Forsythia and Corn Gluten
Forsythia Bushes
One of the brightest signs that spring is finally here are the eye catching yellow flowering shrubs called Forsythia. Forsythia can group up to seven feet tall, and 10 feet wide in Nebraska. Forsythias are fast growing shrubs that require annual pruning to prevent overcrowding. At least one-third of the oldest, woodiest stems should be pruned as close to the ground as possible. Pruning should be done in late spring, after blooming.
Corn Gluten Applications
Not only are the blooming forsythia a welcome sign of spring, it is also nature’s signal that it’s time for your lawn’s first corn gluten application. Corn gluten is a natural source of fertilizer for you lawn that helps build healthy soil. Corn Gluten is also a natural pre-emergent herbicide made exclusively of processed corn during the wet milling process. When used as directed, corn gluten inhibits the tiny feeder roots of spouting weeds. The weed seeds actually do germinate, but the corn gluten meal inhibits the expansion of the plants’ roots and they quickly die of dehydration. Corn Gluten is effective against these and other common garden and lawn weeds as a pre-emergent herbicide: Annual Bluegrass, Barnyardgrass, Black Medic, Black Nightshade, Buckthorn, Catchweed Bedstraw, Curly Dock, Crabgrass, Creeping Bentgrass, Dandelions, Giant Foxtail, Green Foxtail, Lambsquarter, Orchardgrass, Purslane, Redroot Pigweed, Shattercane, Velvetleaf and Wooly Cupgrass. It is completely safe for people and animals to use turf immediately after an application. Corn gluten also will not contaminate our waterways like synthetic pre-emergents will do, making it completely safe for the environment and our eco-systems.
Iowa State University
Dr. Nick Christians, of Iowa State University, is credited with developing corn gluten meal as a pre-emergent lawn herbicide. Iowa State’s research on Corn Gluten shows that to achieve the optimal effectiveness of the pre-emergent properties of corn gluten, one must apply at least 20 pounds of corn gluten meal per 1,000 square feet. Timing of this application is also important, and must be done just before the weed seeds germinate, a small window in some instances. The most accurate guide to when weed seeds are about to germinate is…when the forsthyia bloom in Nebraska! Therefore, in addition to sharing its beautiful yellow blooms each spring, the forsythia acts as nature’s indicator to start your lawn maintenance program. Nature’s pretty cool and informative if you pay attention to it.