Does Cornstalk make good Nutrients?

Question

My bro told me to ask for him.

He wants to know if cornstalk would make good nutrients for plants. Like Horse and Pony manure makes good nutrients for tomatoes, crop, etc.

And does hay make good nutrients? The other day when he was farming, he saw someone put hay on their sunflowers and it seemed to make them grow faster.

Thanks!

Answer 1

They could be composted.  Trying to use them uncomposed is inviting problems though, they are high in sugar and will attract animals.  

As for the "hay" it was probably straw ans being used as mulch to hold moisture.  Eventually it will rot into the soil after it is dug in the next year.

Answer 2

Hay, cornstalks, and wood chips make good mulch. Mulch is used to keep the sun from drying the soil around plants.

When cornstalks, hay and wood chips are mixed with manure and allowed to rot they make good compost, or fertilizer.  

Answer 3

Cornstalks are generally plowed into the ground to help replenish the soil for the next year. There are some nutrients. The hay around the sunflowers is to keep the soil moist and keep weeds from growing so that all of the soil nutrients are focused on the sunflowers.