears.

Fast forward a month.  Many of my corn plants actually DO have ears!  I have
been stripping the tassels each time I see an ear, and crumbling it over the
silk, hoping to pollinate them.  There are currently quite a few ears that
are large and full.

My question is: Would ears get large and full if they were NOT pollinated?
Or can I actually expect some good eatin' out of these in a few weeks?

As an interesting side note, a couple of my stalks are a mere foot tall, and
they have ears on them that are quite firm.  I suspect that, even if these
ears are pollinated, they won't get more than a few inches long.  But I
giggle at the idea that I might get a 6-inch ear on a 12-inch plant!

Here is a picture of a "good" ear, and a picture of the ridiculous tiny
stalks with ears on them:
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs150.snc1/5568_1175966315787_1126964278_30538278_4471393_n.jpg

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs130.snc1/5568_1175966275786_1126964278_30538277_1913741_n.jpg
--S.

 


You'd get ears but there wouldn't be many kernels on them. You might
want to take a look at one or two (depending on how much you have) by
pulling back the covering slightly just to check if there are kernels
at the tips. You may be able to feel the kernels as well by gently
squeezing the ears.

Cyndi

 



So we *MIGHT* end up getting huge cobs with seven kernels on them?  Bummer;
not the reply I had hoped for.  I guess it'll just be an interesting crap
shoot now!
--S.

 

Suzanne D. wrote:

The ears grow without pollen but each full kernel on each ear is the result
of a pollination event, they don't develop without pollination.  You will
see some ears with missing kernels these are the ones that missed out.

David

 



I read somewhere that the turning brown of the silks is an indication that
pollination was successful.  My silks start out pale yellow-green and grow a
maroon color after time, and then dry and crumble away.  Is this the "brown"
that I hear about, or do some types of corn have maroon silks no matter
what?
--S.