It's too easy to put off thinning a stand of corn until the plants are a knee-high jungle, competing for light, water, and other resources. But thinning corn just after the plants emerge isn't in our best interests as gardeners or seed savers either. Ideally, we wait until the plants are about four inches tall.

What happens if you don't thin corn?

For those of you that don't know, thinning plants means selectively removing seedlings. Corn plants will take a bunch of water and nutrients from the soil during their life span. If the plants are growing too close together, problems may arise. The root systems will end up growing into each other.

When should you thin out corn?

When plants are about 6" tall, thin the seedlings. Crowded corn will bear fewer, smaller, and poorly filled ears. Using scissors, thin the plants to 8" to 10" apart if all seeds in a spot germinate and grow. Be sure to thin out the poorer seedlings, saving the best plant from each spot.