Corn dang it, full disclosure.

[Collector]

@seedcorn do you think I should pull the ear that the silk was cut off of. If I do what am I looking for?

 

[seedcorn]

Doesn’t matter. The second photo shows a worthless plant that you might as well kill. Are all your ears like that? Someone is eating the ears while silks are still in shucks-they are sugar sweet.

Simple test to see if you have pollination is:
Shuck it or pull shucks back.
Any silks left on ear didn’t pollinate.

Old saying. Blondes will break you, brunettes make you. Silks turn brown upon pollinating. Blonde or reddish purple silks aren’t pollinated.

 

[Collector]

@seedcorn i have only found 2 plants that have tassels and silk. The bulk of the patch is just starting to tassel and 3 times bigger than these two. I think these are seeds of a different variety that just happened to get into the package with the golden bantam. With there be something in the ear with the silk ate off if I open it?

 

[Collector]

That ear is the only ear in the patch so far.

 

[Collector]

This is the ear with the silk ate off the end. I found 2 earwigs in the shucks that is it. The silk inside the shuck looks fine. Also I found another plant with a tassel ear and silk . The silk is still attached so far.

 

[catjac1975]

Looks like you have a lot of options.
http://iowabuglife.blogspot.com/2013/07/corn-silk-feeders-are-worth-scouting.html

 

[seedcorn]

What the ear is telling me....
Plant was under a decent amount of stress. Pitiful kernel rows...
Silks were cut off (trying to regrow)
Did you have periods of heat and/or dry weather?

Tassel ears tell me that something stopped ear developement-usually animal or physical damage early-so plant is reverting to wild and trying to reproduce.

This why F1’s are preferred as open pollinated are very touchy. Doesn’t take much to make them go barren. Sorry most of your hard work is for nothing...

 

[seedcorn]

@seedcorn i have only found 2 plants that have tassels and silk. The bulk of the patch is just starting to tassel and 3 times bigger than these two. I think these are seeds of a different variety that just happened to get into the package with the golden bantam. With there be something in the ear with the silk ate off if I open it?

Let’s hope your second variety is better.... sounds like you have a fairly good chance.

 

[Collector]

I found another one in middle of patch with the silk intact. I looked over the plant and found only 2 lady bugs on it. Not sure what to do I guess wait and see what happens.

 

[seedcorn]

Hopefully plenty of pollen. Silks look good. Husks look very long so variety could be subject to silk balling...