How to Break Up Corn Stalks

Wear a pair of gloves when working with cornstalks to protect your hands from injury. Use a machete to cut down corn stalks just above soil level once they have stopped producing corn and have begun to dry. Lay them over the surface of your garden for one to two weeks to dry.

Leave the dried cornstalks on the ground, and go over them with a lawnmower, or use a hatchet to break the corn stalks into pieces if you have a small number of stalks. Wear goggles to protect your eyes. Continue to mow or chop the stalks until they are in small pieces.

Rent a wood chipper or shredder for large amounts of cornstalks. Read the instruction manual and all warnings completely before operating. Wear gloves and goggles while working with wood-chipping machines. Position the chute of the machine to direct the shredded stalks onto your garden plot or compost pile. Turn the machine on and add the dried cornstalks into the machine a few at a time.

Allow the machine to run for two to three minutes after the chipping is done. Turn of the machine and unplug it from the power source before cleaning its interior. Deposit loose cornstalk chips from inside and around the machine into your garden plot or compost pile.

Use a rototiller to till the chipped cornstalks into your garden plot. Run the rototiller over your garden soil multiple times to ensure the cornstalks are evenly spread through the soil.