Cornmeal for Fungus

andy_zim – posted 04 June 2005 13:16

I have read many posts on the use of Cornmeal for fighting/preventing fungus in lawns. I have Bermuda, and some small round areas (2inches to 6 inches round) that appear dead.

I purchased 50 pound bags of Cornmeal, but I want to know how to apply it. Do I use a broadcast spreader? The cornmeal seems so fine that I assume that it will plug the opening, and be difficult to spread. Also, do you water it into the soil, or do you let it sit on top of the grass?

I am very interested to know how this works.

Thanks for the site!

ted – posted 04 June 2005 13:58

it doesn’t work, that’s why we don’t recommend it. it’s impossible to spread for the reason you described. there’s lots of other ways without using chemicals to control fungus- lots of other posts regarding this.

cohiba – posted 04 June 2005 21:51

Bottom line on turfgrass: Good turf will resist disease and weed pressure!

That’s it……………

The secret to good turf is the perfect soil + the correct turfgrass variety + an adequet nutrient and maintenace program.

Cornmeal is merely an organic fertilizer! It is not a silver bullet!

The ultimate situation would be:

Great soil. The correct turfgrass varitety for the location. Chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer suppliments.

Everything else (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides) is needed to make up for a short coming in either the soil, the chosen turf or nutrient/maintenance program.

In a nutshell……………………..

Tampa z9 – posted 06 June 2005 10:10

10lbs to 20lbs per 1000 sq ft. Some people in here only know about chemicals. Go to gardenweb to get ALL the information on lawn care. Gurus these are not

mikemaas00 – posted 10 June 2005 14:31

Even good turf will get diseases if the right conditions persist. Just because you jog every day and drink orange juice doesnt mean you might get a cold or the flu once in a while. Sounds like a rhizoc disease…try something with bayleton, PCNB, or a strobin if your cornmeal doesnt work.

GrassDoctor – posted 11 June 2005 19:57

I have applied both Corn Meal and Corn Gluten Meal on my St.A grass with a drop spreader with no problem. Corn Meal for controlling fungus and fertilizing, and the Corn Gluten Meal as a preemergent for prevention of weed germination in the fall.

I admit it is powdery and rather messy to deal with, so do not spread on a windy day. I watered immediately after application.

Bonus S was the last chemical I placed on my lawn in the 2nd week of April. Since then I have gone “Organic” with applications of Liquid Seaweed, molasses, epsom salts, ammonia, beer, apple juice, Medina Plus, and Texas Tee. My lawn responded like gangbusters. It is thick, deep green, and gorgeous. Oh yes, I did add Beneficial Nematodes as well so they can help eliminate unwanted critters in the soil.

As another possible resource for you regarding organic lawn care, I highly recommend www.dirtdoctor.com for your reading pleasure. It is always nice to have several avenues of information.

Hope this info helps!

The GrassDoctor

[This message has been edited by GrassDoctor (edited 11 June 2005).]

efdavis – posted 03 July 2005 19:36

I am trying cornmeal on my bermuda lawn in n.w. la. on a red clay hill. Put out 800 # with a sears spreader and boy did we have fun. Meal would’t drop down so wife rode on spreader tongue and kept it punched down which worked real well. Sure hope it works.

andy_zim2 – posted 04 July 2005 07:29

Well, it has been a few weeks since I put my Cornmeal down, and I can say that 95% of my fungus is gone. I think the 5% remaining is due to the spreading difficulties.

That said, I was given some great advice that I think works better if you have specific spots to treat instead of an entire lawn. Simply take a handful of the cornmeal and toss it up in the air from hip hieght over the infected spot, and then a few feet around it. The cornmeal will fall to the surface in about the right quantity with this method.

Obviously you would not want to treat an entire lawn like this, but for spot work…it is great.

The only downside I see to cornmeal is the broad application method. Figure that out, and this could be something special.

I wonder if you could mix it with a mild fertilizer to help with the spreading….An idea perhaps.

Anyway, thanks to everyone (even the ney-sayers). It has worked well for me.

Ed77 – posted 05 July 2005 05:20

Thanks for the update!

…Just goes to show that there are many ways to skin the same cat!