root knot nematodes

[chance]

I need a new way to combat rootknot nematodes in my hot and sandy soil.
The best thing I have found is sorghum as a summer cover crop. It either
kills or repels the little devils but the roots are big and tough and hard to
till under. Sesame seems to suppress them but struggles in the summer heat.
Any non-chemical miracle cures?

[kurt]

Alot of articles on steam soil sterilization.Expensive,reamending the soil after.A farmer down here has developed his own rig and says it does the trick for nemos and soil fungas and bacterias.

[FreyaFL]

I am intrigued by nematophagous fungi, though haven't used them. There was a mushroom company (Fungi Perfecti) that had spores for sale that you'd work into your garden. (Can't seem to find the site now.) This type of fungi actively kills nematodes. Here's a cool video on how they do so:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n04wCkIpuQ

[Redbaron]

lots of organic matter and marigolds works for me.

[jerryinfla]

Unfortunately there is no non-chemical miracle cure for root knot nematodes (RKNs) other than perhaps sterilizing your soil which will also kill beneficial nematodes and other microorganism. I'm plagued with these buggers too and believe that if I can build healthy soil containing huge quantities of organic matter and beneficial microorganism I'll have them under control someday. Meanwhile, I try and grow things that are resistant to or less susceptible to RKNs and I'm constantly on the lookout for such things to plant to include cover crops.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by jerryinfla

Unfortunately there is no non-chemical miracle cure for root knot nematodes (RKNs) other than perhaps sterilizing your soil which will also kill beneficial nematodes and other microorganism. I'm plagued with these buggers too and believe that if I can build healthy soil containing huge quantities of organic matter and beneficial microorganism I'll have them under control someday. Meanwhile, I try and grow things that are resistant to or less susceptible to RKNs and I'm constantly on the lookout for such things to plant to include cover crops.

Jerry,
Have you seriously tried marigolds a couple years? I know you know how to add organic matter. I bet you have great soil. But have you ever tried a serious companion planting campaign? I don't mean planting a marigold on the corners and hoping they magically cure the whole garden. I mean interplanting a variety of species all through the garden to the degree that at times some people may wonder what is the real crop and what are the companions? Each adding to it's neighbor to the point they all grow like a jungle? I generally try marigolds basil and cilantro with tomatoes. (sometimes rosemary too but never rosemary with basil) I also have a few things like Borage I grow throughout the garden in all the crops. But I space the flowers and herbs very very closely. 10 inches or less. Lets face it. Generally lack of sun isn't the problem in Florida, not even in winter. Tomatoes generally eventually out pace the rest anyway.

I have grown in sandy Florida "soil" and while it is impossible to totally eliminate pests there, actuallly there is a very good reason the Spanish named it "the land of flowers". Given the right ecouragement you can generally grow wonderous crops there.

[jerryinfla]

Scott -

No, I've not tried interplanting with marigolds for two years -- yet. I do have one bed now planted with half RKN resistant hybrid tomatoes, half with heirloom tomatoes and interplanted with marigolds. It's my first experiment with interplanting marigolds and I'm only a few months into it. The bed looks like you've described -- a jungle of intertwined tomatoes and marigolds. I'll be pulling the tomatoes when we have our first frost which will probably be before Christmas. At that time, I'll examine roots to determine if I still have RKNs in that bed.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by jerryinfla

Scott -

No, I've not tried interplanting with marigolds for two years -- yet. I do have one bed now planted with half RKN resistant hybrid tomatoes, half with heirloom tomatoes and interplanted with marigolds. It's my first experiment with interplanting marigolds and I'm only a few months into it. The bed looks like you've described -- a jungle of intertwined tomatoes and marigolds. I'll be pulling the tomatoes when we have our first frost which will probably be before Christmas. At that time, I'll examine roots to determine if I still have RKNs in that bed.

One tip I have. Generally it is better to grow dwarfs. I usually grow French dwarf marigolds. Tagetes patula This lets me plant more without the Marigolds themselves becomming a "weed". I generally loose from 25% to 50% of my marigolds to being "crowded out" by my main crop. For example the 4 foot tall cauliflower in my garden with 3 foot leaves long ago crowded out all the beneficial companion plants that I had planted beside it. But that's good too. If the marigold or other companion plant dies, it starts decomposing in the roots, providing a later release of nutrients to the tomato or cauliflower or whatever that crowded it out. I also plant a solid "border" of marigolds to prevent nematodes from migrating in from other areas. Also don't plant marigold in your beans due to the antimicrobial thiophenes in the roots. It is sometimes hard to explain to someone not used to this particular permaculture method. It's more like music, but based on science. We use anti pest and anti microbials where they reduce disease and pests, but simultaneously promote other beneficial bacteria and "critters" of every type. Over do any one side of the equation and it generally bounces back to slap you in the face. But take a balanced approach and the benefits are spectacular.

I will try to take pictures next year. Just remember one thing. Often what triggers a companion plant's beneficial effects is trauma. So never be afraid to trim back those marigolds and give flowers to your sweety. Generously trim the basil and add it to your cooking. Be sure to cut plenty of borage to add to salads or make german green sauce. Never let the companions become the main crop. And yet while making sure they don't get too unrully you are actually havesting a crop from them. Meanwhile the companions feel under attack and produce the plant chemical warfare that benefits your tomatoes! Or they attract beneficial bees with flowers, attract predators looking for the pest that is "eating them" etc.... Or they "warn" surrounding plants and trigger their responces. It even goes deeper. There are even proven interactions between plants and beneficial bacteria & fungus that can be triggered.

All this is proven scientifically, yet what we know scientifically is just the tip of the iceberg. It is very difficult to reduce the complex web of interactions into a single product system for scientific study, which of course tends to like reductionism to remove confounding factors.

One thing however that absolutely has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt scientifically and under strict peer review, as well as in the field by real people......Marigolds do kill RKN. They wont kill them all, and it may take more than one season to reduce them to low enough levels not to reduce productivity, but this isn't an old wives tale. It is real.

I better stop now before I get too preachy or ramble too much.

I am very confident your experiment will be a success and I truely wish you the very best.

[roper2008]

Originally Posted by Redbaron

Jerry,
Have you seriously tried marigolds a couple years? I know you know how to add organic matter. I bet you have great soil. But have you ever tried a serious companion planting campaign? I don't mean planting a marigold on the corners and hoping they magically cure the whole garden. I mean interplanting a variety of species all through the garden to the degree that at times some people may wonder what is the real crop and what are the companions? Each adding to it's neighbor to the point they all grow like a jungle? I generally try marigolds basil and cilantro with tomatoes. (sometimes rosemary too but never rosemary with basil) I also have a few things like Borage I grow throughout the garden in all the crops. But I space the flowers and herbs very very closely. 10 inches or less. Lets face it. Generally lack of sun isn't the problem in Florida, not even in winter. Tomatoes generally eventually out pace the rest anyway.

I have grown in sandy Florida "soil" and while it is impossible to totally eliminate pests there, actuallly there is a very good reason the Spanish named it "the land of flowers". Given the right ecouragement you can generally grow wonderous crops there.

I grow Dwarf French Marigold every year because I love the
flower. If I plant these all over around my tomatoes. I think
the tomatoes would cover them all up, and they wouldn't get
enough sun, but I'm going to try it anyway.
If anyone wants some seeds, I have a whole bunch.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by roper2008

I grow Dwarf French Marigold every year because I love the
flower. If I plant these all over around my tomatoes. I think
the tomatoes would cover them all up, and they wouldn't get
enough sun, but I'm going to try it anyway.
If anyone wants some seeds, I have a whole bunch.

Agreed! If you look at the long winded post above you'll see that also has it's benefits too.

[kurt]

http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/nematodes.htm Probaly stuff here that was already adressed but what I did not know is that nematodes actually "travel".This article mentions barriers(metal?)up to twelve inches deep around the raised beds.This I never heard of.

[dice]

Nematodes and cowpea cover crop (resistance varies with cultivar
and nematodes eventually adapt):
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in516

Other nematode resistant cover crops:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2620786/

Environmental requirements of sunnhemp (grown in summer):
http://ucanr.org/sites/asi/db/covercrops.cfm?crop_id=40

One would use most of these like marigolds, but grown in between
actual crops rather than interplanted with them. I imagine that
turning the top growth of sunnhemp under would require some
equipment. If your equipment is a shovel, probably better to mulch
with the harvested top growth and turn it under after it breaks down.

[matereater]

Interesting video! Have heard alot of talk here about them but never really understood what they/it was.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by matereater

Interesting video! Have heard alot of talk here about them but never really understood what they/it was.

Oh believe me! I know from experience first hand. If you ever develop a nematode problem, you'll never forget. They can be incredibly destructive. Generally people tend to get them (if they do) a couple years after starting a new garden. Very big problem in parts of Florida.

[ginger2778]

Scott, don't mean to hijack the thread, but is there a companion plant thet thwarts whitefly? Tremendously large problem here.
-Marsha