Need help/advice please: Is this nematode damage? photos included

BW_AustinTX · November 2, 2011

Hi all,

When I pulled my one cherry tomato plant, the photos below are what the roots looked like.
To me they look misshapen and deformed. What may of caused this, and how would this effect taste and growth of the tomatoes?
I am in Austin TX, the part where the soil is very dense and clayish.
Is it better to do a raised bed and container garden, or is this soil viable?
I grew this from seed that started in sterile medium.

Still new, so not even sure if I am asking the right questions.
Thanks for your advice and help.

b54red · November 3, 2011

Yes, that looks like nematode damage. I would try to add some horse manure to your soil in large amounts. It seems to be a real deterrent to nematodes. Add as much organic matter to the soil as you can such as manures and compost. While waiting for your soil to build up you might want to plant a few nematode resistant hybrids along with the other varieties you plant.

dice · November 5, 2011

Someone reported this year that out of a long list of heirlooms
planted where nematodes are a problem, only Granny Cantrell
showed no nematode damage when pulled up, so that one likely
has natural, undocumented genes for nematode resistance.

feldon30 · November 5, 2011

I would look up Suze's posts about nematodes. Composted manure is a good start, but it's not gonna completely knock out nematodes, especially if you are growing in very sandy soil. There are many more organic options than there were 10 years ago.

b54red · November 6, 2011

Feldon is right it takes a long time to get the nematode population down to a manageable level if you have a lot of them. It took me years before they became only a minor inconvenience; but the first year after I added the horse manure the damage they did was greatly diminished.

mcsee · November 6, 2011

Has anyone tried planting some of the Brassica family and use as a soil fumigant around the time they flower, a common Nematode control here.

http://www.infonet-biovision.org/def...anicPesticides

BW_AustinTX · November 6, 2011

Sigh... just another obstacle in my battle here in Austin.
Thanks again all.

feldon30 · November 6, 2011

In the old days, the only solution was nasty chemical fumigation. Fortunately there are newer products which are organic and not quite so caustic.

http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=19465

amideutch · November 24, 2011

Just came across this paper on alternate nematode control. Ami

http://www.oisat.org/downloads/nematode.pdf

And another interesting article.

http://www.academicjournals.org/ajar...d%20Pandey.pdf

November 2, 2011	#1
BW_AustinTX Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Austin TX Posts: 28	Need help/advice please: Is this nematode damage? photos included Hi all, When I pulled my one cherry tomato plant, the photos below are what the roots looked like. To me they look misshapen and deformed. What may of caused this, and how would this effect taste and growth of the tomatoes? I am in Austin TX, the part where the soil is very dense and clayish. Is it better to do a raised bed and container garden, or is this soil viable? I grew this from seed that started in sterile medium. Still new, so not even sure if I am asking the right questions. Thanks for your advice and help.

November 5, 2011	#3
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Someone reported this year that out of a long list of heirlooms planted where nematodes are a problem, only Granny Cantrell showed no nematode damage when pulled up, so that one likely has natural, undocumented genes for nematode resistance. __________________ -- alias

November 5, 2011	#4
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	I would look up Suze's posts about nematodes. Composted manure is a good start, but it's not gonna completely knock out nematodes, especially if you are growing in very sandy soil. There are many more organic options than there were 10 years ago. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

November 6, 2011	#8
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	In the old days, the only solution was nasty chemical fumigation. Fortunately there are newer products which are organic and not quite so caustic. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=19465 __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

November 24, 2011	#9
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	Just came across this paper on alternate nematode control. Ami http://www.oisat.org/downloads/nematode.pdf And another interesting article. http://www.academicjournals.org/ajar...d%20Pandey.pdf __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

November 3, 2011	#2
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Yes, that looks like nematode damage. I would try to add some horse manure to your soil in large amounts. It seems to be a real deterrent to nematodes. Add as much organic matter to the soil as you can such as manures and compost. While waiting for your soil to build up you might want to plant a few nematode resistant hybrids along with the other varieties you plant.

November 6, 2011	#6
mcsee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Victoria. Australia Posts: 543	Has anyone tried planting some of the Brassica family and use as a soil fumigant around the time they flower, a common Nematode control here. http://www.infonet-biovision.org/def...anicPesticides