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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Soil Foodweb, Inc." <info AT soilfoodweb.com>
  • To: compostteas AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Compostteas] Re: Corn Gluten (The Grahams)
  • Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2002 07:46:55 -0500

> Hi The Grahams -

What exactly is corn gluten?

It is a complex carbon food resource, which is...... fungal food.
Manufacturers add a fair amount of nitrogen to it, so that as the fungi, and
some bacteria, use it as a food resource, they don't tie up all the of
nitrogen in your soil and kill all your plants.

What's the correct ratio of nitrogen to balance the high C material? Do you
suppose the makers of the product checked this out before they sold it? The
balance used for the lawn is correct ratio for the grasses you want, IF.....

If you have a healthy foodweb in your lawn. But, the ratio is correct for
grass. Not perennial plants.

What if all the organisms in your soil were killed, or dormant, or sick?
Will addition of corn gluten work then? No. Corn gluten is just a food
resource for the organisms that should be there. Hard to see good results if
you don't have the organisms present in the soil to do the work for you. So,
with the corn gluten you should? Right, apply tea so you have the needed
organisms
to do the job.

So, will addition of corn gluten to tea be useful? It should feed fungi,
correct? The excess N will be taken up by the bacteria and fungi. Once in
the soil, as long as you have the protozoa adn beneficial nematodes and
microarthropods, that N will be cycled into plant available forms.

But what is the form of N in corn gluten? Will that N help Fusarium or
Rhizoctonia? Nitrate helps the Fusarium, ammonium helps Rhizotonia. Better
not be either of those forms.....

More questions? Please e-mail.....

Elaine







  • [Compostteas] Re: Corn Gluten (The Grahams), Soil Foodweb, Inc., 07/29/2002

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