Corn Gluten
Corn Gluten
Corn gluten has arrived! Have us apply it or purchase the Do-It-Yourself program today. Our corn gluten is available in 50lb bags and delivery is available in the Omaha area.
Corn Gluten Meal is a byproduct of the corn (Zea mays L.) wet-milling process. It was found that corn gluten is 
a natural preemergence herbicide. U.S. Patent 5,030,268 on the use of corn gluten meal as a natural herbicide was issued in 1991. The patent was reissued in 1993 with broader claims that cover the use of corn gluten meal on field crops and home gardens.
Corn gluten meal works by inhibiting the root formation of germinating plants. It generally does not inhibit the roots of mature plants or transplants until you reach very high rates (80 pounds/1000 ft2 or higher). It should be applied before germination of the weeds. The weed will germinate and usually forms a shoot, but does not form a root. After germination, a short drying period is needed to kill the plants that have germinated but have not formed a root. If it is too wet during germination, the plants will recover and form a root. (This is also true of chemical preemergence herbicides).
Corn gluten is a preemergence only, there is no postemergence effect on established weeds. In fact, it makes a great fertilizer for germinated weeds. In recent years, we have seen an increased substitution of corn gluten feed and distillers grain for real corn gluten meal. In order to have the 60% inhibitory protein necessary for pre-emergent weed control the corn gluten must be derived from the wet milling process of corn.
Several 
manufacturers are using distiller grains for their “corn gluten” products which contain a maximum of 20-30% of the necessary inhibitory protein. Much of this type of corn comes from the production of ethanol. They often put urea into their corn to boost the nitrogen in their products to 12-0-0 and give the impression that they have the same level of inhibitory protein. The protein in urea does not inhibit weed growth.
These distiller grain corn products often seem much cheaper than proper corn gluten meal until it is realized that, in order to work, they need to be applied at three times the rate. Omaha Organics is always happy to provide an analysis of the protein levels in our Corn Gluten Meal products. Always know what’s in the bag before you buy any product.
For more information please visit our natural products page.