When to Pull Them

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

There are plants that I've read that aren't bothered by nematodes. Here is a link
http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgi.../hgic2216.html

I've read Mustard Greens aren't bothered by nematodes. But that was a blog I read that on.

Other helpful links http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=9628

http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=9628

I think a lot of the big farms around here do mustard cover crops to prevent RKNs. It's really pretty in the spring when the huge fields are in bloom.
http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/...s-and-Mustards

[AlittleSalt]

I already have several packs of mustard green seeds. We grew them last year and they really produced well even through all the rain.

I'll research them better tomorrow after solarizing the first part of the garden.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by decherdt

I saw those Fat roots and it might not be textbook classic, but I still thought RKN. I been wanting to pull up a plant for other reasons so I forked up a cherry tom root ball, here is a pic. It was planted out on 2/27. If yours is RKN, they will get worse in the Fall, might want to start some Big Beef and Celebrity. I been growing resistant stuff like Elbon Rye, blackeye peas in the tomato patch, between tomatoes seasons, seems to work OK.

I grow in raised beds that are not lined therefore have nematodes. I've have had fair luck with Big Beef but don't care much for Celebrity. Two nematodes resistant varieties that I had very good luck with this spring are First Prize F1 and Jetsetter F1. Large red tomatoes which taste fairly good. I will grow them again in the Fall and see. I agree nematodes and other diseases are more intense here in the fall than in the spring. Another variety that did amazingly well this spring is the plum tomato Granadero F1. I grew it last fall and though I got quite a few tomatoes it was much more successful this spring.
Good Luck,

[MrSalvage]

Originally Posted by Tracydr

I think a lot of the big farms around here do mustard cover crops to prevent RKNs. It's really pretty in the spring when the huge fields are in bloom.
http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/...s-and-Mustards

What a great read. Thank you

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

I already have several packs of mustard green seeds. We grew them last year and they really produced well even through all the rain.

I'll research them better tomorrow after solarizing the first part of the garden.

Here's some more information from that site. Make sure that you disinfect all tools when going from the infected garden to your other garden or even keep a set of tools just for that garden.http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/...Managing-Pests

[AlittleSalt]

I agree Tracy. I do use different tools in the raised beds than I use in the main garden. However, we need to buy a few more tools for the raised beds. I was talking to my wife about this earlier this morning.

I'm quickly learning that long term gardening isn't a simple hobby. There are many things you need to know before you grow.

I am also understanding why so many people grow in containers.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by decherdt

I saw those Fat roots and it might not be textbook classic, but I still thought RKN. I been wanting to pull up a plant for other reasons so I forked up a cherry tom root ball, here is a pic. It was planted out on 2/27. If yours is RKN, they will get worse in the Fall, might want to start some Big Beef and Celebrity. I been growing resistant stuff like Elbon Rye, blackeye peas in the tomato patch, between tomatoes seasons, seems to work OK.

I would like to understand better what you are saying. What I think you are saying is because some of the roots are a larger diameter than others, this is caused by nematodes, even though the telltale nodules(knots) are not present. I grow in soil with nematodes and I see this on some tomato plants I pull. Sometimes I will see a single root that is extraordinarily thick and I suspicioned nematodes but there were no nodules present therefore, I didn't know for sure.
I need to take more photos of the roots of plants I pull. If I see thick roots on plants that I consider quite nematodes resistant then I might consider the thick root do to something other than nematodes but if I don't see them on seriously nematode resistant plants but do see them on others which I don't consider particularly resistant then I would have to come to the conclusion that the thick roots are do to nematodes.
Or better yet, someone who is quite knowledgeable on the subject may be able to tell us categorically that these types of roots are do to nematodes. I would love to hear others opinion on this subject because I am sure all of us would like to have the ability to objectively determine what is nematode damage and what isn't.
Thanks,
Larry

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

In S. Fl. It's for sure a wives tale( marigolds to fend off nematodes) so is amending the soil with organics to make the nematodes less. You could amend perfectly for 30 years straight and the nematodes will still be an infestation. S. FL. Is extremely infested, every square inch of it.
Solarization kills them, but only for 3 months or so.
I like a container with a barrier to the soil. Still, this season one of my Earthboxes became infested because the yard man weed whacked at an angle, and spattered native soil over the earthboxes, some fell into the planting hole opening in the plastic mulch topper, and that was that.

The part about nematodes in soil with organics not working, I would agree with. I grow in 100 percent compost unlined raised beds and there surely are nematodes in there.
Larry

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

The part about nematodes in soil with organics not working, I would agree with. I grow in 100 percent compost unlined raised beds and there surely are nematodes in there.
Larry

I know, Larry. I hate those stinkin things.

[Worth1]

I wouldn't doubt if I didn't have a nematode or two around here some place.
Taking a plant someone dug up can bring in all kinds of things you dont want.
The lady I keep complaining about here that knows the master gardener I complain about does something I dont agree with.
She has a small nursery and takes in peoples old containers and re uses them to put/grow plants in to sell to other people.
I am pretty sure she doesn't disinfect them in any way.
This is the equivalent of sharing a needle as far as I am concerned.
If you are going to have a business be professional about it or get out of the business.
I wonder how many landscaping and irrigation crews have spread things from one place to the next on the end of a tool.

Worth

[AlittleSalt]

The garden sure looks different today. The yellow thing out of place is our cat - probably wondering why I covered up his litter box.

[Worth1]

Nice friend Salt.

It was asked a while back about the roots and why they were big.
I am going to take this to another level if you done mind.
Many moons ago we used to go in the forest and look for galls on trees.
A gall is the word for what the nematodes are doing to the roots.
In these galls are a female and her eggs.
Not all galls are bad some are the nitrogen fixing things you see on legum roots that store nitrogen.
These are on the outside of the roots and do no damage to the life cycle of the plant.
The galls AKA the big knots you see on tree trunks and limbs are galls.
A gall cane be caused by many things.

Why were we looking for big tree trunks with galls?
Because if you have ever heard of burled wool in furniture this is caused by galls.
Where we breaking federal laws by going in a national forest to cut down trees with galls?
You bet we were.
What did we do it?
Because the National forest was poisoning all of the hardwood trees so the big logging companies could come in and cut out all of the old growth pine and replant with garbage pine.
These big old stately trees were doomed to die and rot on the ground.
Some were probably over 400 years old.
So before we would let these trees rot we cut them down and made furniture out of them.
Like big table tops and so on.

Here is a pictuer of a table top made from wood that had a big gall AKA burl.


When I worked in a cabinet shop we were allowed to take all of the fiddle back and burled wood home because we couldn't use it on the cabinets as it didn't blend in with the rest of the wood.

Just a little side bar on what a nematode or virus and even sometime insect does to a plant and why the roots trunks limbs are swollen.
Mistletoe will cause a burl on wood.
Here is an acorn carved from a mistletoe burl.
Worth.

[decherdt]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

....I think you are saying is because some of the roots are a larger diameter than others, this is caused by nematodes, even though the telltale nodules(knots) are not present....

Any time I see ginger looking roots on tomato plants I'm thinking RKN. Salt's were lumpy enough to call 'em naughty,. It does bother me that several brands of Big Beef all were susceptible, have to just hope they are not monster nematodes from Comanche Peak

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by decherdt

Any time I see ginger looking roots on tomato plants I'm thinking RKN. Salt's were lumpy enough to call 'em naughty,. It does bother me that several brands of Big Beef all were susceptible, have to just hope they are not monster nematodes from Comanche Peak

I agree that Big Beef is suspicious as far as nematode resistance is concerned. I grew BB in a fall season a while back in a Raised Bed. It produced ok but not great and the tomatoes were of good size. The one thing that caused me to think that its nematode resistance was somewhat lacking is that as the plant matured into the end of the season the main stem turned to toast. The main stem was completely dried out and devoid of any plant material within.
With other varieties such as Champion II, First Prize, and Jetsetter, which are all indeterminate vining varieties, I don't see this at all. At the end of the season their main stems are still green and healthy and if I let them they will continually grow larger into the summer or winter but not set tomatoes. It appears to me that just going by the N in a seed vendors description,while somewhat useful, may not provide complete information. With only an N one does not know, in my opinion, whether this variety is low, intermediate or high resistance to nematodes. For example I grew a variety this spring called Giant Beef. It was said to be N but when I pulled the plants which hadn't performed particularly well, the roots were covered with root galls.
Thanks, Your description helps increase my knowledge of how to identify nematode damage.
Larry

[AlittleSalt]

To add one more thing about the nematode problem - Today, one of the people I sold tomato plants in the solo cup stage to - told my wife how proud she is about her huge tomato plants. She went on-and-on about the different colored tomatoes and how she couldn't believe that I gave her a plant that produces so many huge tomatoes. It is a Rebel Yell.

That lady lives about 3 miles north of us. Same sandy loam on top of red clay. It made me feel so good that her plants are doing so well for her. Those are her first tomatoes grown.