The Old-School Seed Starting Hack That's Not Worth Your Time

It's likely that at some point in your life, a family member passed some of their tried-and-true wisdom down to you, like the idea that cornmeal can help prevent fungal growth in the soil for new seed starts. They'll also claim it prevents weed growth. The thing is, some of these tricks our families pass down just don't work, even if they saw them in an article or book. In this case, cornmeal is unlikely to be beneficial for your seeds for a number of reasons. But there is a corn substance that can help with weeds, and it has a similar name.

Some people believe that cornmeal can prevent ants from destroying plants (and keep them out of your home), and will also rid your plants of fungus that often grows in the soil and on seedlings as they begin to grow. In reality, cornmeal can have devastating effects on plants, actually encouraging fungal growth. And while it seems many online resources have worked hard to clear up the myth, it still makes the rounds on social media. Cornstarch is also sometimes credited with deterring both ants and fungus, and may add to the confusion. In fact, it's corn gluten meal, sometimes referred to as cornmeal gluten, that may benefit your plants. And, while it's corn gluten meal you want over cornmeal, you might not even want to use that until your plants are rooted and growing, or once again you may end up with the wrong results. And don't forget, there are other household staples that actually do rid your garden of fungus.

There's a difference between cornmeal and corn gluten meal. They both come from the same part of the corn (the endosperm), but cornmeal is the carbohydrate part, while corn gluten meal comes from the proteins. According to a report from Washington State University Extension, one big difference (with regards to this myth) is that corn gluten meal is found in commercial herbicides while cornmeal is not a component of any fungicide. In fact, the article states that while people commonly recommend cornmeal to control fungus, there is no science supporting it. "Do not use cornmeal as a fungicide," it definitively states.

Cornmeal can actually facilitate the growth of various fungal species: It does the exact opposite of what you're trying to accomplish when mixing it with your seeds. It appears that the popular idea that cornmeal fights fungus comes from a misunderstanding of historic research: Scientists use cornmeal as food to help breed "antagonistic" fungus species that will go on to act, themselves, as fungicides (so, again, cornmeal promotes fungal growth). When it comes to repelling bugs, cornmeal is actually more likely attract ants and slugs instead of deterring them.

If you do use corn gluten meal in your gardening ventures instead, it's important to understand that one of its benefits is to help prevent weeds by attacking seeds and newly sprouting roots. So corn gluten meal can kill new garden plants, as well as any sprouting weeds, if you apply it before they're established enough to be transplanted. This is also why you want to use it before weeds appear — it won't kill existing weeds, but it will help prevent those that are still seeds. Still, it's better than the viral weed killer hack you should think twice about.