[compost_tea] Tric...source????
> From: "Howard Garrett" <membership_at_dirtdoctor.com>
> Date: September 2, 2011 5:38:09 AM PDT
> To: jeff_at_gardener.com
> Subject: Howard Garrett Newsletter - Cornmeal Controversy
> Reply-To: membership_at_dirtdoctor.com
>
>
> Newsletter
>
> CORNMEAL - CONTROVERSY
>
>
>
> This is email I recently received about cornmeal. It was obviously on som=
e blog, but this blather pops up often.
>
> IS THIS TRUE?
>
> Cornmeal Myth Busted
> Posted by Linda Chalker-Scott
>
> If you've followed the link to column in question, you'll see that the or=
iginal "research" is attributed to one of Texas A&M's research stations in =
Stephenville, TX. But it's not really research - it's just an observation o=
n what happens when you don't plant the same crop two years in a row; in th=
is case, rotating corn and peanuts reduces peanut pathogens. This is hardly=
news - it's one of the reasons agricultural scientists recommend crop rota=
tion as part of an IPM program and has been for decades.
>
> Then we're referred to "further research" (at an undisclosed location) wh=
ere cornmeal was shown to contain "beneficial organisms." Well, no, cornmea=
l doesn't contain organisms, beneficial or otherwise. Microbes can grow on =
cornmeal, and in fact cornmeal agar is commonly used in labs as a growth me=
dium for many species of fungi, and has been for decades.
>
> Nevertheless, we're informed that a gardening personality has "continued =
the study and finds cornmeal effective on most everything from turf grass t=
o black spot on roses." This is directly refuted by Dr. Jerry Parsons, who =
by happy coincidence is an extension faculty specialist at Texas A&M. His i=
nformative (and hilarious) column on brown spots in lawns states "Lately th=
ere have been claims made that corn meal and a garlic extract is effective.=
This is absolutely false! Everyone trying to do the "environmentally frien=
dly-to-a-fault" thing have been wasting their money. They would have been b=
etter off making corn bread and using their garlic for cooking purposes!"
>
> Dr. Parsons continues: "Let me explain how these University tests and rec=
ommendations have been misrepresented in a desperate attempt to find an org=
anic fungicide. The corn meal was investigated by a Texas A&M pathologist a=
s a way to produce parasitic fungi used to control a fungus which occurs on=
peanuts." (This directly relates to my earlier point that cornmeal agar ha=
s a long history of use in fungal culture.)
>
> It boils down to this: if you have a healthy soil, it will probably conta=
in diverse populations of beneficial microbes, including those that control=
pathogenic fungi. You don't need to add cornmeal - it's simply an expensiv=
e form of organic material. So you can ignore the directions in the article=
on how to incorporate cornmeal into the soil, or make "cornmeal juice" to =
spray on "susceptible plants." Just nuture your soil with (repeat after me)=
a thick layer of coarse organic mulch.
>
> (As a footnote, let me say how annoying it is when gardening personalitie=
s grant themselves advanced degrees or certifications in their titles. C'mo=
n folks - if your information is so great, do you really need to pretend yo=
u’re someone else?)
>
> This is my response to this recent email.
>
> This is great. Dr. Joe McFarland ran the research station in Stephenville=
that discovered the anti-fungal properties of cornmeal due to the impressi=
ve control provided by the tricoderma fungus in the cornmeal. That cornmeal=
works is irrefutable.
>
> Isn’t it interesting that these same anti-cornmeal people do reco=
mmend an expensive product from a chemical company that contains tricoderma=
. Cornmeal has it and is a lot less expensive.
>
> Here are the links to just some of the cornmeal reports we have gotten. C=
ornmeal,Cornmeal and Its Many Uses Newsletter,Cornmeal for Thrush, Cornmeal=
Juice,Cornmeal Uses and Reports, Cornmeal: Organic Fungus Control for Plan=
ts, Toenails & Skin Problems
>
> If you have questions on this newsletter or any other topic, tune in this=
Sunday from 8am - 11am CST to the Dirt Doctor Radio Show. The call-in phon=
e number is 1-866-444-3478. Listen on the internet or click hereto find a s=
tation in your area.
>
> Shop in the Green Living Store for all of the products I recommend in the=
Organic Program. Also products are available in theDirt Doctor's Corner of=
your favorite garden center.
>
> Please share this newsletter with everyone in your address book and all y=
our friends on Facebook and Twitter to help me spread the word on organics.=
As school begins, the weather cools, and the pace of life picks up again, =
have a great Labor Day celebration.
>
> Naturally yours,
>
>
> Howard Garrett
>
> Forward this newsletter to family and friends and ask them to
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Plant A Row For The Hungry...and read "TEAMING WITH MICROBES: THE ORGANIC G=
ARDENER'S GUIDE TO THE SOIL FOOD WEB."
Received on Sat Sep 03 2011 - 16:25:18 EDT
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