Doing Battle With The Deadly Nematode

Rolling Stone 8/31/2014, 3:50 pm

A weapon in the war on nematodes might be Mustard used as a cover crop. From the Growveg.com web site I noticed the following: ...

"Rather than eat all those mustard greens, I will chop them up using a sharp lawn edger, and then quickly turn them under using a digging fork. Numerous studies have shown that live mustard plant tissues, both seeds and roots, contain compounds that work as a soil biofumigant by killing nematodes and pathogenic fungi. Reaping this benefit requires handling mustard like a green manure, because the beneficial compounds are released within hours after the plants are chopped down."

The cited research is rather skimpy; and I have not tried this option, so it is here for your consideration and/or review.
If the subject has already appeared in these forums, my apologies fro a rehash.

Karl

CapeCoddess 8/31/2014, 5:08 pm

Thank you! I'll try it. I guess I'll start broadcasting mustard seeds in this year's tomato beds now.

CC

Marc Iverson 8/31/2014, 8:51 pm

Just a little while ago there was some info posted on a type of mustard that grows hugely tall and gives off an extra amount of its natural chemicals, which the developer bills as so powerful it acts as a soil fumigant when tilled into the soil.

Territorial Seeds sells it as a cover crop:

http://www.territorialseed.com/product/Mighty_Mustard_Kodiak_Cover_Crop_Seed/new_for_spring_2014

A search might bring up the original discussion with its link to the developer's website, which gives more detailed information than Territorial does about it.

Good subject that could use its own topic, so I don't think you're being redundant. I think it would just get buried and easily forgotten in the thread it came up in a little while ago.

dstack 8/31/2014, 9:32 pm

Interesting. I'll be interested to know how that works for you.

While the bed that I solarized in June-July has a fresh start, on Friday I discovered that nematodes had infected some of my cucumber and bean plant root systems (corner bed). Many say it's too late to solarize in September, but I believe our Septembers are hotter with more direct sun than many states ever get up north. All I need is four weeks of hot sunny days and I can plant that bed for fall. Plus solarization, in the hottest times of summer can kill nematodes 12" down. The bed is only 8" deep.

Doing Battle With The Deadly Nematode Solari11

Doing Battle With The Deadly Nematode Solari11

The good news is that only a small group of roots had been infected on my English cukes, while the lemon cukes were unphased. Some of the bean plants had root knots, but they were small and insignificant. Nematodes don't do well in a good soil mix with plenty of organic matter. And I'm thinking that lemon cukes may be nematode resistant. While the nematodes were more widespread than I expected, there was no huge infestation due to the rich soil content. Smile

Doing Battle With The Deadly Nematode Solari12

Marc Iverson 8/31/2014, 10:14 pm

I wonder if you might consider putting some reflective materials around the solarizing beds so as to mirror even more sun/heat onto them? I don't see why some cheap dollar store tinfoil taped to cardboard wouldn't do.

P.S.: What's going on with that bottom box? What kind of cover is that? It looks reflective.

dstack 8/31/2014, 10:49 pm

Marc Iverson wrote:I wonder if you might consider putting some reflective materials around the solarizing beds so as to mirror even more sun/heat onto them? I don't see why some cheap dollar store tinfoil taped to cardboard wouldn't do.

P.S.: What's going on with that bottom box? What kind of cover is that? It looks reflective.

That is clear plastic. Even with it hugging the soil, the moisture makes it look white. The extension office, and any reputable source recommends clear plastic.

Re: reflective matterial... Thank for the tip, but today it was 100 degrees and will continue in the upper 90s or so until at least mid-October. Also, a nematodologist professor at the University of Florida emphatically told me that if the nematodes are deprived of a root host, they will die after 4 weeks.

Marc Iverson 8/31/2014, 10:55 pm

So then I guess one of the purposes of solarizing is to kill off any root remnants?

dstack 8/31/2014, 11:13 pm

Marc Iverson wrote:So then I guess one of the purposes of solarizing is to kill off any root remnants?

I believe that may be part of it. Of course they recommend that you pull out as much of the roots as you can.

Also... "Root knot nematodes, including eggs, die when soil temperature exceeds 125°F for 30 minutes or 130°F for 5 minutes. The effectiveness of solarization is reduced in cool coastal areas, where summer temperatures commonly remain below 80°F ."
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7489.html

**sanderson** 9/1/2014, 3:37 am

Dstack, What are those 2 little plants all by themselves?

dstack 9/1/2014, 9:11 am

sanderson wrote:Dstack, What are those 2 little plants all by themselves?

Those are Champion Collards Greens that were unphased. I believe they must also be N-resistant. They survived though the Summer although the leaves are small. The leaves will produce much better in the cooler weather.

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