My best guesses without more info is that :
1) Corn wasn't thinned out enough to at least 8-12" apart?
2) Corn plot is not getting at least 8 hours of direct sun light?

I am using intensive planting this year for the first time with my corn. They are planted 6 inches apart with rows 12 inches apart. This is a block of 4 rows wide. The first planting of 4 feet x 8 feet was June 9. The 2nd planting was a week later and the 3rd planting was a week after that. The first planting has tassels on all stalks but still no ears. ???? The corn gets at least 8 hours of direct sun.

The ears will come much later than the tassels if I'm not mistaken. Please wait a few more days and see.

That thick spacing is a great way to grow stalks. If you want ears on your stalks allow at least 1.5-2 sq ft per plant. You've only allowed 0.5 sq ft per plant. If you get ears they will be very small. The outside plants that get more light should still set ears.

When you plant really thick like that the fertility and everything else has to be perfect to even get a small ear. I prefer big ears and plant about 8 inches by 30 inches.

This post was edited by fruitnut on Sun, Aug 4, 13 at 17:01

I grew Silver Queen this year for the first time. I also grew two other varieties of corn. I did notice that Silver queen grew out the tassels, and the ears came much later compared to other corns. For Silver Queens, the ears come out little differently than other corns. I thought they were side shoots. But actually from these side shoot looking things, silks started to peek out slowly. In time, the ears will come. The spacing on my corns were really tight. At best they were 8 inches apart, with about 16 inches as rows.

As soon as I see that pollen is ripe, even with close planting, I go out and shake the plants several times if no wind. Of course in Ks there is alm,ost always wind. do this several days in a row. I have sometimes had 4 ears to a plant. I learned this trick from my Dad many years ago.

"I am using intensive planting this year for the first time with my corn. They are planted 6 inches apart with rows 12 inches apart. This is a block of 4 rows wide. The first planting of 4 feet x 8 feet was June 9. The 2nd planting was a week later and the 3rd planting was a week after that. The first planting has tassels on all stalks but still no ears. ???? The corn gets at least 8 hours of direct sun."

How would you harvest that corn if it produced any ears? Silver Queen will produce lots of leaves. You would not be able to walk between rows of mature corn planted 12 inches apart! I grew Silver Queen for years, but switched varieties this year to varieties more resistant to smut. To Silver King for my late white corn.

I plant my corn in rows spaced 8", but my rows are 3' apart!

I don't see how you can cultivate, fertilize, or harvest corn planted in rows 12" apart.