Soon grasshopper, soon.

Wow - I had the exact same problem last year with mine - but I attributed it to me getting the corn in late - mid-July thinking I could get a second crop.

The pollen was completely gone by the time the silk began to emerge on the Peaches & Cream corn.

Very surprising to see yours do the same thing. I can't offer too much guidance - but I did have the corn growing in super-enriched soil that was well over the "usual" recommendations for potassium and phosphorous - and wondered if that was causing the corn to put all its energy in growing the stalk but not in the ear.

Here is a link that might be useful: BsnTech Gardening Blog

lexiebee05, I am new to corn and was wondering about the same thing yesterday and thought it's due to my planting early corn too late.

But today all of a sudden some silk showed up at the bottom. Can't tell from your picture if you have any female flower on the bottom. Maybe give it a few more days? Another gardener also mentioned in the other thread that he watered more, and the silk showed.

Sorry can't identify the bug. Could it be a lady beetle? There's a lot of ladybugs here in yellow/orange/brick. But haven't seen a pretty pink like that.

BTW my plants do not look half as good as yours.

Unless my eyes are deceiving me...I do believe I see a swollen stalk, in that last pic...and, even a little silk showing.

Give 'em time. ;)

Your corn is short on both nitrogen and water. As a result it didn't initially produce enough foliage to make good corn. And now the bottom leaves are dying as well. It's too late to add more nitrogen but it needs water right now.

Water stress delays the emergence of the silk more than it delays the tassel. So pollination may be lacking. The pollen may be spent before much silk shows up.

Corn demands more nitrogen and water than most crops. It's hard to overdo either.

You are almost there in making a good corn crop. I especially like that your corn isn't too thick. You still may make a crop this year with rain or irrigation ASAP.

lexie,

As the previous poster said, something is causing your corn to under-perform. Corn is a very heavy feeder, so constant fertilization is required. For reference:

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This is typically what corn should look like at the tasseling stage.

Raybo

I wonder if the insect is a spotted cucumber beetle? Do a google images search and see if the pictures match. If so, get rid of 'em! :-) Ally

The bug is an Asian Lady Beetle. Originally brought in to control aphids on soybeans. Strictly speaking they are a benificial insect, except in the Fall when they all try to get into the house to overwinter!!

Steve

Just wanting to comment on a few posts. I agree that my plants aren't 100%, like I said this is only my second year. However, I don't think its from underwatering. We've had a lot of rain here the past week or two and the days it didn't rain alot, I made sure I watered them deeply if the ground was dry. I think maybe I didn't put enough nitrogen. I read online early on that I should sidedress with a high nitrogen fertilizer once when they are a foot high and right before tasseling which I did but I guess maybe that wasn't enough. The reason I didn't put more was because I read somewhere when I was researching what to fertilize it with before planting that you can burn the plants by putting too much nitrogen on them so I didn't want to over do it. I used bloodmeal and they turned much greener after both applications. So that I know this for next year, how often should I apply the nitrogen??

I meant to put this in my reply above but I do have ears now. I checked the day I got home when I posted the original post and I had a few small ones and now most plants have ears on them.

lexie:

How often you apply N is dependent on your soil. If water moves thru it very freely, then 3-4 times. Less if it holds water well. The reason is that with excess water the N will be leached out of the root zone.

If your blood meal is about 13% N like mine, your total application will need to be about 4 lb per 100 sq ft.

I'd apply about two lb per 100 sq ft at planting and another two lb at about 18 inches tall. Blood meal needs to be converted by soil bacteria to a useable form. So applying it too late in corn growth won't help much.

I can't see the pics, but I have ladybugs AND mexican bean beetles. The Ladybugs are great but the Bean Beetles devour everything. they look similar but a little larger to a lot larger. Also check to see if you have any yellow hairy looking critters on the plant. If you do, that is the bean beetle larvae. Epilachna varivestis is a species of Ladybugs or Lady Beetles but this one is destructive and undesirable.