Cornmeal for garden fungus problems

[hoodat]

I just ran across an interesting article and thought I'd pass it on. Here is a quote and the link to the article.
Who would have thought that something as seemingly innocuous as cornmeal would have such potent fungicidal properties? Researchers at Texas A&M Research Station in Stephenville, TX, noticed that a peanut crop planted following a crop of corn didnt suffer the usual fungus diseases. Further research showed that cornmeal contained beneficial organisms that were at least as effective as common chemical fungicides. Somehow cornmeal is able to attract a member of the Trichoderma fungus family, which is a good fungus that kills off disease causing fungi in a matter of weeks.

http://gardening.about.com/od/naturalorganiccontrol/qt/Cornmeal.htm

 

[lesa]

That is very interesting... Do you think powdery mildew counts as "fungus"?

 

[hoodat]

That is very interesting... Do you think powdery mildew counts as "fungus"?

Mildew is definitely a fungus but since it's air borne rather than soil borne I don't hink mixing corn meal into the soil would help. Farther down the article it tell how to make a liquid solution. That may help if sprayed on the leaves.

 

[lesa]

The liquid seemed like a good idea- use it where you know you need it...

 

[elf]

I just ran across an interesting article and thought I'd pass it on. Here is a quote and the link to the article.
Who would have thought that something as seemingly innocuous as cornmeal would have such potent fungicidal properties? Researchers at Texas A&M Research Station in Stephenville, TX, noticed that a peanut crop planted following a crop of corn didnt suffer the usual fungus diseases. Further research showed that cornmeal contained beneficial organisms that were at least as effective as common chemical fungicides. Somehow cornmeal is able to attract a member of the Trichoderma fungus family, which is a good fungus that kills off disease causing fungi in a matter of weeks.

http://gardening.about.com/od/naturalorganiccontrol/qt/Cornmeal.htm

Hmm... It mentions use of cornmeal, but starts by saying there was less fungus after growing a crop of corn. Are we to assume there was a lot of unharvested grain plowed back into the ground, or that just growing the plant was a hindrance to fungus? If so, then planting lots of corn in with all crops should help.

 

[hoodat]

I just ran across an interesting article and thought I'd pass it on. Here is a quote and the link to the article.
Who would have thought that something as seemingly innocuous as cornmeal would have such potent fungicidal properties? Researchers at Texas A&M Research Station in Stephenville, TX, noticed that a peanut crop planted following a crop of corn didnt suffer the usual fungus diseases. Further research showed that cornmeal contained beneficial organisms that were at least as effective as common chemical fungicides. Somehow cornmeal is able to attract a member of the Trichoderma fungus family, which is a good fungus that kills off disease causing fungi in a matter of weeks.

http://gardening.about.com/od/naturalorganiccontrol/qt/Cornmeal.htm

Hmm... It mentions use of cornmeal, but starts by saying there was less fungus after growing a crop of corn. Are we to assume there was a lot of unharvested grain plowed back into the ground, or that just growing the plant was a hindrance to fungus? If so, then planting lots of corn in with all crops should help.

Good question. The article leaves several questions unanswered. Nowadays dead corn stalks are not usually removed from a field after harvest but are chopped up and turned into the soil with disc harrows. Perhaps any part of the corn plant has the ability to hold off fungus.