Can I Plant Grass Seed If I Use Corn Gluten?

Function

• Corn gluten meal spreads a barrier across the lawn bed. When seeds attempt to grow roots, the barrier stunts the root and prevents it from feeding the seedling. Unless heavy watering or rainfall occur, the seedling quickly wilts and dies.

Seeding Lawns

• Corn gluten meal remains active on the soil's surface for 5 to 6 weeks. During this time, corn gluten meal stops the majority of seeds in the soil and doesn't differentiate whether the seeds are crabgrass or bluegrass. Because corn gluten meal does not leave residual herbicides in the soil, however, you may plant grass seed after 6 weeks.

Alternatives

• If your new lawn bed is particularly weedy and absolutely requires a pre-emergent herbicide at time of seeding, use siduron. Siduron stops crabgrass and other weed seeds without affecting turf grasses like fescue or bluegrass.