Oregon State University Extension Service


Does sweet corn reproduction need a helping hand?

I have sweet corn, and the tassels are out, and I see silk down below. So, do I really need to pollinate sweet corn by hand, or should it just be "given its privacy"?

Corn is wind pollinated so the wind should do all the work. The corn is generally planted in blocks (i.e. not one long row) to encourage this. But even single rows usually pollinate well enough since wind directions shift.


Source URL: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/ask-extension/featured/does-sweet-corn-reproduction-need-helping-hand