Can a single sweet corn plant grow 4 ears? I have 4 ears starting to develop on my Illinois super sweet, and wondering if I should remove one or two so it can put more energy into the others.
There are some cultivators that can grow up to 8 ears of corn per plant!
My research did not show the average ears per plant of your variety, but here is a link with more infomation.
Enjoy the bumper crop!
Is it too much water? Growing sweet corn and it's about 20 inches tall. Lower leaves are turning yellow. Well draining soil, and I water 3 times a week. I fertilized at 6 inches tall with side dressing. This is a fast growing yellow variety (Northern Xtra Sweet Yellow sh2 Hybrid 67 days) especially for northern regions, as I live in northern Michigan.
Yellowing leaves generally indicates a watering issue, either to much or to little.
Sweet Corn does have a shallow root system so I would add another watering. Every 3 days, but certainly increase if the temps are above 85 degrees or the soil is drying to much between waterings.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/corn/grow-sweet-corn.htm
I am growing corn right now and the stalks aren't a vibrant green like they were when they were up to about 4 feet. The corn leaves towards the bottom are drying up. Is this normal? And if not, what is causing it? Corn has already started to form with the silks already showing. I water about twice a week and I have given it 2 doses of fish emulsion over about a month and a half period.
It is likely a watering issue. In temps above 85 F., they need to be watered more. Most plants require at least 2 inches of water weekly. To ensure they are getting enough, use drip irrigation or soaker hoses. This article may help (though it's for xeriscape areas, as far as watering anything in the garden, it would be the same principles): https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/xeriscape/irrigation-systems-for-xeriscape-environments.htm
My ears of corn have only spotty kernel growth. I am wondering why.
This happens due to poor pollination. Corn needs to be planted in a certain pattern (side by side rows) and conditions need to be right at pollination time (not too hot or too rainy) for best pollination. If the pollination is poor, you will get spotty kernel growth.
In the future, just to make sure that you get the best production, you may want to hand pollinate your corn. This article will help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/corn/corn-pollination-how-to-hand-pollinate-corn.htm
What is the best way to grow sweet corn in subtropics?
Here are some links for you with more information.
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/corn/grow-sweet-corn.htm
http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/ho-98.pdf
Why are the leaves on my corn turning yellow?
A number of things can lead to yellow leaves. This article can help pinpoint likely causes: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/environmental/plant-leaves-turn-yellow.htm
For more corn specific reasons, look toward cooler temps, wet soils, or nutrient deficiencies (a soil test can help determine this).
Why have some of my corn stalks formed a beaded looking top where the tassel will later develop? Have harvested sweet corn from some stalks already. Delicious. Problem: I live in Italy, where we are experiencing a 90+ degree heat wave and, therefore, have also grown some stalks that have formed a beaded looking something I've never seen before in all my gardening, where the tassels should be forming.
Here is a link that explains this issue on corn.
https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/timeless/TasselEars.html