Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

My corn is going nuts.

It is also throwing off a stack of side shoots. Is it normal to prune those off or to leave them?

I'm guessing I can prune them and then plant them

I've grown corn many times before in the ground I'll never grow corn I aquaponics...

But never in all my years haei ever even thought about pruning my corn! Haha

So no you don't have to prune corn.. Let it grow to full maturity as is.

Then you can harvest the entire plant and use every bit of I for something.

Can I see a picture? Or a few?

It's normal for the little shoots to come out, they never amount to much though.

I'd say if you felt in the mood, hack them off, if you want to use up as much nitrate as possible, leave them be.

I've broken off a couple of the side shoots and I've re planted them so we will see.

For the others they can stay to pull nitrates out.

How about some pictures Stuart? I can't recall ever seeing side shoots on a corn plant. It's been a long time but I spent a fair amount of time walking through or working in corn fields when I was a teenager. Might just be something to do with the type you're growing or the nutrient levels though.

Side shoots coming out at an angle near base need to be snapped off right back at the main stem. Side shoots coming out further up and growing almost vertical are okay to leave, they sometimes form 2nd and 3rd ears.

Leave them last years corn I had 2 and 3 ears on each stalk

Its always better to have two or three ears over just one. If you only have one you won't be able to hear much... But you might save some money on headphones since your only buying half a headphone.. Haha

I never got anything off the side shoots when I let them grow in the soil.

Nothing much liked my soil though, so that might have had something to do with it.

Got a reference you can give or are you just talking from your own experience?

I think everyone here is talking from experience, at least I can say that for certain for myself.

I did find this though in My archive of books here is a link www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/ho-98.pdf

So sorry to say but you just decreased your yeild and those side shots you broke off will probably die or not produce anything.


I knew it!! Sorry about your corn but I knew it!! Don't take off side shoots! Never prune a corn plants!

References to backup experience is better than peoples opinions and/or experience just by themselves.

So I now have one person saying prune them off and another saying leave them. That is why I'd like a reference but I'll take a persons experience that breaks the tie.