Corn Gluten Meal in the wet Pacific Northwest

14 years ago

I have heard that if you use CGM as a pre-emergent, it requires a "drying out" period after application.

Is this product still effective in the wet Pacific Northwest / West Coast of BC, since it is very unlikely that we'll have a dry period during the spring? I have a lot of crabgrass that I hope to be able to start to control with CGM in the spring.

Also, I have heard of some people having flocks of birds and gulls camp out on their lawn to eat the CGM -- has this been a problem for others?

Thanks.

Comments (4)

dchall_san_antonio
14 years ago
The birds might be attracted by the aroma of CGM but it is the consistency of dust. Birds don't eat it.

It might seem like I'm changing the subject but...
What kind of grass do you have?
How often do you get rain in the spring?
How high do you mow the grass?
freyja5
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for the reply. Sorry for not including more info.

I believe I have a perennial rye/fescue mix -- it is in a rather shaded area that remains damp most of the time. I overseeded with a "sun/shade" mix this spring and have mowed three times so far on the highest height with a reel mower (I think it is 3"; I don't have the manual on hand to check). I find it really difficult to not lower the mower, though, since the grass just seems to bend over so easily when it is that tall, and I have long tufts I have to redo over and over again.

In the spring, average rainfall starting in Feb and March is 4.5 - 5 inches per month. April and May dry up a bit (usually ~3 inches per month) but because of my shaded area (and clay soil), it really never gets really "dry" here in the spring. Especially considering November and December usually bring in over 6 inches of rain each, leaving the ground pretty wet by the time April rolls around.

I just posted in the lawn forum about my "crabgrass" (asking if that is indeed what I have; I've now started to wonder). In any case, I would still like to try CGM in the spring if it might work with our damp conditions.

Thanks again. I appreciate the time you spend to help newbies like me (:
Related Discussions
Corn Gluten Meal as a preemergent against weeds - llll
Q
Comments (79)
Tiemco wrote: "I don't even consider it for use in a yard unless you just want green coverage, and don't care about color or texture. Most of the yards in my neighborhood are about 4,100 square feet, but there are some yards that are half an acre. Half an acre is a lot of turf to cover. I would guess some folks might want to seed inexpensive K-31 on much of that half acre, but leave 5,000 to 10,000 square feet close to the house for the higher quality fescues, whether tall or fine. Of course, you and I both mean "Pennington" when we said "Pendleton." Pennington also sells uncoated K-31. Would I plant K-31 in my small 4,100 square-foot yard? No. But I was happy to see a big box carry grass seed that wasn't either from Scotts or Pennington. The more competition, the better for the consumer. Walmart is selling all those bags of K-31 to somebody. And every year I see K-31 in other big box stores too. So I guess those bags are going to buyers in more rural areas with large pastures, and maybe to suburban buyers with half an acre or even a full acre to care for.
...See More
Corn Meal same as Corn Gluten Meal?
Q
Comments (6)
No they are NOT the same. Straight corn meal is used to eliminate fungal problems primarilly in bodies of water and in aquaculture/fish farming. This was first worked on at Texas A&M. Corn gluten meal is the by product of the wet processing of corn to produce corn syrup and corn oil. CGM has been used as cattle feed for decades. However, the University of Iowa discovered that CGM could be used to control the germination of annual weed seeds if applied at the correct time and under prime conditions. It does nothing to prennial weeds except to fertilize them. Since CGM is about 65% protein, it also performs as a decent fertilizer with an analysis of 9-0-0. Straight corn meal has some benefit in controlling some types of fungal problems in lawns. It has no effect in treating take all root rot in St. Augustine lawns.
...See More
question about timing corn gluten meal in southern california
Q
Comments (7)
This from Iowa State Universtiy may be of some help. "HOW TO USE CORN GLUTEN MEAL NICK CHRISTIANS Iowa State University Corn gluten meal works by inhibiting the root formation of germinating plants. It generally does not inhibit the roots of mature plants or transplants until your reach very high rates (80 pounds/1000 ft2 or higher). It should be applied before germination of the weeds. The weed will germinate and usually forms a shoot, but does not form a root. After germination, a short drying period is needed to kill the plants that have germinated but have not formed a root. Timing is critical. If it is too wet during germination, the plants will recover and form a root. (This is also true of chemical preemergence herbicides). It is preemergence only, there is no postemergence effect on established weeds. In fact, it makes a great fertilizer for germinated weeds. If it does not rain in 5 days of application, water it in with approximately .25 inches of water. Then leave a drying period after germination. It will usually work for about 5 to 6 weeks following germination. Rates will vary depending on crop and target weed. I generally recommend 20 lbs product per 1000 ft2. This provides about 1 lb of nitrogen per 1000 ft2. Some crops that are grown in rows can be treated in bands in the row and weeds can be tilled between rows. This makes it more economical to use in crop production. Test the material at rates from 10 lbs/1000 ft2 in 10 pound increments to as high as 80 lbs/1000 ft2. It does not work well with seeded garden crops unless they are seeded deeply (radishes seem to be the exception and there may be others). Transplants or mature plants generally work well. Some producers put down a band, work it into the upper inch of soil, and then put the transplant in the band. In garden and crop production, growers generally work out their own system, depending on their understanding of the crop they are growing and the weeds they are trying to control. The material is generally about 10% nitrogen by weight. One hundred pounds has 10 lbs of nitrogen. The nitrogen will release slowly over a 3 to 4 month period after application."
...See More
Corn Gluten vs Corn Gluten Meal??
Q
Comments (19)
This is the sort of discussion you wish never got started. Howard Garrett is the biggest proponent of using CGM as weed control, so the number of Dallas area writers on this message does not surprise me. Garrett is also the only one I've heard distinguish between CGM and CGF. He makes a pretty big deal out of it, too. Could it be that corn gluten feed is a mix of corn gluten meal and something else??? Maybe molasses is used to sweeten it for the cattle? Maybe ordinary corn meal is added to dilute the product? I would be surprised if there were major differences between CGM and corn gluten feed. The corn industry is very sophisticated, but I don't think they can carve "feed" off of the corn gluten particles. That really sounds like something done at local feed mills. What scares me is that I agree with Linda Chalker-Scott about this. She must be getting smarter ;-)
...See More
billhill
14 years ago
freyja5 CGM although somewhat expensive, is a very good feed for your lawn. SBM, though not quite as rich in nitrogen as CGM, is also a good choice for organic feeding. When someone asks how to deal with crabgrass organically, frequently they are told to apply 20 pounds/1000 feet of corn gluten meal. What you should know is that it takes time and numerous applications of the stuff over a number of seasons for it to even approach the effectiveness of readily available synthetics. As you alluded to, it does take a drying out period to for CGM be most effective. I personally think that much of the success of CGM lies with the fact that a thick healthy turf precludes the growth of crabgrass and many other weeds.
Bill Hill

Here is a link that might be useful: Organic lawncare FAQ
freyja5
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks, Bill. I've had a terrible lawn for 5 years now, so I'm not counting on a fast fix. I did expect a bit quicker result when I hired a lawn service, but the lawn has gotten worse, not better, over the past year+ and they were not that reliable. Besides, I'm feeling terrible about the herbicide that they sprayed a few days ago. Not sure what kind of damage it has done -- I guess I should search for topics on that, too.

If the CGM doesn't work as well as a pre-m because of our damp climate, I'll still be very, very satisfied with "thick healthy turf", and can pull weeds by hand when they pop up.

Incidentally, on another post, it was suggested that I most likely have poa annua and poa trivialis, rather than crabgrass.

Thanks again for everyone's input.

Corn Gluten Meal in the wet Pacific Northwest

Comments (4)

dchall_san_antonio

freyja5
Original Author

Related Discussions

billhill

freyja5
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Corn Gluten Meal in the wet Pacific Northwest

Comments (4)

dchall_san_antonio

freyja5Original Author

Related Discussions

billhill

freyja5Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

freyja5
Original Author

freyja5
Original Author