The non-water-soluble fertilizers will have to eventually be converted to a soluable nutrient (usu by bacterial action) for plants to absorb the nutrient, or how does one explain how it gets into the roots of a plant?. Unless plants have evolved a new process of nutrient absorption in the last few years that I do not know about.
Non-water-soluble fertilizer if it is ever to be utilized as a fertilizer, and not be permanently bound, would be considered a slow release fertilizer. Use of corn gluten as a fertilizer possibly adds some organics to the soils and also enhances the beneficial soil bacterial flora in addition to the eventual release of disssolved nutrients from decomposition to benefit plant growth.
I would not go so far as to call corn gluten a FA killer. It might at times suppress some growth of FA, but I doubt that it acts to chemically kill FA similar to the chemical action of for instance copper based herbicides or hydrogen peroxide as in Green Clean.
I doubt very much that the micro-zoo or plankton are directly eating the corn gluten. They are not equipped or adapted to eat corn gluten. They are no doubt feeding on the associated bacteria that are decomposing the corn gluten.
Last edited by Bill Cody; 04/11/08 09:12 PM.
