Right on time!!! I was just going to go out and buy some Preen for a new project. If there is something better I sure would like to know too.

I would like to know also. I would like to know also how frequently you put out pre-emergents.
Somewhere I have read that a pre-emergent needs to be reapplied to cover fall weeds/ winter weeds. Do you use Preen for this also?
Thanks!
Gayle

Hi! I just ordered 100 pounds of corn gluten and I don't have a clue when to put it out. Anyone know when to put this stuff out? Thanks!

Corn gluten meal usually gets put down when the forsythia's bloom. I know we have some blooming around Raleigh now with the warm winter but normal bloom time is more like 3 or 4 weeks from now. I'd hold off because we will get some very cold weather and it works as the soil warms, not as it cools since it works on the developing root structure.

thanks, nan! i bought some last yr and never got it out. now i know when to use it this yr. i'm hoping it will help control the microstegium. tam

To be effective you'll need to apply it for seven years as that is how long the seed is viable. An old saying is, "One year of seeding yields seven years of weeding."

Seven years! Dang, I was sorta hopin it might help right away! I had to order this stuff from Montana cause I couldn't find it here! Any NC connections for corn gulten? I take that back one place told me that hey could get it but I had buy 3 tons! Thanks, Janet

I tried corn gluten for Microstegium control last year and didn't see any effect at all. It grew up just as thick as ever. I've used Preen in a different area and it works pretty well. It reduces germination so that hand pulling the remainder is manageable. In areas where I've used Preen plus pulling for two years I'm seeing very little germination unless I get in there and disturb the soil for some reason. Last year I also made a dent (I hope) with grass-b-gone, spraying a few weeks before it started to set seed.

I bought my corn gluten at Durham Garden Center and at Barnes Supply. The guy at Barnes was willing to make a special order for me, and I only had to commit to one bag.

i got mine at a feed store in north raleigh, close the sri show warehouse. don't recall the name now. was like $30 a big bag.

Here's my strategy, see what you think. Clear the ground of trash and sticks, etc. Trim up any small shrubs or perennials so you can see what you're doing. Take old newspapers and make a pad with 7 layers of newsprint. Starting at the outward edge, begin layering sections of pads, like you're shingling a roof. Overlap the pads so that it's not easy for soil to wash under the edges. Do not put the newspaper right up next to shrub trunks or perennial crowns. Next, mulch at the proper depth with material of choice. Next, sprinkle the Preen over the mulch, keeping it from staying on the leaves of shrubs or other plants. This helps keep perennial weeds from coming up and starving them of light. The Preen helps prevent blown in seeds from germinating. You have to reapply the Preen after 3 months, by the way. The newspaper will degrade over a single season, but by then it's prevented many weed seeds from germinating. The earthworms like it too! If you do this regularly, weeds become less and less.

I was planning on trying preemergent this spring but I heard something this weekend that I may try instead. They said that probably most of the weeds in your yard liked the ph of your soil (which mine is acidic) so if you bring your ph closer to 7 it should help keep the weeds down (for me that means adding lime). I think that would be cheaper than Preem. Anybody try this yet?

Thanks
JP

Corn gluten is available as Fertrell Weedban from Organic Farming and Gardening Supplies (www.7springsfarm.com) for $34.25 per 50 pound bag (plus shipping). However, I believe that the owner specially orders it and may have already done so for this spring. Also, sold as WOW by Gardens Alive. (www.gardensalive.com) A local source saves shipping costs.