Battling Rootknot Nematodes

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

My 47 Earthboxes have a solid bottom and the water drainage area is above ground,so nomorenematode issues. It turned my 3 month season into an 8-9 month one instantly.

Wow, what a set up! Wonderful. However there's no way I could afford it for the amount of stuff I have.

It looks like you have two tomatoes per box. Do you do the same with peppers?

[Redbaron]

There is also the battling nematodes with predatory nematodes option.
Predatory nematodes

In this case however, all those tillage so called "solutions" wont work. You'll need to go no till because tillage breaks up the micro channels the predatory nematodes need to move through the soil. (root knot nematodes are 10 times smaller and tillage actually helps them move)

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by GoDawgs

Wow, what a set up! Wonderful. However there's no way I could afford it for the amount of stuff I have.

It looks like you have two tomatoes per box. Do you do the same with peppers?

The 7 gallon pots that I got were absolutely free. We got them from a landscaping site where they were installing bushes and they just gave them to us. My peppers are in anywhere from 3 to 7 gallon pots just like the ones you see that the side of the earthbox.
One thing you should know about earthbox is that you only spend it the once and you can just get three or four at a time every year they don't degrade their getting 35 years and counting out of them. They can end up pretty cost-effective after a lot of years. Also the soil is easy to solarize and clean every year by just wrapping it in a 3 mil clear plastic bag and tying it up for a couple of months.

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by Redbaron

There is also the battling nematodes with predatory nematodes option.
Predatory nematodes

In this case however, all those tillage so called "solutions" wont work. You'll need to go no till because tillage breaks up the micro channels the predatory nematodes need to move through the soil. (root knot nematodes are 10 times smaller and tillage actually helps them move)

Have you used these yourself?

[cjp1953]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

I gave up on growing them in south Florida's extreme nothing but sand soil. We are so infested you would need 100 marigolds per foot!
I now grow in pots with potting mix, not potting soil, and the thick plastic bag the potting mix came in is placed between the pot and the soil. It's a barrier to nematodes, they can't crawl into the pot through the drain holes because the plastic is there. Easy peasy, problem completely solved. My 47 Earthboxes have a solid bottom and the water drainage area is above ground,so nomorenematode issues. It turned my 3 month season into an 8-9 month one instantly.
The idea is: grow and don't let them in. Photo showing the barrier under the pot.

I don't have that problem with nematodes but I just bought 2 packets of marigold seeds while at a local drug store that were 40% off.I'm
going to plant them all around my garden this year.I want to keep other pests away as a safe measure.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by GoDawgs

Have you used these yourself?

No till veggies? yes. Store bought nematodes? no.

I was fortunate enough that there was enough wild nematodes to do the job just by not tilling.

However, one of these days I will test the store bought at either my Mom's or Uncle's house in Florida.

[Gardenboy]

Make sure you buy or plant FRENCH marigold seeds. Some varieties of marigolds like hybrids will increase your nematodes. Also mustard greens works great as well. I have fresh French marigold seeds if anyone is interested.

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by Gardenboy

Make sure you buy or plant FRENCH marigold seeds. Some varieties of marigolds like hybrids will increase your nematodes. Also mustard greens works great as well. I have fresh French marigold seeds if anyone is interested.

I've known about the French marigolds and grow some every year. Actually Territorial Seed has one called 'Ground Control' that is supposed to be even better for nematodes due to a higher concentration of whatever it is that deals with nematodes. I packed a bed full of them several years ago (they're pretty tall), cut them down as instructed and tilled it all in. Didn't notice much difference. Same with the several beds of mustard greens I've tried.

[decherdt]

If / when you plant rye, it needs to be a grain producing cereal rye. The Noble Foundation developed a variety "Elbon" for Southern climates recommended by Texas A&M. Ryegrass does not trap the 'todes like Elbon does.

[GoDawgs]

Originally Posted by decherdt

If / when you plant rye, it needs to be a grain producing cereal rye. The Noble Foundation developed a variety "Elbon" for Southern climates recommended by Texas A&M. Ryegrass does not trap the 'todes like Elbon does.

Ah so! I just replied to your other post about planting through live rye and asked this very question. Cereal rye. Thank you for that! I will have to see if the local feed 'n weed carries it or can get it for me so I can play with a bed of it next spring.

When did you seed yours and when does it die back? If you plant through live rye, does it hide what you're planting? Inquiring minds would love to know your process!

[decherdt]

Here is that google "Elbon Rye" link
I think I read to plant between Labor Day and Thanksgiving? but Sept is too hot around here. I have sown as early as 10/02/16 or as late as 12/02/14. Only real trick is to make sure to get good coverage. I will till the Summer cover under with some N fert, broadcast sow over close raked grooves, rake over, sow again on top and drag a pc of plywood over it all, then water daily for a week, then weekly for a month, then let it alone. Never looks like much until March. Then just mow it along with the rest of the yard. I think you can till it then and still be ok, but I want it for no till mulch and could not get it to kill at that stage anyways. Have used post hole digger but now using a red razorback trenching shovel. The rye dies back after it heads, maybe early May-ish here. If you can cut or crimp it just before it heads, it will kill then and not reseed. It can become a nuisance "weed."A no till side effect is that Spring rain does not effect my plant out schedule, can plant just a couple days after rain.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by decherdt

If / when you plant rye, it needs to be a grain producing cereal rye. The Noble Foundation developed a variety "Elbon" for Southern climates recommended by Texas A&M. Ryegrass does not trap the 'todes like Elbon does.

If you plant the proper French Marigolds you have to then till them under which takes that planting area out of production for a whole year.

Same with Elbon,which hasn't worked well for everyone.

And don't forget crushed up shrimp shells,which have also been tried as well

And solarization as well.

There are southern RKN's and northern ones ,same genus,different species,which have seldom been confirmed since they don't overwinter.

Ah yes,those special marigolds called Nemagon, or something like that.

Then there was some wonderful work done in FL about nematode breaking strains,yes strains,don't know if still true,since the RKN's have specific attachment sites on the roots.

There has to be several hundreds of threads here at Tville on all of this just for using the search feature.. And I almost forgot that they prefer sandy soils and spread from the water shell on a sand grain to the next one and that's how they build up large populations.

The solution to that was to amend that sandy soil with non sandy soil to separate the grains so the RKN's couldn't build up large populations.

Carolyn

[decherdt]

Elbon traps the Southern rkn M. incognita while live, prior to tilling

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by decherdt

Elbon traps the Southern rkn M. incognita while live, prior to tilling

(Same with Elbon,which hasn't worked well for everyone.) as I posted above.

If the attachment sites on the roots have changed,or the specificity of the RKN's themselves, as I also posted above,then it's game over for the plants,sadly..

Carolyn

[decherdt]

Originally Posted by decherdt

Elbon traps the Southern rkn M. incognita while live, prior to tilling

Maybe I should rephrase that as a question. Does Elbon trap M. incognita while live, prior to tilling? I've read in an extension service publication link that say it does, but most articles just say that as a small grain it is a poor host, and starves them out. Most articles say that any grass including annual ryegrass are poor hosts. Elbon in Winter and Sudex in the Summer are the only ones I've tried.