Mycorrhizal fungal inoculants

[Enjoy Life Ronnie]

I'm new to the organic approach but have been in business long enough to believe that there must be a better approach than using fungicides… which in my opinion put a Band-Aid on the sore without correcting the problems. And often that problem requires a physical change.

My question, after reading some of the interesting posts on corn meal is… does it have similar effect on plants as mycorrhizal fungal inoculants that I have used with limited success on plant stress? Limited mostly because very few customers notice a sick tree until it's on deaths door. I inject into soil and it helps if used before it's too late. <B>Can you inject corn meal into ground? And what would the effect be?</B>

Also, has anyone put corn meal on golf greens when they are being soil relieved? This would penetrate the corn meal to a much deeper level.

We have about 45 days each year with temperatures over 100 and must keep the greens fairly wet or they will burn up. Bent grass greens that is. I would love to try the corn meal approach for one full year to see if it can do a better job than yhe fungicides. Now if I can sell the greens keeper. Thanks.

P.S. Thanks for creating this LawnSite. I expect to learn mucho.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

I'll use my famous weasel words to start this off.

"I don't think" the corn meal adds any value when applied underground. "I think" the microbes that decompose fresh protein live on the top surface of the soil. After all when things die they usually die on the surface without spontaneously burying themselves.

[woodycrest]

Ronnie,


I have certainly had success using corn to fertilize bent grass greens. THe water used to run off the greens like water flowing down a driveway, now the ground absorbs it like a sponge. Seems to me that would help keep the ground a little cooler.

The greens have been just barely staying green for the last three seasons, until this year when i applied corn they are DEEP green and thickening. That is a direct result of the corn. The greens have had spray weed and feed, and granular fertilizer the last 3 seasons and showed little or no improvement. Not every green is that way , but they all have improved signinficantly. If we ever get a decent rain around here , i expect all the greens will finally look like greens.

time will tell...

[GroundKprs]

But Woody, in a true test you should have had a control area that was not treated. Perhaps cut a green into 4 pie slices: #1 no treatment, #2 organic only, #3 synthetic only, and #4 bridge treatment. And maintain that test for several years. Only then would you have a convincing result, both for yourself and others.

When you make a general modification to the whole area, you do not know if other environmental influences have had an effect in your test area.

[woodycrest]

GroundKprs,

I do have control areas that were not treated. I have applied different amounts in different areas of sun/ shade, soil type, diiferent cutting heights and frequency of cut,on different kinds of turf on different properties. Some get water, some do not.

I did not use synthetic or bridge because i want to see the results from corn. I am not comparing synthetic/bridge/organic.

To be honest i have no desire to test synthetics anyway.

As you said, a true test would span over several seasons, no argument there, but my experiments started this spring....

Dave

[Enjoy Life Ronnie]

But you agree adding the corn meal during the aeration process would probably be no better than applying as a surface application? I wonder if it has ever been tried?

Has anyone used corn meal on greens and had a bad experence? Right now <B>I don't see any risk</B> ... but. To sell this idea I may need more data. I mess up some greens and it would be my <font color="#FFOOOO"> blood</font> on the golf coarse. LOL

[woodycrest]

Ronnie,

You must have some turf around for cutting sod for repairs on the greens. You could try it on there for starters. At least then the greens arent at risk.

i have done numerous searches thru the internet about corn meal on greens, but i havent found very much.

Heres what i did on may1

[woodycrest]

followed by this..

[woodycrest]

on july 29 it looked like this...

[woodycrest]

july 29 it looked like this..