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Organic Gardening

weed prevention, corn gluten

15 years ago

Last year I read about corn gluten meal as a pre emergent, and wanted to try it. My better half thought she'd help, and went to the farm suply & got a truckload of cgm PELLETS. The stuff that is fed to horses. I now hve several trashcans full of these pellets, and I wonder if I could put them thru my food processor and use it as you would for a pre emergent. Any thoughts?

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Comments (5)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
15 years ago
Short answer - yes :-) It will also work as-is, although the birds may find it before it has much of a chance to be effective. One of its primary drawbacks :-)
dchall_san_antonio
15 years ago
But if you water it the pellets melt making a mess for birds. And if birds were so attracted to it, why do they not bother it when it's piled up at the feed lot - see pix below.

The building is 12 to 15 feet tall. Sorry for the color at sunset. That pile is bright yellow in the daylight.

{{gwi:134376}}
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Corn Gluten Meal as weed supressant: can you over-apply this?
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You won't hurt the soil by over-applying :-) It is totally organic and will breakdown like any other type of organic matter and feed the soil. CGM is actually a decent organic source of nitrogen (NPK 9-0-0), so the only drawback to over-applying is that your plants may produce more lush, leafy growth, including any weeds that were not removed prior to application. What you are smelling is the natural process of the meal decomposing in somewhat anaerobic conditions because of the mulch cover - water and warmth will encourage and speed up this process but exposing the meal to air should dissipate the smell rapidly. Maybe rake off the mulch, leave the CGM exposed for a few days, then recover with the mulch.
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zolfavm. what you describe indicates you applied the Corn Gluten Meal too thickly and for the wrong reasons. CGM is a pre emergent, it aids in keeping seeds from rooting but does not stop already rooted plants from growing. The recommended application rate is 20 to 40 pounds per 1,000 square feet, applying more will not be better and most likely will attract unwanted vermin. kimmq is kimmsr
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Corn gluten is only effective for 4, maybe 6 weeks max. No problem seeding something after that interval.
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IF you are going to use a chemical "weed and feed", better carefully read the label as the product will kill a lot more than weeds. Also, contrary to popular belief, St. Augustine needs 5 or 6 hours a day of sun shine. Now, before Lou starts in about shade tolerant varieties of St. Augustine, yes, there are some new strains, they are expensive and it involves resodding your lawn. To reiterate about CGM, an application of less than 20 lbs. per 1,000 sq.ft. has limited effectiveness, and a heavy rain immediately after application will render the weed killing effect nill. If your desire is to use a natural approach, you need to understand how products work and what to expect of them. Most of the grassy weeds will die out in the heat. Others will be crowded out as the grass regains its vigor as it comes out of dormancy. The best way to control a lot of weeds is with a healthy lawn. Further, I have been praticing organics for 50 years and my present property for 35 years. Don't expect a property to turn around in 1 or 2 years as it will take that long at least to get the toxics out of your lawn and garden.
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tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
15 years ago
The birds leave it alone here as well, but the mice come from blocks away when I use it. Several trashcans full, huh? In a food processor? Maybe a cement mixer with a few rocks for good measure might work. I would probably try and break down at least some of it somehow because the smaller it is, the better the coverage and effectiveness.

tj
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
15 years ago
I guess you don't have as many crows in your area as I do in mine. Every time I apply CGM as a pre-emergent, unless I immediately scratch it into the soil, the crows follow along behind and gobble it all up. I've even seen them dig into the soil to search out the granules.
tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
15 years ago
I usually just spread mine on the surface and water it in. That limits the critter toll to just what was missed when watered and also helps with more even coverage.

tj

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