# Best Thing To Do With Corn Stalks?



## DETMURDS (Feb 13, 2007)

I am almost done with all my corn now,...and I am happy to say that I had about a good 400 ears of corn! Anyhow, I want to hear what is the best thing to do with the leftover stalks? Should I burn them,..I don't think that they will break down before next spring?


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## MaineFarmMom (Dec 29, 2002)

Burning them is unsustainable and creates pollution. I compost mine. If they don't break down between now and spring you can leave them until fall or the following spring. 

If you have livestock they'll take care of them. My goats and cattle ate all I'd give them.


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

sell for decoration?


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## DoubleD (Jan 28, 2007)

Detmurds... I have an old rusty axe... I use it to chop up large items like corn stalks into smaller pieces for the compost. I just lay them out on the ground and take some swings at it. Since it is an old rusted axehead... I do not worry that it is sinking into the soil with many of the swings. 

And you are right... they will not likely be composted completely by next spring. I keep multiple piles going of compost. The one I made last spring will be ready by next spring for the early garden needs. The compost piles I made last fall - are in use currently. The piles I am assembling this fall - will be ready by fall of 2008.


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## moonwolf (Sep 20, 2004)

I used to use my big tiller and just till it all under the garden.

If you can't do that, chop or shred them up and use that to till in your potato patch.


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## NickieL (Jun 15, 2007)

I was using mine as decoration but the deer took care of that....so my husband mowed over the rest and I raked it up and threw it into the compost.


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## rocket (Sep 9, 2005)

I run mine through a chipper/shredder before tossing into the compost pile. They break down about as quickly as leaves that way.


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## JAS (Oct 15, 2003)

We grow a variety that gets 12 tall and I was going to use some of the thicker, straighter ones for pole bean poles.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

i feed mine to my rabbits, but before I had the rabbits I chopped them up and used them as the bottom layer of a new compost heap. They were gone by spring.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Dry corn stalks have an average NPK value of .75-.40-.90 and thus are quite valuable as a nutrient source for whatever follows. I chopped the stalks off at the base while still green and that has hastened the decomposition process. They will be plowed under yet this fall and thus will still have most of nutrients available in the spring. 

Martin


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

JAS said:


> We grow a variety that gets 12 tall and I was going to use some of the thicker, straighter ones for pole bean poles.


Have you used them in the past, did it work okay?

I would have expected that once spring rains start falling the stalks would quickly deteriorate and break over. Even standing corn stalks before harvest will sometimes break down.


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## MoonShine (Mar 17, 2003)

I usually cut them,bundle them,and sell them...or give them away. My dogs love to play with cornstalks...they like to play tug of war with them out in the field


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## Cascade Failure (Jan 30, 2007)

The rabbits get them. Anything the rabbits don't eat goes into the compost pile.


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