Marigolds

kilroyscarnival · June 10, 2020

Are all varieties of marigold going to produce the chemical that repels nematodes and other pests? I was looking into some different types.

Cheers,

Ann

Tracydr · June 11, 2020

They have to be French types if I understand it properly.
A cover drop of mustard or radish is supposed to work better, you just do the cover crop in cooler weather and let it rot in the soil after cutting back. Till the tops into the ground.

Goodloe · June 11, 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by kilroyscarnival

Are all varieties of marigold going to produce the chemical that repels nematodes and other pests? I was looking into some different types.

Cheers,

Ann

From my reading, French Marigolds (Tagetes patula) have shown some promise in helping ward off nematodes....

kilroyscarnival · June 11, 2020

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tracydr

They have to be French types if I understand it properly.
A cover drop of mustard or radish is supposed to work better, you just do the cover crop in cooler weather and let it rot in the soil after cutting back. Till the tops into the ground.

Thanks, good to know! I'm interested more in companion planting, and I did plant some French marigolds last year, but then again I grew food crop mostly in containers. Nematodes seem to have hit some of the folks in my area rather hard. I've always heard marigolds, then was seeing some different varieties, dwarfs, different color patterns, etc.

Tracydr · June 21, 2020

I’ve always had spider mites when I plant marigolds but that was in AZ when mites were a a big problem. I may have to slip some old marigold seeds around in some spots and see what happens here in NC.
For pests,I like planting basil,especially Thai or lemon, all around the garden. I’m also experimenting with some sunflowers this year and they seem to have attracted a few assassin bugs.
I wish I could find something g to repel or trap the stink bugs and leaf footed bugs. Plus,the Japanese and June bugs. That would make my life so much easier!
If anyone has suggestions, I’m open to trying either a trap crop or repellent.
I heard somewhere that amaranth is good as a trap, I may give that a try.
I suspect I may have a few nematodes in a couple of spots so I may need to work on that this winter.

Gardenboy · June 23, 2020

I grow French Marigold all season here in south FL and then save the Marigold plants and put them in the bottom of my containers when I plant my tomatoes out. Also, alfalfa meal or pellets will deter RKN as well as Lemongrass.

Gardenboy · June 25, 2020

Also growing Sudangrass Sorghum and then letting it decompose will exude a nematocidal acid which reduces nematode and symphylan populations.

4season · July 17, 2020

Five years or so ago, root knot nematodes made a major appearance in my carrot patch. I used the French marigolds the next year with chicken litter and crushed crab shell. Not sure why chicken litter is supposed to work, but the crab shell is composed of mostly chitin. Root knot nematode eggs have chitin in their shell so anything that encourages chitin eating organisms is bad for their eggs. That bed is fine now.

Gardenboy · July 17, 2020

Yes, I save all my fish scales as well and use in my growing containers for all my veggies.

June 10, 2020	#1
kilroyscarnival Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 614	Marigolds Are all varieties of marigold going to produce the chemical that repels nematodes and other pests? I was looking into some different types. Cheers, Ann

June 11, 2020	#2
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	They have to be French types if I understand it properly. A cover drop of mustard or radish is supposed to work better, you just do the cover crop in cooler weather and let it rot in the soil after cutting back. Till the tops into the ground.

June 21, 2020	#5
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	I’ve always had spider mites when I plant marigolds but that was in AZ when mites were a a big problem. I may have to slip some old marigold seeds around in some spots and see what happens here in NC. For pests,I like planting basil,especially Thai or lemon, all around the garden. I’m also experimenting with some sunflowers this year and they seem to have attracted a few assassin bugs. I wish I could find something g to repel or trap the stink bugs and leaf footed bugs. Plus,the Japanese and June bugs. That would make my life so much easier! If anyone has suggestions, I’m open to trying either a trap crop or repellent. I heard somewhere that amaranth is good as a trap, I may give that a try. I suspect I may have a few nematodes in a couple of spots so I may need to work on that this winter.

June 23, 2020	#6
Gardenboy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 784	I grow French Marigold all season here in south FL and then save the Marigold plants and put them in the bottom of my containers when I plant my tomatoes out. Also, alfalfa meal or pellets will deter RKN as well as Lemongrass.

June 25, 2020	#7
Gardenboy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 784	Also growing Sudangrass Sorghum and then letting it decompose will exude a nematocidal acid which reduces nematode and symphylan populations.

July 17, 2020	#8
4season Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: albuquerque Posts: 308	Five years or so ago, root knot nematodes made a major appearance in my carrot patch. I used the French marigolds the next year with chicken litter and crushed crab shell. Not sure why chicken litter is supposed to work, but the crab shell is composed of mostly chitin. Root knot nematode eggs have chitin in their shell so anything that encourages chitin eating organisms is bad for their eggs. That bed is fine now.