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Organic Gardening

Too late for corn gluten?

18 years ago

Hello!

I've recently discovered corn gluten. I'm not interested in putting any chemicals on my lawn, but am interested in getting rid of the dandelions in some way or other.

I have been using a Weed Hound, which is both somewhat fun and a bit of work. It's been great at getting the dandelions that are here...and there are plenty. Do you think a combination of this and spreading corn gluten around might be effective at getting rid of the dandelions? Or is it too late to put corn gluten down?

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Comments (3)

quiltglo
18 years ago
Corn gluten won't get rid of the current weeds. It will just help the new ones from germinating correctly. You also need to know the timing of when the plants germinate in your area. No point in putting it on too soon or too late.

Try zapping the current plants with vinegar on sunny days. Keep pulling. We always have a second flush of dandelions, so an application now might help with those. Hire a kid to pop the flower off so the yard doesn't scream yellow if the neighborhood is a problem.

I found it took a couple of years of spring and fall applications to get good results. Problem was, I was in a vey windy location and got new seeds constantly. I finally gave up and just cut the suckers after they bloomed.

Gloria
seamommy
18 years ago
I don't think it's ever too late for corn gluten meal. Just be aware that it has enzymes that stay in your soil sometime for over a year and will inhibit germination of desirable seeds, like grass seed. So if you want to plant grass to fill in bare spots, make sure its down and growing before using corn gluten. Otherwise you may have to wait for your current grass to fill in by runners or rhyzomes. But the gluten is good for the soil and will prevent a lot of noxious weeds that sneak in on the wind. If you have poor soil, which is often the case where there's a bad weed problem, you can add compost to build up the general tilth of the soil and add a product called Zeolite that will add a lot of trace minerals. And then there's nothing like a day in the yard pulling weeds to strengthen bones and muscles and prevent premature onset of osteoporosis!

Cheryl
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mgranered
17 years ago
Hi There,

I agree with Cheryl. I have been working on improving our lawn- we moved here last July and there were a ton of weeds and dandelions. This spring we aeroated(sp?) our lawn and I have been applying corn gluten every 2-3 weeks. About 90% of the dandelions are gone! I intend on aerating parts of our backyard again in the fall and using a pre-emergence weed/feed to prevent weed germination for next spring. Get your soil tested as well. I found that we had a "sweet" lawn and needed more nitrogen and needed no lime. It makes all the difference to know what nutrients your lawn actually needs- this will help prevent disease and other kinds of problems. Good luck!

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