QuestionQUESTION: I cant find the Corn Meal, what is it called and can you explain a little better? Its something new?
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
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What do ou do about the weeds? How do you kill them witho roundup?
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The text above is a follow-up to ...
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What do we do now if anything to get ready for a spring lawn? Shoudl we rototil or just roundup the present lawn which is half weeds half rye?
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Of course you have a chemical-free soil to work with, because you are clearly an Intelligent Gardener, sir. And Roundup would never be used on your real estate.
Do you really want to Roundup your entire yard? Keep that up and we'll be in the same boat as those Eastern European cities that nobody can spend too many hours in because of all the toxic waste.
Once you pour that on your lawn, Roundup-treated areas will keep EVERYTHING from growing in those spots.
In the words of the Scotts company: Roundup builds "an invisible barrier" to all new growth -- Madison Avenue's euphemism for telling you that the soil becomes so
poisonous nothing will grow there.
No matter how many weeds there are growing in the Ryegrass, this little problem is no excuse for turning your house into a Superfund Site.
Try overseeding and to be safe I would dig up that patch and really prepare the soil underneath so that you maximize your chances of success. Great lawns are overseeded on a regular basis. They DO NOT use Roundup.
Now, about your Rototilling plans: Today's Intelligent Gardeners do not run out and rent the Rototiller at the drop of a hat.
Keep the Rototiller in the garage. It wrecks the soil structure and upsets the earthworms. And if there's anything you want in that lawn, it's earthworms.
Rake and fertilize (NO weedkiller!) as needed. A good old fashioned hand mower is the ultimate, but you can get by with a regular mower as long as you are mowing on schedule. Mow to a height of 2 to 3 inches on a regular basis. Throw in some pretty Clover to build up the Nitrogen and nourish the soil. Milorganite is still my slow-release fertilizing favorite. But Compost Tea is the key to beautiful grass. I have a feeling you may not be ready for that. Let me know when you are, my friend.
At the end of the season, put down MORE Ryegrass. Get FIRST RATE SEED when you do this - not the stuff in bags that's been sitting around all year at Home Depot and Lowe's. Get some GREAT seed. It'll cost you. It's worth every penny.
Any questions?
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Corn Gluten Meal is available from your local garden supply store.
It is a fantastic natural pre-emergent.
Sounds odd, no?
Corn gluten is a scientifically proven anti-fungal pre-emergent that is so safe you can eat it. I am not kidding. It is safer than dog food.
Regarding Corn Gluten, University of Washington Botanic Garden library (depts.washington.edu/hortlib) notes: "Corn Gluten Meal prevents seeds from rooting once sprouted. The downside is that it doesn抰 work during rainy weather."
When to apply?
The week that the forsythia blooms on your block, in the early spring - and do not miss this deadline - put down the Corn Gluten. Buy it now. Have it ready.
And by the way, besides being a great natural pre-emergent, Corn Gluten is a REALLY great organic time release fertilizer high in Nitrogen. All summer lawn, without lifting a finger, you will be feeding your grass, nice and slow as it decomposes, all summer long. No fuss, no muss. And that is a beautiful thing.
Any more questions?
ANSWER: If you would like to give me your zip code, or the nearest big city, I will be able to post for you a list of dealers that stock these products. Or you can order via Mail Order. rsvp
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QUESTION: We are about an hour north of Boston. It gets pretty cool.
Answer'tis The Season for putting down Corn Gluten Powder Pre-Emergent Weed Killer. Researchers at Iowa State have
discovered that Corn Gluten Meal is so effective, they have a patent on it. There is a short list of licensees who have permission to use CGM and advertise it as a pre-emergent.
Here's a link to the list of approved licensees:
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~isurf/tech/cgmwebsite.html
In the Boston area you can buy it off the shelf from many garden centers. A list of 'Safe Lawn' (http://www.cornglutenmeal.com/) retailers can be obtained by emailing the distributor,
[email protected], or
calling them at 877-787-7827 toll free.
'Organic WEEDZSTOP' is made by the Fertrell Company
(http://www.fertrell.com/), whose organic fertilizers and amendments are sold at the Carlson抯 Berkshire Nursery, 1435 Ashley Falls Road, Ashley Falls, Mass 01222 ((413) 299-3209). Call first to make sure they have Weed Ban in stock.
"Preen" brand is NOT organic -- but they do make one, "Preen Vegetable Garden Weed Control," formulated with Corn Gluten. OTHER PREEN PRODUCTS ARE NOT ORGANIC. "Preen Vegetable Garden Weed Control" is sold at Costco, Home Depot, Sam's Club, Kmart, Lowe's, Target and Wal-Mart chains. "Supersoil Garden Guardian Mulch", which contains Corn Gluten Meal, is sold at Lowe's stores across Massachusetts.
You can also order online from most of the licensees listed. I use "WOW Plus!" from Gardens Alive(www.gardensalive.com) but there are scores of others equally effective.
Apply when the Forsythia starts to bloom in your neighborhood. Make sure you pick a dry day or it won't work properly. You can expect it to work for up to 6 weeks.
