I haven’t confirmed it, but I have a pretty good suspicion that a few of my plants are performing poorly due to root knot nematodes (mainly my in ground tomatoes and my dwarf everbearing mulberry). How do you guys deal with RKN? I know french marigolds are supposed to help, are there any other plants? Would be awesome if there was a ground cover that helped, I’m trying to replace/remove all the grass.
Has anyone felt like the marigolds really helped? I know theres studies on it, but I’d feel better with some anecedotal evidence as well. Anyone do anything else to help with inground RKN?
I use one of the specific French Marigold varieties like Tangerine that is recommended. Not all of them works. It seems to reduce the amount of nematode damaged roots on my Sungold tomatoes. Sow them in a solid bed and let grow all season. Next year plant your crop into the bed. Inter planting does not work. Be sure you clean gardens tools so as not to be reintroducing nematodes into your garden bed.
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Eden Brothers Seed company sells Tangerine. I buy the 1/4 lb size in the fall when it’s on sale. I also rotate my garden with Knucklehull VNR Cowpeas from Southern Exposure Seed
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I believe it can also help to cover crop over the winter with brassicas like mustards. In early spring cut them off at the root, leaving the root and leave the leaves to rot. It is supposed to have a fumigating effect on the soil.
For planting, consider grafting your tomatoes. While you can use tomato rootstock varieties which have some nematode resistance, big beef is very resistant to nematodes so may be even better to use as the root. Cheaper than hybrid rootstock varieties as well.
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Does anyone know what ratio of neem/water - how dilute of a neem solution- one should use for a soil-drench approach? I either have root knot nematode or nodules as damage from WAA on a container apple.
I was going to dump the soil in my infected apple container (far away), hose off, spray with neem and repot. But, life. I just want to try a soil drench and not deal with it further this year.