[heygrow]

My Sweetcorn is about 5ft high and has just developed flowers at the top. My question is that they have quite a few side shoots off the main stem. I broke of the bottom side shoots as advised, but I'm not sure about these other side shoots going further up the stem. Will these develop corn on them or is it just at the top?

[JayG]

Opinion is a bit divided as to whether you should leave or remove the 'tillers' which grow up from ground level (I leave them) but there is no question about the side shoots growing from further up the stem - they are your female flowers which will hopefully turn into cobs and you must leave them where they are.

[AnneB]

Heygrow,  the  'side shoots' are in fact the immature sweetcorn cobs, so don't whatever you do take those off.  The sweetcorn doesn't grow out of the top (except for some odd mutations on occasion).

Some people take off what are called "tillers" that grow either side of the main stem, but I don't.  I find they help with the plant's stability and very occasionally they produce a cob or two themselves.

[heygrow]

Thanks for the advice. My first year growing corn, so I was a bit unsure, but glad I checked. I guess I could have left the bottom tillers on.

[Salmo]

I read some American research on this. They found that the side tillers contribute to the main plant to start with but cease to do so once they start developing sweetcorn heads of their own. Even then they do not detract from the main plant. The conclusion was that you may as well leave them. Usually sweetcorn heads on side tillers do not come to much.