Time To Solarize And Kill Nematodes

Roseinarosecity wrote:Did you add any organic matter prior to covering it?  If you did, what did you add?

Roseinarosecity wrote:Is there anyway you can monitor the temperature under the plastic, maybe not this bed, but maybe the next bed?

martha wrote:Rose, I think a lot of the good stuff will get killed during the solarizing process?

Roseinarosecity wrote:... Don't worry about the earthworms; they will move downward away from the heat.  Hopefully, you don't have a weed barrier at the base of your raised beds.

dstack wrote:My table top bed have plywood bottoms.  They'll be trapped. 

Roseinarosecity wrote:Wait, your table-top also has nematodes?  How do you think they got there?  Your tools? Cross-contamination with the other soils?

martha wrote:David, you are an inspiration to me! When I read your posts, I think, "I want to be that gardener!"

Question - how do the worms get into the TT beds?

The nematodologist professor at UF was so emphatic that if nematodes cannot find a host root within four weeks, they will die.  So I'll get a bucket and put some of the newly bought compost (same brand that occasionally has worms).  As I find worms I'll rinse them off and put them in my compost bucket.  Since the professor was so sure about that, I'm going to let those worms live in that compost bucket for at least 4 weeks, and perhaps 6 to be sure.  The the compost with worms should be good to use either in the beds or in my landscape.  

littlejo wrote:dstack
I had RKN the first yr. of SFG. My beds are on the ground, so solarizing doesn't do much good. They just move away from heat, then soon return. I tried planting marigolds, then turning them under. But, it halfway works and it is lots of work.
Everywhere I went I asked what could I do. Well, I was told(by a friend at a very expensive flower shop) Plant mustard, eat some if you like, cut off and go ahead and plant what you will. Mustard roots put off a chemical that nematodes don't like, so they move on. I bought a lb. of cheap mustard seed and planted all my beds, even put some in the isles. Since doing this I've had no more RKN.
You cannot eat Mustard except in winter here, for it gets very hot. It will re-seed itself and will attract bees when/if you allow it to bloom.
Jo

littlejo wrote:I did not  know there were several strains of RKN. My extension service did not mention this, but they were not very helpful.
Jo

Roseinarosecity wrote:Boy, you neatly covered those beds!

You could probably get it hotter if you used another layer of plastic over the beds.  Like this link suggests,  http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74145.html.

"For small treated areas in a small garden or on a lawn in cooler climates, it may be helpful to use a double layer of plastic with air space created by objects such as plastic bottles or PVC pipe between the layers. This has been shown to raise soil temperatures an additional 2° to 10°F over temperatures obtained with a single layer of clear plastic."

Your edge of your boxes is enough to keep the second layer up.  What kind of plastic did you use?  I used a Duck brand Window Kit with a "Crystal Clear Shrink Film."  It was 62" x 420".

sanderson wrote:You've done a nice job covering and sealing.