Re: [tomato] Corn Gluten as a weedicide

Tantrika (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Sat, 03 Jul 1999 09:38:24 -0700 

At 08:56 AM 7/3/99 -0700, you wrote:
>Corn Gluten meal is a nontoxic byproduct of corn syrup processing, so it's
>not a chemical, at least not a synthetic one that is, it's a foodstuff that
>basically releases a natural herbicide that prevents seedlings from setting
>roots, which in turn kills the plants.  From what I understand it has a
>nitrogen content of 10% just because of what it is, so you don't want to
>put it on beds that will have plants that don't like a lot of nitrogen,
>like carrots. But most gardens and lawns need nitrogen, so it's nitrogen
>content has an added benefit of helping to fertilize as well. It is shown
>to be 60% effective the first year, and 90% effective after a few years.  
>
>If it burned weeds then it would harm established plants, which it doesn't.
> The EPA has approved it for use on turfweed.
>
>Because it prevents seedlings from setting roots, it wouldn't do anything
>for established weeds (like your bindweed)
>
>And I got this from Organic Gardening, whom I trust.
>
>I'm not an employee of gardens alive! or anything, in fact I've not even
>tried it though I'm going to order some!  It just so happened I had read
>about corn gluten meal in an article the same day that someone here posted
>about it....go figure, because a few days before I had called Organic
>Gardening to get information on Round Up and alternatives to it, so I have
>about three articles they sent me two of which mention the gorn gluten
>meal.  I hadn't heard of it until right then either.  Oh they also have a
>guide for identifying common weeds, controlling them through natural means,
>why they show up in your garden (they can indicate things about your soil)
>and why you just might want to KEEP them in your garden.  An example:  A
>mulch of dried Quackgrass kills slugs.  Dandelion greens are good in
>salads, Clover fixes nitrogen into nitrogen deprived soil (in fact it is
>attracted to nitrogen-poor soil and is often used by gardeners and farmers
>as a cover crop), and encourages honeybees to visit.
>
>Unfortunately they had nothing positive to say about bindweed :/.... and
>their advice for getting rid of it was to keep up with pulling it out.
>
>
>You can order it on-line from http://www.gardens-alive.com/ and it is now
>called WOW! Plus.
>
>>From their site:
>
>"WOW! Plus lets you control crab-grass, dandelions and other pesky weeds
>while feeding your lawn with a complete, balanced, all-natural fertilizer!
>It’s easy to apply and saves you time and effort. You can now weed and feed
>your lawn organically with just one application! 
>"A by-product of corn syrup production, our pre-emergence weed control
>eliminates germinating weeds. It helps you achieve a beautiful lawn your
>neighbors will envy. And there’s no need to post "Keep Off - Herbicide
>Warning" signs, because kids and pets can play on the lawn right after
>application! 
>....
>"How WOW! Plus works 
>
>"Soon after sprouting, young weeds send out secondary "feeder" roots, which
>are especially adept at drawing nutrients from the soil. But WOW! Plus
>stops these feeder roots from developing. Without them, seedlings quickly
>die - usually before you notice any green top growth! Dandelions,

>crab-grass, creeping bentgrass, foxtail, lamb’s-quarters, purslane, redroot
>pigweed and many others can’t survive their first few days, and can’t make
>your lawn an eyesore. 
>
>"Don’t worry about over-applying WOW! Plus. You can use eight times the
>recommended rate without harming your grass, and you’ll find that high
>doses are even more effective in controlling weeds. [though I wouldn't add
>any nitrogen fertilizer if you used that much on your lawn or your garden]
>
>"And don’t worry about lingering synthetic chemicals! There aren’t any!
>Unlike traditional chemical treatments, WOW! Plus lets your family, friends
>and pets enjoy your lawn immediately after application. "
>
>They have something called "Scythe Weed Killer" which might work on your
>bindweed, Pam, though I'm not positive.  I might want to use it on the
>blackberries and thistles though I'm not sure ANYTHING will work on those :/
>
>If you have more questions about the product you might ask your county
>Extension Office or call Gardens Alive!
>
>At 01:50 AM 7/3/99 -0400, you wrote:
>>this info is interesting..im reading here that it works cuz it is high in 
>>nitrogen and burns off the pest weeds? and it dissolves harmlessly? no 
>>chemical residue? kind of sounds too good ...
>> 
>