Spring is a time when plants begin growing again and gardens flourish, but unfortunately, it also means weeds will begin sprouting from the ground. It can be frustrating to see weeds on your lawn, as getting rid of them can take ages and be hard work if you do not want to use a harsh chemical weed killer.
Luckily, Ryan Anderson, an expert from Midwest Grows Green, has shared an all-natural and effective way to stop weeds with cornmeal. It may seem strange, but the cornmeal sitting in your kitchen cupboard not only prevents weeds on your lawn but actually helps give the grass a boost.
How can cornmeal get rid of lawn weeds?
Ryan said: “Corn gluten, the by-product of corn processing, contains proteins that inhibit root growth during seed germination for a number of small-seeded annual and perennial weeds that frequent our lawns, including crabgrass and pigweed.
“Not only does this product offer a natural herbicidal alternative to toxic ‘weed and feed’ lawn products, but it, also, contains a significant amount of nitrogen that our full-grown turf grass loves.”
Cornmeal helps prevent weeds, as it contains components that interfere with their ability to germinate. Thus, the weeds cannot start growing.
What is fantastic about cornmeal is that it can be used around established plants and lawns, so it is safe to use around the garden as it will only suppress seeds.
It can even be beneficial for lawns as it contains small amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus, which are essential nutrients needed for healthy grass growth.
Cornmeal can also be used by gardeners as a mild fungicide, as it can help combat mould or fungal diseases that can infect lawns.
How to use cornmeal to remove lawn weeds
The only catch with using cornmeal to remove lawn weeds is that you have to be very careful with the timing as it will only work to prevent weeds before they have sprouted.
Once weeds have germinated and started growing the cornmeal will not be able to kill them and can even begin to give weeds nutrients that will help their growth.
Ryan said: “Applying corn gluten to established weeds, however, will only help them flourish. Corn gluten is most effective when it attacks a weed just before germination or sprouting.
“Generally, weed germination, specifically for crabgrass, occurs in April and we recommend applying corn gluten in the first few weeks of the month or when forsythias begin to bloom.”
Cornmeal should be used on lawns or around the garden in April, as this is generally when the weather is warm enough for weeds to begin germination.
However, it depends on the temperature in your area, and if you want to be certain, then stick a thermometer into the soil, and if it reaches 10C, it is warm enough to use cornmeal on your lawn.
It should be noted that cornmeal can also suppress the germination of grass seeds if you use it too early in the year, which is why it should only be used on an established lawn in the spring.
Once the timing is right, sprinkle the cornmeal evenly around the lawn by hand after mowing the lawn.
Give the lawn a light watering after using cornmeal, and it should suppress these pesky plants so your lawn stays weed-free throughout spring.
