Re: Corn Gluten
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: Corn Gluten
- From: b*@comp.uark.edu (Robert E. Stassen)
- Date: Fri, 13 Mar 1998 08:57:19 -0700 (MST)
http://www.hort.iastate.edu/hort/Frames/pubs/pframe.html
The above web site at Iowa State can let you read the actual research
results of Bingaman and Christians on Corn Gluten Hydrosolate and Corn
Gluten Meal for weed control in turf. (Probably cited by Organic Gardener).
Here's a direct quote that OG presumably didn't include from report:
"Weed populations were not significantly reduced by CGH. On some data
collection dates, PERCENTAGE WEED COVER WAS HIGHER IN BLUEGRASS TREATED WITH
CGH THAN IN UNTREATED CONTROLS. The majority of weed cover consisted of
dandelion and clover with only sporadic populations of black medic and
spurge. The absence of crabgrass could possibly be explained by the
competition at the time of germination from dense populations of dandelion
and clover." (In other words, it fed some tough weeds, which choked out the
crabgrass.)
In short, there's no danger in applying CGH, but I wouldn't spend any money
on it either. My next-door neighbor applies this to her bermuda grass lawn
and I have serious doubts about the availability of its nitrogen--if you
compare the vigor of our lawns.
About Organic Gardener--you have to seriously question this as a source of
information when they would purposely misinterpret/misrepresent research
findings such as these, when the actual research results are out there for
everyone to read.
The web permits you to go directly to the source of research on herbicides
through extension web-sites maintained at Colleges of Agriculture. Through
personal experiences with University researchers, such as these, I have
found them to very conservative in expressing their opinions, cautious of
stating anything that might mislead.
