No. 14 // Fertilize and Control Weeds Naturally

The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the temperature is steadily rising. Spring is in the air! After a long and chilly winter, there’s nothing more glorious than the first signs of warmer, greener days to come. In my yard, the first cheerful blooms come from the lovely Forsythia plant in my backyard typically around early to mid-April. And when the Forsythia blooms, we know it’s time to apply corn gluten meal to our lawn and garden beds.

Why corn gluten meal? It’s a great natural weed suppressant, drying out a seed before it sprouts into an above-ground weed. It also keeps the lawn green with its high nitrogen content. In one application, those hardworking pellets are both preventing weeds and feeding your grass and garden.

To use, simply pour the pellets into a spreader like this one and broadcast over the lawn and garden beds. We do this twice a year, once in early spring and again in late fall. You want to avoid applying it more often than twice a year as the heavy nitrogen content can throw your soil out of balance, counteracting all of the benefits.

You can find corn gluten at many lawn and garden shops, though we like this product best from eartheasy.com. It’s organic, non-gmo and ships for free!

The greatest things about corn gluten meal? It’s totally natural, non-toxic and effective. Plus, its benefits are cumulative, giving you better results year after year.

More info here:

https://learn.eartheasy.com/articles/corn-gluten-meal/

https://www.hort.iastate.edu/horticulture-research/corn-gluten-meal-research/

Vanessa Friedman