permaculture

[Leslie Moyer <unschooler@lrec.org>]

On Jan 30, 2011, at 8:29 AM, John Fritz wrote:

>  When applied to soil after tillling and before the crop seed sprouts, CGM 
> is a potent herbicide.  It does not kill all the so-called pest plants but 
> suppresses enough of them (about 80% IIRC) so that the crop seed has a 
> chance to sprout, get a head start, and out compete the "weeds" depriving 
> those that do survive of their needed sunlight. 

Corn gluten meal will suppress ALL seed germination--not just the weed seed, 
but the intended crop seed, too, so timing of application has to be just 
right to suppress only the germination of the weed seed.  For this reason, it 
works very well for planting pre-sprouted transplants into a pre-treated soil 
bed.  It's a little trickier when you're direct-seeding as conventional 
farmers would for a large monocrop field.  As I understand it, the seed 
actually germinates, but does not form a root.

> As a direct market challenge to Monsanto though I see much value in David 
> Blume's tactic. 


I can see it now....Monsanto *promoting* CGM as an alternative to herbicides. 
 Corn would, of course, be GMO and treated with Round-Up.  :-/

--Leslie / NE Oklahoma