Is this little thing really what's destroyed my gardens?

[z_willus_d]

Lyn, I have not. I might look into the county as another potential resource for testing.

In the meantime, Ivan has been in contact with me through PM and has suggested a little experiment to try and get a jump on plans for next season. The idea is to basically run a side-by-side test of his protocol for handling V/F by planting some fall plants in an area that has been afflicted. So, I would remove the dying/grafted plants I have in a section of one of my beds, clear out as much root debris from the soil as possible, and then plant a couple plants side by side and see whether the suppression protocol works as compared to a control group.

So here's the experimental steps as I understand them. Ivan, please correct where I got it wrong.

1. Prepare an area in an afflicted bed, removing the dying plants from this summer season and as much root matter as possible.
2. Start some tomato seedlings indoors to be put out in 3 weeks or so.
3. In the prepared area, till in a good amount (say 1lb per square foot area) of raw, fresh rabbit manure. Till meaning mix the manure with the soil down to 2' deep. Question, should the rabbit manure be composted, or is it important that it be fresh and uncomposted?
4. Add mulch on top of the tilled soil. Based on Ivan's original post, I'm not very clear on this. Should I added black plastic mulch with holes? Some foil reflective mulch with holes. Forgo the plastic/foil mulch and lay down several inches of straw? Or both? Please clarify Ivan.
5. 5-6 days before planting the seedlings, make a mix of 1% copper ( oxychloride or oxysulfate ) + 0.25% mankozeb. Leave it in the garage for 12-24h, stirring it a few times during that period. 3-4 days before plant-out, drench the solution into the plant holes prepared for planting and surrounding area, approx. 10l of solution per 4 holes. Only on the experimental slots, not the control. I'm not sure yet where to get the oxychloride or oxysulfate -- open to suggestions.
6. Mix up a thick slurry of Worm castings, beneficial bacteria product (what specific strains? How much?) and water. When the seedlings are ready to plant out, take the experimental group and dip their root ball into this slurry to cover it thick. Also put some of the mixture in the planting hole before planting in it. Also, when removing the lower stems to deep plant these non-grafted, experimental group seedlings, cover the wounds with a peace of paper wrapped around the stem that will be buried and slosh some of the slurry down the stem between it and the paper.
7. (Optional) Now that the plants are in, mix fosetyl aluminium + propamocarb ( Previcur energy ) 6ml of substance in 2l of water, use 0.2l of solution per a plant. This should be applied first at one day after planting, and a 2nd time after 10 days.
8. Vermicast ( mild ) + beneficial bacteria tea, every 7-10 days on the experimental group (not control). I'm not so sure about this step. Are we talking about the same step as in step #6 above to make a slurry and top dress the plants? Are we talking about an AACT [tea] made with Vermicast (worm-casting) and beneficial bacteria? If so, is it a soil drench or foliage spray application? Ivan please comment to clarify this step. Also again, what specific strains do you recommend. I need to find them somewhere, since right now I only have the products: Great White, Mycogrow Soluble, BiotaMax, and Actinovate, all of which have one thing or another that you do not want (Mycos, Trich, streptomycetes, etc.).

I guess after steps 1-8, I sit back and wait to see what happens to my control and experimental groups.


Looking forward to a response to my questions and confirmation of procedure from Ivan.


Thanks,
Naysen

[efisakov]

Good luck, man. Let us know, please, what name you will choose for your experimental thread.

[aclum]

Hi Naysen,

Sorry to hear about the less than satisfactory results from UCD! Are they charging you anything for their services? Could be a case of "you get what you pay for" - although you mentioned other factors that undoubtedly apply.

Assuming for a moment that UCD might have a point on the nutrient problem, I would HIGHLY recommend that, before you spend any more time or money on treatments, experiments, etc., you get a professional soil analysis done.

I highly recommend the $66 S10C test done by A & L Western Laboratories as shown in the following link:

http://www.al-labs-west.com/sections...ices/soil/fees

(I think it was Jimato who also used this company).

They can also test for soil pathogens, but I think that's quite a bit more expensive.

BTW, I think that anaerobic soil treatment you posted links to sounds interesting and relatively easy......

Anyway, good luck and keep us posted!

Anne

[Paradajz]

hi, N.,

sorry, i'm away from home and quite restricted on access to internet. shall be back by Monday next week, ready to send you some more photos of those Caspians planting, and ready to explain the procedure more detaily.

by then just some info in regard to the experiment you plan to do.

* no time to do the full procedure there- whatever Net could state about it fresh manure takes 3-5 months to fully degrade into a rich and harmless fert. not degraded it would be a toxic killer of your plants.
some more details on it: bacterias decomposing organic stuff generally produce 2 main things- heat and toxic gases. therefore, if you planted in a place where there is an ongoing process of manure decomposing the plants would be dead soon. btw, at TVL i saw at least two cases of foliage damage caused by gasification processes in the soil, i'll see to find those threads and post a link, it's a very interesting accidence.
also, those gases are the reason for holes in mulch- folia recommended in the procedure. if there were no holes than this part of the procedure would be equal to a process of bio- fumigation ( killing living things in soil by toxic gases, for it's part it almost equals a process of classic chemical soil fumigation ).
straw mulch very important there, 'cause it will help with nematodes to a great extent. V. or F. almost always travell together with those, in such drastic outbreaks as with your place especially. please note, if straw is a significant potential risk of endangering your place with herbicide contamination ( as Steve suggested earlier ), can you find any of Brassica species ( Juncea most preferably )? ( the mulch question only goes for a 'regular' and not experimental procedure, no time for this either ). anyway, the mulch issue will be on the schedule on the start of your next season- this Autumn actually

* basicaly, what i suggest you do is skip the cooking and go for the other steps. again, the chemical part- copper/mancozeb mixture will close the issue on it's own ( pathogen eradication and blocking ), but all other steps are additions towards improving it's overall effects, along with strengthening and feeding your plants. we call this procedure 'integrated', since it does contain some high chemo- doses ( although made with metal- fungicides approved in organic gardening up to a certain extent ) but it also has a broad range of actions aiming not only to prevent a disease but also to improve and balance soil and plants to quite a higher level.
btw, the complete procedure ( with cooking ) has broad effects on nematodes and bacterial wilt. soil borne bacterial diseases ( wilt, some phytophthora rots, etc. ) are effectively controled even without the cooking part.
fosetylat/propamocarb ( optional ) part is very specific: propamocarb does stop v/f spread for the time the substance is active but it doesn't eradicate it- once the substance de- activates the spread will go on. so this part actually could only buy some time if previous steps weren't done ok, but wouldn't be decisive anyway. the point of such a step is in fosetylat- the substance highly stimulates root development ( up to even 30% larger root size measured at the end of the season on tomato plants ) and also overal plant's immune system- in other words, the stuff makes plants much stronger and potentive.

more details when i get back, you still have that 100€ bett in this experiment posted by my side

br

[Paradajz]

hi again.
let's do it this way:

1. Prepare an area in an afflicted bed, removing the dying plants from this summer season and as much root matter as possible.

yes.
just note that the remaining plant material in the soil ( most probably infected ) will not have time to degrade much and will therefore be more of a risk of an infection to the new plants, so the copper should be used at maximum level to reduce such an additional risk.

[Paradajz]

2. Start some tomato seedlings indoors to be put out in 3 weeks or so.

ok, if there is still time for it. maybe it would be more convenient if you could get some seedlingsl sooner?
anyway, i would recommend non- grafted and disease- sustainable sorts for the process. please inform if you would like some advice on seed- starting and seedlings development if needed.

[Paradajz]

3. In the prepared area, till in a good amount (say 1lb per square foot area) of raw, fresh rabbit manure. Till meaning mix the manure with the soil down to 2' deep. Question, should the rabbit manure be composted, or is it important that it be fresh and uncomposted?

again, NOT raw and uncomposted at this point. such manure is a decisive factor in the 'cooking' part but not applicable in the experiment.

also, some general advice on fertilisation:
* there is a general rule that a tomato plant needs NPK nutrients in 2:1:3 scale ( if you were a commercial grower there would be a bit higher N ) to cover it's whole life cycle. Ca, Mg and S should be accounted needed at approximately the same scale as Phosphorus ( :1: ).
but the fundamental issue with ferts is when exactly and in what exact proportions a plant should be getting it's food. in different plant stages totally different nutrients play key parts, while the overal ballance of it stays the fundamental goal and critical issue all the time.
* there is also a general rule ( with a status of a Law of Nature ) that soil amending should be done in the following pattern: 3/4 at Autumn, 1/4 at Spring ( some 30 - 45 days before planting ).
it's actually a replicate process of the way the Nature feeds the soil. to present it in simple words: Nature gives food to the soil mostly at Autumn ( leaf fall, dying of annual plant sorts etc. ), decomposition happens all the way to Spring with a 'Big Bang' of microbe life forms happening in the soil.
* in outdoors tomato growing there are 2 principle ( traditional ) ways of soil amending and planting: planting in holes and planting in rows.
both ways are just fine, but one needs to understand that the fundamental goal is not to feed a plant, but to feed the soil
in regard to it there is like a zillion solutions for an optimal fertilising process under specific conditions given for different gardens and soils.
at this point i might only say that 'creating new soil for each season method' i noticed you use is definitely not the best solution.

so, eventually, the ammendments you have already made to your soil should be just sufficient and i don't think you need any more done for the experiment. especially when the fact that your plants do look like a bit over- dosed on nitro taken into consideration.
again, if you would like some advice on fertilising those plants through the experiment i'll be glad to help if i can.

[Paradajz]

a p.s.

1' ( or a couple of inches less ) is the optimal depth for tilling the manure in the soil. at 2' tomato plants won't reach most of that- leaching is taking it's part with organics too.

[Paradajz]

4. Add mulch on top of the tilled soil. Based on Ivan's original post, I'm not very clear on this. Should I added black plastic mulch with holes? Some foil reflective mulch with holes. Forgo the plastic/foil mulch and lay down several inches of straw? Or both? Please clarify Ivan.

no, mulch i was reffering to is a part of 'cooking' in the procedure. the point of plastic and straw mulch at that point is defferent:
1) combined those two will make a 'thermo- block' to the soil, meaning that it will enable the decomposition of raw manure in the soil to produce optimal high temps since it will be additionaly protected from outside temps by plastic and straw ( again, straw will also start decomposing and provide up to 3C higher temps at soil surface than the air temps will be; holes in the plastic so the resulting decomposition gases have a way out, but if you still decide to do a complete bio- fumigation there, leave no holes to the plastic and add some cabbage ( or any of the Brassicas ) to the manure;
2) finally, straw decomposition induces production of some specific substances which are highly effective with nematodes ( and a broad range of other villains ), so when the cooking part gets completed and straw layer tilled into the soil you'll get an additional 'ring' of protection there

for the purpose of the experiment you may freely chose whether to mulch or not ( but not in the phase of soil preparements, but as a part of standard growing procedure- plant the seedlings, and after some time till the soil around a plant lightly, cover the stem base with some soil that you previously tilled, and mulch afterwards ) based on the specific conditions you got there. for example, straw or grass clipings mulch is a part of my standard growing procedure and recommendments, but this season i havent done it. why? because we were ( and still are ) having an incredibly 'wet' season and the resulting increasment of humidity caused by mulch would be more damage than help to my disease suffering plants.
so, it's a matter of your decision, while keep in mind that old Greeks had a saying, something like 'even the best medicines can harm when not applyied properly'. in our gardening world it would make a general rule that it's mostly a matter of knowledge and understanding: there is no uniformed best solutions for each and every particular situation, usually the best way of actions depend on many variable factors that need to be understood and accounted for before any decisions ever made

[Paradajz]

5. 5-6 days before planting the seedlings, make a mix of 1% copper ( oxychloride or oxysulfate ) + 0.25% mankozeb. Leave it in the garage for 12-24h, stirring it a few times during that period. 3-4 days before plant-out, drench the solution into the plant holes prepared for planting and surrounding area, approx. 10l of solution per 4 holes. Only on the experimental slots, not the control. I'm not sure yet where to get the oxychloride or oxysulfate -- open to suggestions.

ok, this is very specific.
copper/mancozeb mixture is proven to eradicate both F. and V., but especially effective with V. further more, this mixture will create a specific compound which will make a total 'block' for the remaining pathogens ( under 'normal' weather conditions, while with abnormal amount of rainfall or over watering the compound will leach and degrade prematurely ).
it will also clear the soil from broad range of soil- borne bacteria and fungal diseases and have some additional effect on parasites.
finally, this mixture will not 'poison' the fruits since it will mostly remain in the soil where it will be harmessly degraded ( again Liebig's Law, but this time in combination with the nature of copper, zinc and manganese ).

about the exact percentage of use of copper and mancozeb i need to see what exact copper product you plan to use there. mancozeb is much easier- it's mostly produced in WG formulations with 80% of clear substance, therefore it goes into the mixture at a standard rate- 0.25%.
on the other hand, copper products broadly range in formulations and amounts of the clear substance withing a product. so please, don't take 1% use rate as a rule and let me refrase it: the copper product should go into the mixture at 2 or 3 times higher rate than standardly recommended.
further more, you wont find a copper product which labels simply 'copper' as it's ingredient- copper is used in many different forms, c.oxysulfate and c.oxychloride should be amongst the most frequent ones. just note, the formulations may vary ( WG,SC, etc. ) and the exact amount and way of use in the procedure will vary with it respectivelly. in addition, the activity of copper ions varies greatly in time and strength with different forms of the substance.
therefore, it would be extremely comfortable if you could post some links of all the products available to you so i could see what fits.

finally, taking the fact that there will be some 'freshly' infected plant material remainings in the soil into account, and that the hazard of an infection will therefore be increased ( in comparisson to a situation where those remains have gone through a process of decomposition and the number of surviving pathogen is significantly reduced ), i would recommend to go with a slightly increased amount of mixture per a hole: 10l to 3 holes and surounding area.
please also note, this part of the procedure is critical- it eradicates the buggers.
therefore, you need to take care that the soil is well prepared when drenching, meaning that it was recently tilled, which will enable the mixture to go deep enough ( note: f/v can be found up to 50cm depth in the soil ).

[Paradajz]

6. Mix up a thick slurry of Worm castings, beneficial bacteria product (what specific strains? How much?) and water. When the seedlings are ready to plant out, take the experimental group and dip their root ball into this slurry to cover it thick. Also put some of the mixture in the planting hole before planting in it. Also, when removing the lower stems to deep plant these non-grafted, experimental group seedlings, cover the wounds with a peace of paper wrapped around the stem that will be buried and slosh some of the slurry down the stem between it and the paper.

ok, you'll see the procedure of 'root dipping' into the 'slurry mixture' in the next set of photo of those Caspians planting i'll send you soon. photos will have no paper ring part of the procedure, but that one is easy. this is actually a standard procedure i use when planting just about anything, and you should see why on your plants very soon after you do it.
at some other ocasion i'll see to explain the significance of the period starting at 4 sets of leafs and ending with first flowering brunch appearance in a tomato plant life cycle, which is actually the period when the plant's productivity, strength, health and endurance will be ( or not be ) decisively determined.

as for the bacteria strains, oh... there is like a zillion zillions of those.
but let us try this way:
* i'll see to google- check the products you named and inform you on what i think.
* by then, some general info:
- beneficial soil- bacteria ( and fungi and plenty of other microbe life forms ) is, in simple words, a natural inhabitant of a it's natural environment- surface layer of the soil.
- it's beneficial part comes from a fact that, in it's life activity, it symbiotycaly inhabits plant's roots and surounding area, where it does it's job: degrades stuff into forms a plant will use. and it degrades both organic and inorganic stuff there ( plenty of processes of 'cleaning' the soil by using those microbes known to men, i believe the term in English would be 'bio- remediation' ).
- at the same time, these microbes make a 'crowd' down there which additionaly protects a plant from villains, and with V. especially- it's quite an environment intollerant sort of a bugger.
- finally, on the results of it's work you can divide such microbes in 3 basic categories:
1) 'humificators' ; in a very simplified explanation, those turn various organic stuff into humus
2) 'mineralisators'; again a simplification, those turn humus- contained minerals into forms available to the living world ( in our case plants ) to feed on.
3) 'acumulators'; those collect 'the food', from the environment, ranging from soil and water all the way to the air ( nitrogen fixating from the air by bacteria inhabiting leguminosas roots should be the most commonly known example ).

so finally, what i want to say:
it's an extremely wide subject to explaine this way.
further more, the number of those strains is almost not 'name- able'.
most importantly: if i managed to explain it with my English, you'll notice that those bacteria are actually a large piece of any existing forest soil ( top - humus layer ), and also the most beautiful side of any quality Worm- castings.
therefore, if you have troubles with finding it, or prices of those would make your experiment to costly, don't worry. just take some quality Worm- casting and/or forest humus and make a tea of it ( with some brown suggar added, and don't worry about the smell- it's actually a sign that the process is going well in there ). it will absolutely do the job.

and please, for the purpose of the experiment you shouldn't use your Worm- casting production, since it's still a very probable cause of the contamination.
also, i believe that all this experiment should cost you is some time and efforts, and possibly a pack of quality- tested worm- castings

shall continue later, br.

[z_willus_d]

Originally Posted by Paradajz

ok, if there is still time for it. maybe it would be more convenient if you could get some seedlingsl sooner?
anyway, i would recommend non- grafted and disease- sustainable sorts for the process. please inform if you would like some advice on seed- starting and seedlings development if needed.

Hi Ivan, I will certainly go non-grafted, but wouldn't it be a better experiment to choose a variety that shows some susceptibility to V./F. for this experiment? I'd rather see the untreated control go down and the treated control go down but slower, than both growing out just fine? I do know that this condition in my garden seems to be worst in the hot summer months, possibly just because the plants are most stressed at those times. I could try and root some suckers from the top of some of my current plants, most of which look reasonably healthy at their upper 10' and above stretches. I don't know if the pathogen have moved that high up through the plant, since I certainly do not want to start with plants that are already infected.
Thanks,
Naysen

[z_willus_d]

Originally Posted by Paradajz

again, NOT raw and uncomposted at this point. such manure is a decisive factor in the 'cooking' part but not applicable in the experiment.

also, some general advice on fertilisation:
* there is a general rule that a tomato plant needs NPK nutrients in 2:1:3 scale ( if you were a commercial grower there would be a bit higher N ) to cover it's whole life cycle. Ca, Mg and S should be accounted needed at approximately the same scale as Phosphorus ( :1: ).
but the fundamental issue with ferts is when exactly and in what exact proportions a plant should be getting it's food. in different plant stages totally different nutrients play key parts, while the overal ballance of it stays the fundamental goal and critical issue all the time.
* there is also a general rule ( with a status of a Law of Nature ) that soil amending should be done in the following pattern: 3/4 at Autumn, 1/4 at Spring ( some 30 - 45 days before planting ).
it's actually a replicate process of the way the Nature feeds the soil. to present it in simple words: Nature gives food to the soil mostly at Autumn ( leaf fall, dying of annual plant sorts etc. ), decomposition happens all the way to Spring with a 'Big Bang' of microbe life forms happening in the soil.
* in outdoors tomato growing there are 2 principle ( traditional ) ways of soil amending and planting: planting in holes and planting in rows.
both ways are just fine, but one needs to understand that the fundamental goal is not to feed a plant, but to feed the soil
in regard to it there is like a zillion solutions for an optimal fertilising process under specific conditions given for different gardens and soils.
at this point i might only say that 'creating new soil for each season method' i noticed you use is definitely not the best solution.

so, eventually, the ammendments you have already made to your soil should be just sufficient and i don't think you need any more done for the experiment. especially when the fact that your plants do look like a bit over- dosed on nitro taken into consideration.
again, if you would like some advice on fertilising those plants through the experiment i'll be glad to help if i can.

Hi Ivan, thanks for your thoughts. The only reason I mentioned fertilizer or manure at this stage was because of the "seasoning" you have for your procedure to remove/reduce V. I realize on further reflection that for that process to work, the soil needs time to break-down and ferment/compost the fresh manure before planting, and since we don't have time for that here, I will have to forgo that seasoning step. I am not "creating new soil" each season at my property, though I have added raised beds or containers with new soil for the past three seasons, and in so much that I've needed to add soil to those reservoirs, I've created new soil to the task. The larger beds from previous years are only minimally tilled and amended both in fall before my brassica planting and later in spring before the summer plants are set out. I've actually been surprised by how 'over-amped" my plants have been this season, but I owe the high vigor and "vegetativeness" to the fact that I'm grafted to the Maxifort rootstock that is known for this behavior as well as the fact that I may have used more rabbit manure than was required. I am used to horse manure, which is far less "potent" and so I probably over-dosed/doped the soil when amending with the rabbit, which incidentally the worm population seem to enjoy far more than the horse. Next year, I'll graft on Multifort (or maybe something else) for 3 race F. resistance and less vigorous rootstock growth pattern.
-naysen

[z_willus_d]

Originally Posted by Paradajz

no, mulch i was reffering to is a part of 'cooking' in the procedure. the point of plastic and straw mulch at that point is defferent:
1) combined those two will make a 'thermo- block' to the soil, meaning that it will enable the decomposition of raw manure in the soil to produce optimal high temps since it will be additionaly protected from outside temps by plastic and straw ( again, straw will also start decomposing and provide up to 3C higher temps at soil surface than the air temps will be; holes in the plastic so the resulting decomposition gases have a way out, but if you still decide to do a complete bio- fumigation there, leave no holes to the plastic and add some cabbage ( or any of the Brassicas ) to the manure;
2) finally, straw decomposition induces production of some specific substances which are highly effective with nematodes ( and a broad range of other villains ), so when the cooking part gets completed and straw layer tilled into the soil you'll get an additional 'ring' of protection there

for the purpose of the experiment you may freely chose whether to mulch or not ( but not in the phase of soil preparements, but as a part of standard growing procedure- plant the seedlings, and after some time till the soil around a plant lightly, cover the stem base with some soil that you previously tilled, and mulch afterwards ) based on the specific conditions you got there. for example, straw or grass clipings mulch is a part of my standard growing procedure and recommendments, but this season i havent done it. why? because we were ( and still are ) having an incredibly 'wet' season and the resulting increasment of humidity caused by mulch would be more damage than help to my disease suffering plants.
so, it's a matter of your decision, while keep in mind that old Greeks had a saying, something like 'even the best medicines can harm when not applyied properly'. in our gardening world it would make a general rule that it's mostly a matter of knowledge and understanding: there is no uniformed best solutions for each and every particular situation, usually the best way of actions depend on many variable factors that need to be understood and accounted for before any decisions ever made

Hi Ivan, got it again. Your explanation helps clarify for the general procedure, which seems quite similar to the Biological Soil Disinfestation procedures that I posted links for studies of above. As a matter of general practice, I do like to mulch heavily here given our dry long hot summers, but this year I didn't get around to it. I quite literally ran out of free time in the garden, with all my spraying and mucking about. The job would have been more difficult also due to the need to protect the graft union of my grafted plants from direct contact with the mulch. I was thinking to use a shield of tin-foil for that. A nice plastic tubing might work also, though I wonder if the moister conditions created by a "shield" might result in fungal/bacterial infections at the wound.
-naysen

[z_willus_d]

Originally Posted by Paradajz

ok, this is very specific.
copper/mancozeb mixture is proven to eradicate both F. and V., but especially effective with V. further more, this mixture will create a specific compound which will make a total 'block' for the remaining pathogens ( under 'normal' weather conditions, while with abnormal amount of rainfall or over watering the compound will leach and degrade prematurely ).
it will also clear the soil from broad range of soil- borne bacteria and fungal diseases and have some additional effect on parasites.
finally, this mixture will not 'poison' the fruits since it will mostly remain in the soil where it will be harmessly degraded ( again Liebig's Law, but this time in combination with the nature of copper, zinc and manganese ).

about the exact percentage of use of copper and mancozeb i need to see what exact copper product you plan to use there. mancozeb is much easier- it's mostly produced in WG formulations with 80% of clear substance, therefore it goes into the mixture at a standard rate- 0.25%.
on the other hand, copper products broadly range in formulations and amounts of the clear substance withing a product. so please, don't take 1% use rate as a rule and let me refrase it: the copper product should go into the mixture at 2 or 3 times higher rate than standardly recommended.
further more, you wont find a copper product which labels simply 'copper' as it's ingredient- copper is used in many different forms, c.oxysulfate and c.oxychloride should be amongst the most frequent ones. just note, the formulations may vary ( WG,SC, etc. ) and the exact amount and way of use in the procedure will vary with it respectivelly. in addition, the activity of copper ions varies greatly in time and strength with different forms of the substance.
therefore, it would be extremely comfortable if you could post some links of all the products available to you so i could see what fits.

finally, taking the fact that there will be some 'freshly' infected plant material remainings in the soil into account, and that the hazard of an infection will therefore be increased ( in comparisson to a situation where those remains have gone through a process of decomposition and the number of surviving pathogen is significantly reduced ), i would recommend to go with a slightly increased amount of mixture per a hole: 10l to 3 holes and surounding area.
please also note, this part of the procedure is critical- it eradicates the buggers.
therefore, you need to take care that the soil is well prepared when drenching, meaning that it was recently tilled, which will enable the mixture to go deep enough ( note: f/v can be found up to 50cm depth in the soil ).

Understood Ivan. I'll send you a PM with some of the products available to us here. I'm not so happy with the idea of drenching my "realm" with mancozeb, but I"m more than willing to give the experiment a try on a sub-area and see if it can help.

Thanks,
Naysen