Edit no Silk showing

My corn has almost ripe pollen and these side shoots that are a foot long but no silk showing? Is it possible I will have long corn ears or are the misshapen?

Hi Keith,

What is that just to the left side of your photo? A bigger ear of corn? If you have bigger ears that do have silk, that will be your corn. Those little, secondary corns don't necessarily develop. If that is not a bigger ear, ....

There will be no corn without silk. Each silk is attached to one kernal, waiting impatiently for the pollen from the tassels to come raining down.

Without the combination of pollen (male) and silks (female), you will have corn husks without corn kernals.

@Daisyl that's the corn stalk/stem! It's huge! What I'm asking is Mabye the silk is trapped inside, if a cut a slit to reveal it, pollen will land, but will corn develop opened like that?

Perhaps the future ears are just too young yet.

Stand back and take another photo. I'm feeling dence tonight.

I have variegated corn on my yard. It never produce ear. Only side branches just similar to the photo. And the plants seem to be perennial. Actually i am not sure if it really corn (Zea mays) or other grass similar to corn.

There is variegated leaf on the back of your corn. Is it the variegate corn ?

XiaoLong said:I have variegated corn on my yard. It never produce ear. Only side branches just similar to the photo. And the plants seem to be perennial. Actually i am not sure if it really corn (Zea mays) or other grass similar to corn.

There is variegated leaf on the back of your corn. Is it the variegate corn ?

Yes that is variegated corn, but there are relatives of corn called Lucky Bamboo that look like corn. Corn is not perennial it grows corn then dies. Do you have a photo?

The side shoot was opened and no silk, I think corn produces "duds" but on my plant are more side shoots that look promising.