Hand Pollinating Corn for PERFECT Ears

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Corn pollination is a weird process unlike many other annual crops you'll grow in your garden. It's a wind pollinated plant, meaning our beneficial pollinators don't really play a part in the process. So if you're growing a small amount of sweet corn, this is a foolproof method for corn pollination that takes under three minutes.
Be sure to check out my other videos on how to grow corn, even in small spaces!
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[@dondiegodelavega7578]

Don't cut the tassles off. Instead, early in the morning just after the dew dries, take a magazine and hold it under the tassles (preferably a dark magazine cover so you can see the yellow pollen), tap the tassle and pollen will collect on the magazine. Roll up the magazine a bit then dump the pollen on the silks one at a time.

[@TheRainHarvester]

Rollup=genius!

[@markoliver-ww9ld]

Put the pollen in a zig zag paper, spread on tassels, than roll a doobie, after. 😂

[@markoliver-ww9ld]

Can I use the paper from a Hustler magazine, will that work too.😅

[@indyme2]

I agree , do not cut the tassels off !!!!

[@christinelanactor]

Your small corn patch is cute! I can't wait to see how they grow. So encourageing to see that you can grow corn in a small space. I will try next year!

[@ChallengeTheNarrative]

Not the only thing cute

[@NoodleErik]

@@ChallengeTheNarrative lol

[@prophet1782]

Corn plants success depends on the soil preparation. It should be well dug.

[@alphazuluz]

“Your small _______ is cute!” Never say this to a man. Trust me. Unless you like the idea of being a barren cat lady at 50, just trust me that “small” and “cute” are descriptors to which no man aspires, regardless of the object.

[@SehxualPanda]

@@ChallengeTheNarrative siiiimmmpppppppp

[@ChallengeTheNarrative]

Here in the UK I think the sodding rain pollinates my corn

[@mchljunior_]

😂😂

[@BBKitsuneExperiment]

Wow, this is awesome. It's my first year growing corn, and only 1 of my seeds sprouted. I was so worried I wouldn't be able to grow anything at all. Thanks so much for this video!

[@reginagarvey7994]

Perhaps you planted it too deep. You can only plant it 3x the hight of the seed deep.. You may have bad seeds. Get some new seeds and try it again. I'm going to make another batch.

[@reginagarvey7994]

I tried this. It works!

[@MrMaboboz]

I'm growing white maize (zea mays) for the first time here in the UK and I'm going to try this. Will be back with results.

[@CustomGardenSolutions]

I love your "world's smallest corn patch" statement. Very funny. Great info, I am from Illinois originally and we have so much corn few of us gardeners bother with it. But I really liked the vid and might try some corn in my new Arizona home and use your technique.😎😎😎

[@juliemcgugan1244]

I’m very excited to try and grow a few ornamental varieties. Got one I am planting tomorrow called ‘glass gem.’ It looks beautiful!

[@jim1528]

Excellent tutorial! Short, concise and clear. Thank You!

[@ChefClary60]

So I have two plants in pots. The tassels have come out in two places on one plant and one on the other. But I’m not seeing any silk. Is it too soon?

[@sleaterm]

Can each plant auto pollinate? Or is it important to cross pollinate between plants? This confuses me with a lot of vegetables. Thanks!

[@shawnsimonds9006]

Great advice I have done that last year just to be sure I had full cobs. This year I learned about corn smut! Good times. Have u had experience with it? Specifically the soil being tainted. Ugh, it's been such a horrible year

[@epicgardening]

I haven't dealt with it, fortunately!

[@wardbenton4724]

Thank you so much I have a small corn patch and the video was really helpful.

[@lukeblackford1677]

Cool, perfect, short and sweet, and exactly what I was looking for!

[@putinhynes3848]

Do you need to wait for the silks to be purple to hand polinate? Or polinate when silks are green?

[@sirsin4849]

Thank you! i learn so much from your videos! do you have any thing to get rid of corn flees? or these little tiny black bugs that get in by the base of the husks by the kernels

[@Magnabee97]

The trick I learned was to shake the pollen onto a paper plate and pour it on the tassels. It has to be a wind free day. .

[@gwackamoley]

Good to know. Nope, yours is NOT the smallest patch. Mine is. Up in zone 8 Antelope Valley. Mine look half the size of yours, and in raised beds. One tassel emerged but no corn silks yet. At this point its an experiment. Honestly think they need MORE water. Super appreciative of your tutorial.

[@epicgardening]

Bahaha, you win :)

[@brightbeautifuldays]

I also am in Antelope Valley and had the same thing happen. 4 stalks one having tassels dropping pollen with no silks. Did you get corn and any suggestions?

[@nartyteek]

Is that dragonfruit cactus back there? I actually have over a hundred corn plants, so I'll probably be fine, but it really is a small area, so why not be thorough. It's basically like, imagine the lawn area around a city corner lot. I've pretty much filled it with food plants. It's amazing how people will just waste their land growing grass when they could get food for way less work tbh.

[@HighRoad317]

Excellent content

[@juliemcgugan1244]

I’ve got my first tassel on a stalk of corn. No silks yet. Would I be able to shake the tassel of pollen into a paper envelope and later use that to hand pollinate, once my silks have formed? Or will the tassel of pollen remain for long enough? This is my first time growing corn. I’m very much still a beginner!

[@ariadna3096]

It is good only 2 hours. In best case 4 hours.

[@yuanyuanxue5364]

Lol I guess I have the second smallest corn patch

[@mandiegarrett1706]

My corn patch is very interesting. The smaller corn stalk about 2 feet already have male tassel and corn silk BUT my nice big tall very healthy looking corn stalk about 4ft high does not have anything (no male tassel, no corn silk) just nice healthy looking stalk....so what happen and what do I need to do? Thanks.

[@barbibueller4435]

Does it matter if the corn is pollinated by another type of corn taste wise? I’m growing popcorn and sweet corn. I’m thinking it will only effect the genetics of the next generation, but I’m not collecting seeds.

[@onskosbos]

Because the crop is the actual seed itself (not a fruit like pumpkins or tomatoes, for instance), cross-pollination with another variety will affect your cobs in that it will not be the variety you planted.

[@sundayscomrad4877]

Why did my corn cobs grow to a small size then turned brown and died?

[@ChallengeTheNarrative]

Not enough root space. They do need 1 foot apart (30 cm)

[@sundayscomrad4877]

@@ChallengeTheNarrative oh! Ok thk u, i actually was experimenting and had a bunch of different things growing in pots on the deck, they were in a huge pot but not that much room between them, everything was doing awesome, then i got a groundhog and then my corn died, thx

[@hend6475]

There's no instructions on WHEN the time is right

[@zombiemom6701]

I have 9 stalks growing and a farmer told me you can’t pollinate with less than 16 so I’m happy I found this.

[@weirdheathersgarden]

I can beat the smallness of your corn patch, I have exactly one plant. I only tried to grow 2, as I don’t have a lot of space, and only one grew.

[@fredgrave2153]

did you have a good harvest? :)

[@bosunjohnson]

Of course not

[@juliemcgugan1244]

I’ve got four. One tassel and no silks, yet! Does the pollen last if collected or left on the tassel? First time growing corn, so I need all the help I can get.

[@tinab7791]

Short and to the point, exactly what I was looking for. Thank you.

[@robslaphead]

You can always try getting a piece of paper, shake the tassels onto the paper and then just shaking the paper onto the hairs to pollinate them. This is what I am doing just be careful not to bend to much and make sure its not windy lol cough. I have 40+ growing in my garden and 40+ at my allotment here in the UK feel free to follow me

[@janinawaz4596]

I collect pollen by tapping the tassels over a large paper box. (I tried using a paper sheet but ended up getting more pollen on myself than the silks.) Then I dump pollen onto the silks. I don't clip the.tassels as they produce more pollen if you leave them in place.

[@Ilovefajitas]

Thank you for this video! UK here! I've managed to grow two plants with a grand total of 1 set of silks (so 1 cob?), that I'm very proud of! 😂

[@jafquist27]

I planted about 60 seeds, and the chipmunks, randomly, dug up and ate over forty of them. I now have 18 stalks growing, and they are scattered in my corn patch. I am happy to know I've got a fighting chance to get a couple dozen ears. Thank you for this video.

[@CDNShuffle]

mfw i i had no idea i had to do this RIP my even smaller patch of corn

[@staciebamsch2810]

Same😓

[@rogerfeenstra9496]

The real question, a year later is, did it work? Perhaps there is a follow up video?

[@werftv4580]

good on you.. when I was 17, my dad showed me the life cycle of the corn.. I was pretty amazed about how an old welder knew the actual life of the corn as it is harvested (IL, btw) .. amazing stuff.. thanks for posting this

[@mariajuanesta3319]

So I have started a garden in my yard in Arizona... im a new-ish gardener. I did what you said from all your videos I have a damn crop going. Tomatoes. Strawberry Blackberries BLUEBERRIES Corn...so. much corn Pumpkins. It all took off. Because of you I have the greenest thumb in Az. Its crazy. Thanks for all your videos.

[@HortadoDitian]

🌱🌱🌱Hi I love vegie garden Your corn is Beautiful ❤

[@simplysavvylife]

Lol you dont have the smallest. I only have 3 stalks and one is a runt. First year trying things out, learning along the way. I have shedding tassels but dont see any silks...

[@rebeccanorman3339]

Thank you, the middle section of your video came right up when I googled "How to pollinate corn", and that section is exactly what I needed. Thank you!

[@moose_sauce2938]

Question here: can you take the male parts and pollinate the female parts from the same corn plant? Or does it need to be a different plant?

[@simplysavvylife]

Can I save cut tassels until the silks emerge?

[@corrinenolan344]

Plz don't do this ppl. There are something like 2 million pollen on each anther. Tassles produce pollen for a week straight. So when you pick a tassle off, and tap it around , youre cutting off all the days after that where an anther produces more pollen. Tap the tassles onto a plate and move the silks gently as you blow/pour the pollen onto them.

[@markoliver-ww9ld]

Thank you, I was about to it Kevin's way, but what you suggested sounds more realistic, why hack the tassels😢

[@umm.yahya88]

Thanks! I'll keep that in mind for next year since it's a little too late now I think. Or is it? We have a small amount of corn growing in our yard too.

[@epicgardening]

If it's growing, keep an eye out!

[@georgiagei5962]

❤💙 Great channel! I don't have corn but I have 3 trees, 2 cactus and many many plants and I just planted new basils! Awesome helpful videos!!

[@johnclark5701]

Real genetic modification. Natives did this with the biggest ones to make bigger ones. Best method. Definitely works. Use the biggest plant to pollinate the rest.

[@rickcoffman8624]

Just a little reminder. Not all tassels emerge at the same time and not all silks appear at once. It's true that the tassels fade after 10 days, but that depends on when they emerged. Younger tassels produce pollen after the older ones have stopped

[@steveelgersma3589]

I have used a soft round duster or feather , touch the tassels, then the silk, it's had good results. I have also just put on a hat and mask and went down the row on a still morning and shake each stalk. Pollen just floats down naturally and sticks to the silk.

[@anhdinh8954]

what am i gonna do if my silks come much later than the tassels? i saw the male way before the female and worry that all pollens will be gone or not viable any more once the silk emerges :( . help?

[@sherry2836]

Sorry but I grew the smallest patch! 4 stalks in a 58 qt Walmart storage bin. Daily pollen is only viable for a few hours and any hand pollination should occur in the morning. I did mine at 9:00 each morning for a week! I held a small jar up to the tassle, tilted it so a few anther stalks were in the jar (careful not to lose any pollen) and cut the stalks. I actually took a soft artist paint brush and swirled it in the jar then painted pollen over and under every silk, especially the very new silks. I ended up with 2 ears per stalk and each one had almost perfect rows with kernels grown all the way to the top of the cob (the newest silks!). Too much work. I now purchase corn at farmers market!

[@epicgardening]

Hahah you beat me!

[@sherry2836]

@@epicgardening Love your garden and your vids. Lots of good info for small space gardeners like me.

[@Peldyn]

Started pollinating mine today and wanted to make sure I am doing it right. Thankfully you had this video

[@morganflaherty9552]

I've got six stalks mine smaller and they were planted days apart so I kind of screwed up

[@doreencloutier1066]

Thank you for the video. It is just June in Zone 3/4a and I impulsively decided to plant corn this year. There were plants at the local green house and I just decided to try them. Everything is already planted and I don't have alot space either. So I have been doing a little reearch and saw your video, it was a godsend. I was wondering about hand polinating corn and if my area would be too small. Very informative. Thanx

[@badgirl44654]

Don’t you want to pollinate before the silk turns brown?

[@moviesinminutes4057]

Did I just watch Corn P**n? 🤣🤣

[@one-winged-angel2024]

This is very helpful ! Thank you very much !

[@OlgaLevin]

Is there an update video to this one after you harvested the corn?

[@sarahkoller9180]

Thanks for the great video! How often should I do this?

[@Highmtn52]

I keep kid's electric toothbrushes in my garden shed. They run about $4.99 at Big Box stores. I just lay the neck of the vibrating toothbrush onto the stems full of open tomatoes blossoms and let it vibrate the pollen free for about 20 seconds. On occasion you'll actually see a tiny *puff* of pollen. It works wonders for tomatoes, so I could guess it would do the same with corn pollinating!?

[@ChestZeroeski]

Thanks a zillion from 5b!!

[@KenCarpenter-videos]

Why doesn't my corn have any silks? Got loads of tassels but no silks?!

[@camilla6110]

Do you have silks now? Sometimes it takes several days after the tassels.

[@amymarquez6478]

what if you have no silks?

[@basicgardeninghacks9244]

Awsm Man🌵🌳🌴🌲

[@billyd7628]

i found that using a newspaper which is something i learned from another video is better than cutting and doing what this video says, you grab the paper cover the other end so nothing falls out and then just shake the tassels onto the newspaper and then just dump or blow all the pollen on the silks and this way the tassels continue shedding and producing pollen through their cycle. and you can continue to do it for any new silks that appear because i see that some are later than others in appearing. so you dont wanna cut off all your pollen producers. and it seems to distribute it much better because i did the cut method and the silks didnt die off too quickly and some seemed to linger so then i tried the newspaper method and they died off with the others then other plants i did only did the newspaper method and the silks started dying within the next day. so you seem to get better pollination that the plant instantly reacts to.

[@fbull66]

Wish me luck

[@reginagarvey7994]

Thank you for sharing this. I had no idea. I will do this today.

[@reginagarvey7994]

I did it and I could have done a better job.

[@reginagarvey7994]

My corn was sweet!

[@icouldjustscream]

Going to grow a small plot of corn next year. Blue miniature popping corn. Corn noob so wish me luck!

[@stefaniebaumgartner9803]

I love your video! Thank you so much! Hope there will be some corn in my mini-garden as well :o)

[@soulstalgiarecords77740]

Can I use one of those tassels on adjacent plants too? I.e. Or must it be pollinated from the tassel of the same plant?

[@iraceruk]

So you can use one male part to pollinate the same plants - even if the male and female parts are on the same plant? I have a tiny corn crop of only three plants, so just one male part from any of the plants will pollinate all three?

[@pegpeg3939]

I thought once the silks turn color they have been pollinated already.

[@debbieallen7160]

Thanks!

[@theresakelly1915]

I live in a high wind area and was very worried about this. Problem solved! Thanks for the video!

[@thumbalina1568]

Mint! Always wanted to know that! Self pollinate corn! 😀

[@luigistefan8618]

u can also use a brush and a container to get the pollen instead of ripping the male flower!

[@manolingz]

great tip! will corn still grow partially shaded?

[@epicgardening]

It'll prefer full, but if it's all you've got...

[@sarahmitchell9366]

Thanks for this! I have corn growing in our compost pile that is approximately that big of a patch. I thought it would be too small but this gives me hope.

[@shannaharmstrong1341]

Thanks again for another helpful video. I have a small patch of corn and have been a little worried about pollination. This is sooo simple to.

[@ecologygurl]

Short and sweet and to the point. Excellent!

[@elegancia6179]

The corn 9 months later 🤰🏻

[@Fattiapples]

I’m getting a bunch of black aphids on my ears of corn, so frustrating. They came out of no where and going inside the corn leaves :(

[@lorib5398]

I just researched aphids for being on my grapes. Spray them with coffee that's old, and a t of dishwashing soap. Will kill the ants too.

[@rosecallahan8401]

I noticed tassels on my corn the other day, and now looking at it I see I also have silks. But my tassels don't have those little hangy-down things you said had pollen, and if I touch them I don't see pollen on my fingers. In other comments it said you have to do the pollenation within 10 days of silk appearing: is it just too early and I have to wait longer for pollen? Is the pollen invisible and I should just do it anyway? Is it something about this variety (sweet bicolor)? I have 24 plants in two recycling bins on my patio - this is the first year I have tried corn.

[@janinawaz4596]

The tassels open and get the hanging parts as they mature. Corn pollen looks fine grains, a lot like pine tree pollen but not so sticky.

[@chrisattemptsthegoodlife8316]

Thanks for this, just what I needed.

[@emlo9103]

thank you sire

[@ianchappell4299]

Needed this!

[@chaosdream21]

thank you!

[@vincentmclean7690]

Thanks

[@bobbymcgovern]

I picked the first of my corn today and I was SUPER disappointed. Worms in every ear (I only picked six) and not fully formed kernels due to poor pollination. I sprayed with BT regularly, have it planted in blocks so I'd have good pollination. I don't know what the problem is..

[@epicgardening]

Oh no :( Did you hand pollinate though

[@bobbymcgovern]

​@@epicgardening no, I didn't :(. I planted three different varieties, in blocks, we have gentle breezes throughout the day so I figured they'd be fine. I have one section 4'x10' of "Incredible" yellow super sweet, 75 days, 4'x4' of "Peaches & cream" bi-color 83 days and 4'x4' of "Silver Queen", classic white corn 92 days. The Peaches & Cream although 83 days is at least a week ahead of the Incredible. The big fat caterpillars are the biggest disappointment. I thought BT would take care of that problem. Your thoughts? Thanks!

[@bobbymcgovern]

@@epicgardening Kevin, just ordered your book on Kindle!

[@sandiegotropicalgarden3531]

Thanks for the awesome tips 👍👍

[@epicgardening]

You bet!

[@Silly-Little-Mama]

I just whack mine as I walk by. 😬😂 Lets out some frustration while knocking the pollen down. We’ve also had a bit of a Japanese beetle issue on the corn tassels so they fly off startled. Hate those jerks. I also have a tiny backyard corn patch. Next year I won’t be so minimal with the seed plantings. Gonna “go big” and plant a whopping 12 kernels 😄 in the tiny bit of yard I have. Sq ft gardening book says I can plant 4 to a square so I’m gonna do it!

[@epicgardening]

Ah, the old corn whack. Love that technique!

[@lorib5398]

Aww haa haa. Laughed so hard. Compared to the lady above who painted the pollen on. And you lumber along hitting it. Funnyness.

[@ChallengeTheNarrative]

Punch the corn whilst havibg a cob on

[@MyPlantWorld]

Nice tips👍👌💚😍

[@epicgardening]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@missclickalot]

Very handy video! We planted 6 kernels, 4 successfully grown, and my dad just told me to "shake the tassels"! Didn't know what he was talking about, so found your video! All makes sense now!