Whats up with this Corn plant - Odd leaf growth...

[wisconsindead]

Any ideas. I've attached pictures of the oddball and a more normal looking plant.

[applestar]

Ha! It looks like it is trying to terminate with an ear rather than a tassle. I've heard this can happen sometimes. Originally, corn was a true grass with terminating perfect seedhead like wheat.

[applestar]

I just HAD TO LOOK THIS UP.
This article seems to cover it. Somewhat different from my vague recollection

Tassel-ears in Corn - Corny News Network (Purdue University)

Once in a while, the normal development of the tassel alters such that it becomes partly or mostly female reproductive structures, often resulting in actual kernel development. The physiological basis for the survival of the female floral parts on the tassel is likely hormonally-driven, but the environmental "trigger" that alters the hormonal balance is not known.

A "tassel-ear" is an odd-looking affair and is found most commonly on tillers or "suckers" of a corn plant along the edges of a field or in otherwise thinly populated areas of a field. It is very uncommon to find tassel-ears that develop on the main stalk of a corn plant.

[wisconsindead]

Well hot damn. I was like man this thing looks like an ear of corn. Weird.

So what does this actually mean? It can't be growing an ear because it hasn't seen any pollen, or put out any female parts for that matter.

I assume the plant is toast...?

Finally, is it normal to start seeing the beginnings of the corn male parts this early? I have a few plants that have sexual organs emerging but they are still only 1-2 feet tall.

Thanks Applestar!

[applestar]

Well, if it IS tassle-ear, even though the article says it's rare to occur on the main stalk, the above article has several photos -- it will develop like this with both male and female parts so it would self-pollinate rather easily:


...do you think it might turn out to be the other one mentioned in the article -- crazy top disease?


https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/ne ... lEars.html

...what variety corn are you growing? What has the weather been like?

[imafan26]

Yeah that happens quite often.

[sweetiepie]

I have never heard of that before. Kind of cool, I guess unless most of your corn ends up like that.

[wisconsindead]

Whacky. I'll leave it be and keep my hopes low for anything becoming of this plant. Too bad, it was one of the larger and healthier plants for a while...

[imafan26]

Most of the time the tassel ear will only occur on one plant in a package of seeds and usually does not affect everything.

[wisconsindead]

Heres an update. You can see the odd looking plant (bottom picture). Its all ready producing silk.

And heres another one of my more normal plants (middle picture). Does this look right? They are still quite small but are beginning to flower. I think its just that I started them too soon (mid april) and they didn't get enough sunlight for the first month. They all seem to be doing their own thing rather than flowering together (first picture). I'm a little worried I won't get any corn at this point.

[applestar]

Wow they really look stunted....

[imafan26]

Corn are heavy feeders. Mine usually are around 8 ft tall but if I skip the preplant fertilizer and the nitrogen side dressings, they will shrink to 5 feet. Yours are even smaller. What variety is it?

What kind of fertilizer did you use?

You may be right about starting too early, corn does not grow that well when it is cold or if the day length is short.

[wisconsindead]

I've used some all purpose, blood meal and fish emulsion.

The variety is peaches and cream.