Problems with sweet corn
Identify what's wrong by where it appears and what you can see.
Where is the problem?
Start by selecting the part of the plant where you see the problem.
Start with the symptom
Or pick from the symptoms most often seen on sweet corn.
Common problems with sweet corn
The problems recorded on sweet corn, the most common first.
11 problems
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Poor pollination
Flowers but no fruit, or small, misshapen fruit that shrivels at the tip. -
Nitrogen deficiency
Pale, small leaves and slow growth, with the oldest leaves yellowing first. -
Nutrient deficiency
Pale, yellowed or purpled leaves in a telling pattern. Read which leaves first, then feed. -
Rabbits, deer and other mammals
Plants bitten off cleanly or browsed, with droppings or footprints nearby. -
Wind and storm damage
Browned leaf edges, torn leaves, and stems snapped or flattened after wind. -
Slugs and snails
Ragged holes in leaves and seedlings gone overnight, with silvery slime trails. -
Birds
Torn, stripped brassica leaves, pecked fruit, and seeds or seedlings pulled from the soil. -
Caterpillars
Holes chewed in leaves, often down to the veins, with green droppings below. -
Cutworms
Seedlings cut off at soil level overnight, with a fat grey caterpillar curled in the soil nearby. -
Damping off
Seedlings collapse at soil level with a thin, dark, pinched stem. -
Root damage
Wilting and stalled growth with nothing wrong above ground. Roots have been cut, crushed or disturbed.
