Treating nematodes with hot water

[HiPoha]

I have several containers of tomatoes that aren't doing so well. I dug a few plants up and found signs of nematodes. The roots were balled up. Since the affected soils are in containers, I poured a couple of gallons of boiling water into each of them. Hopefully this should take care of the problem for my next planting.

[kurt]

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...l+steam&page=2 HI POHA,check #27 D Kelley is from your neighborhood.The farmers down here use steam soil sterilization as a last resort(very expensive).So you are on the right track.If the boiling water will stay past the 165 degree kill zone to the bottom of container you should be OK,but you will kill any beneficials on the way.Best bet discard soil and start with fresh material IMO.Good Luck.

[HiPoha]

Thanks Kurt. Discarding the soil in the containers would seem a waste for me. I turned the soil over and gave it another dose of boiling water. It is the fastest means of ridding nematodes. Marigolds, Mustard, solarization, and even chemicals are not as immediate.