July 26, 2018

Good morning, I follow a couple of veggie growing sites for Far West Texas on Facebook. It was sad to see that a fellow gardener had acquired Root Knot Nematodes (RKN). I have found that this has complicated my gardening experience but by no means is it the end of this experience. There are a number of things that can help mitigate this nuisance, what follows are a number of things that I have done.

The first thing is to note what areas of the garden are infected. These areas need to be treated different than the rest of the garden so that the spread can be slowed. Washing gardening equipment between beds is very helpful towards this end. This is most likely the easiest thing that can be done.

One thing I have found that really sets them back is to solarize the bed. The bed is prepped for planting and a 6-inch trench is dug around the bed. Very important the bed needs to be well watered, this is what will conduct the heat down into the bed. UV resistant film is spread over the bed and is drawn tight as the film edge is buried in the trench. It is recommended to leave the film in place for 6 to 8 weeks during the hottest time of the year. This will kill the RKN in the top 6 to 8-inches of the soil. This is good for a few years.

The addition of extra compost to the bed does have positive effects on RKN.

Planting as absolutely as early as you can guarantees a harvest before the RKN become too active. They become active when soils are 66 degrees and warmer.  

Crop rotations are a must.

I have found okra and tomatoes to be the most susceptible.

I have used a product called Promax that is distributed by Huma Gro. I have found that this product allows the plant to develop new roots and will allow the plants to mature and produce a crop. I administer this through my drip system. Along with Promax I also apply AzaGuard (an organic nemacide) a Actinovate (an organic fungicide that has shown some benefits of RKN reduction).

When I pull the plants at the end of the year I dispose of as many of the galls as I can. This is where the eggs can be found.

I highly recommend anyone with RKN to do a Google search to learn more about these pests. I have noticed diminished crop harvests but the garden remains quite productive.

And yes there is life after being infected with RKN, but maybe a little more complicated.

Follows is a list of what I am growing, please email as to availability and prices. Chard, kale, green onions, carrots, lettuce, okra, tomatoes, chilies (several varieties), eggplant, butternut squash, garlic, beets, bulb onions, cucumbers, summer squash, sweet potatoes, and beans. Also, there is volunteer basil and dill.