Below is Evelyn new growth after application of whole-grain corn meal and 24/7 rain. None of my 50+ other roses did this. What impress me are the many reddish new growth with buds, and Evelyn acquire this amazing shine and healthy luster on leaves, very much like the roses posted by another person in "Rose Hugel Update", also fertilized with corn meal.

You can see a few black spots in the picture, thanks to the stable switched to straw and wood shavings which retains moisture longer. I saw a bunch of mushrooms in the horse manure pile this year for the 1st time, tested its pH to be slightly acidic, rather than very alkaline like previous years.

I shouldn't had called the stable to voice my concern about their adding lime, so they stop adding lime, and the manure isn't as alkaline as previous years. Lime is high in pH, and is a fungicide. Evelyn went from clean to breaking out in both rust and black spots with that wet and slightly acidic manure.

I had to scrape the manure/wet bedding off, and dust her with corn meal, that's how I accidentally found how good corn meal is as a fertilizer. Fortunately I only induced fungal diseases on 7 roses with that wet horse manure/bedding, the rest of my roses are still clean.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Thu, Nov 7, 13 at 9:50

1-week bud-growth and shiny leaves on Evelyn rose, after application of corn meal and soluble gypsum (calcium sulfate). The shiny leaves is from the corn meal, that didn't happen before with gypsum only:

More bud-explosions with whole-grain corn meal as fertilizer on Liv Tyler (pink) and Pink Peace rose (dark pink). Picture taken today, August 28. The elementary school let my kid out early at 11:20 noon today due to high heat index above 90 degrees.

Cracked corn at $2.99 for 10 lbs. from the feed store can have whole kernels that sprout, OK for my zone 5a winter that kill young-corn-seedlings, but will be a pain for someone in a warm climate.

Dry corn is very ACIDIC at pH below 4, thus effective to neutralize alkaline tap water, to release the nutrients. More shiny effect of corn meal on Romantica Sweet Promise. Picture taken today, after a week of above 90 degrees temp. When I handled whole-grain corn meal, my hands feel greasy from the fatty germ-layer.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 14:43

Below is Frederic Mistral hybrid tea, 2nd year own-root, it's always clean in my alkaline clay, pH 7.7. Lower base is dusted with whole-grain corn meal (pH 3.5). I also watered Frederic Mistral with soluble gypsum and sulfate of potash for rust-prevention.

It's best to mix whole-grain corn meal with coarse sand so it doesn't glue-up into a sheet, blocking water from above. Keeping surface either dry and alkaline, or extremely acidic prevents fungal germination. Corn meal is effective against both mildew an black spots, but NOT for rust, due to its extreme-acidity at pH 3.5. Wood ash, at pH over 10, is more effective for rust. Picture taken August 30, hot temp with 70% humidity.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 14:46

Strawberryhill, how often do you apply the cornmeal?

Hi iowagirl2: Two years ago we had the wettest summer, 49" of rain. In that 7 days non-stop rain, mid-Sept., I threw corn meal at the base of the bush, getting lowest leaves dusted and the ground. Early Sept is the best time to start dusting in my zone 5a.

I did that before an 6 hours-rain. If the rain washes the cornmeal off, I dusted again. In between rains, there's a breeze that dried the cornmeal, and made it stuck. I kept 10 Austins clean, including Eglantyne.

The second year I did not dust whatsoever, and Eglantyne had blackspots. The rest of Austin roses were clean, thanks to the lime in horse manure and recycled wood chips (has fungicide).

Today we have 69% humidity, Frederic Mistral is still clean. What I like to experiment is to sprinkle some crushed limestone on the ground. Lime-pellets is expensive, plus raising the pH fast ... which I don't want to use. Crushed limestone is cheaper, sold for $2.49 per bag, and raises the pH slower.

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 14:48

Here's another advantage of whole-grain corn meal: ants and insects can't digest that stuff, thus decline. I buy 10 lbs. bag of cracked corn for $2.69 from the feed store, and grind them with a Nutri-mill flour-grinder.

Awesome as a fertilizer, buds everywhere, fast result like alfalfa tea, but with more buds. NPK of whole-grain corn meal is 1.65/ 0.65 / 0.4 ... that's much better than horse manure with bedding, at NPK of 0.7 / 0.3 / 0.6, plus salt. pH of cracked corn is VERY ACIDIC at 3.5, thus neutralize my alkaline tap water at 8.3.

I checked on fish bone meal, that stuff is so stinky that a person reported the neighbor couldn't sleep with its application. Both fish meal and fish bone meal attract huge black flies.

I tested the refined corn-meal from Walmart ... it was worthless, no nutritious fatty germ layer, just junk-food that attracted flies, and didn't work as fertilizer nor fungicide.

Some feed store grind the cracked corn into meal for a surcharge. Grubs are the larvae that hatch into Japanese Beetles. Here's an excerpt from Soil Forum â¢Posted by digdirt 6 -7 AR on Sat, Mar 15, 08 at 13:18

Corn meal also an effective control for grubs and cutworms - they love it but can't digest it, so they eat and die. I'd add it straight to the garden as well assuming we aren't talking a tiny little garden for that 25 lbs. ;) Dave

This post was edited by Strawberryhill on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 14:50

strawchicago, I was looking for something else but this is fascinating.

Question for you: is it worth investing in a flour grinder to grind the cracked corn, if that is the only thing I'll do to the roses?

By that I mean, I will fertilize with coffee grounds or some kind of tone, maybe add some humus/manure mix but nothing special.

Do you get your sand at the feed store too?

jc, this is well documented and works on the caterpillars on things in the cabbage family as well. Think Hollyhocks! Any corn meal will work and can sometimes be found at feed stores along with corn gluten. Of course, corn doesn't have gluten, but what they sell by that name is also good for roses. For the cornmeal, you can just sprinkle it on the leave when wet and put some around the base of the bush. Just be sure you are getting 100% cornmeal and not some cornbread mix! You may also be able to find it cheap if you have any mills nearby. Are you asking about grinding the corn to speed things up? Just an FYI, it can attract unwanted visitors when left in its whole form. Ask me how I know.

lol vapor. Tractor Supply sells cracked corn for sure. I haven't been to our actual feed stores in a while so I'm not certain but would expect them to as well.

Looks like strawchicago bought cracked corn and ground it into cornmeal, then spread it around.

If I can find cornmeal or corngluten at a feedstore that would work just as well- instead of getting cracked corn and grinding it myself?

Cracked corn is just that. There's nothing else done to it. Same thing with cornmeal. It just seems like a lot of work when cornmeal is just finer grain cracked corn. I'm not sure about the corn gluten for fungal diseases, but it will help feed the soil. Now if you already have a grinder for grains that's a different story. I've always wanted one as I bake bread alot, but usually I just visit the mill in KY.

! Gotcha! You should look up Mills in your area. Even here in Cincinnati we have a huge one for Purina and General Mills. I can buy flower from them but it's only soft wheat flour so that's why I go to the mill in Kentucky but I should check and see if they have cornmeal there. I never thought to do that. Might also try and find some place like bargain hunt or roses if you have it down there because they have stuff for southern cooking super cheap.