root knot nematodes

i have a major root knot problem here in fl. two years ago i found a product made of ground sesame plants.it worked for a while but i cant find it anywhere now. i think it was made by sunniland.

What is root knot?

rootknot is a condition caused by microscopic parasitic nematodes. they get in the roots of the plants and cause pea to golf ball sized "knots" in the roots . plants can't take up water and nutrients very well. plants start out well and usually start showing signs [wilting in the middle of the day even in wet soil] abuot 6 weeks after planting. plants decline and die. tomatoes, squash, eggplant and cucumbers are especially susceptable. this is a real problem in poor sandy soils. the only chemical control was banned several years ago, and the ground sesame is the only organic control that showed any hope. i've tried every home gardeners remedy i've heard of. soil improvement is supposed to help so last fall i made a huge compost pile with leaves, seaweed, horse and chicken manure, lots of fish scraps, and anything else i could get my hands on. i made raised beds and planted using only the compost. i got great yeilds for a couple of weeks before the decline started and the parasites won again. this is to much work for too little reward. somebody out there has to have a solution. please?

flsusie, you may want to try cereal rye for your nematode problem. (Note that is "cereal" rye, not ryegrass or perennial rye.) It's a great trap crop/nematode killer from all research I've read. (I don't have nematodes in my clay soil so can't speak from personal experience, only research.)

You could grow it as a cover crop for a few months or so, giving up part of your veggie growing season.

Hope this is helpful.
Shoe

I have battled them here (years ago) when my ex brought in construction sand to lighten the soil. It is a terrible problem, you think your plants are OK and just as they start to get going they die. I did use the product that is no longer avaliable. I don't have them anymore it took a couple of seasons to get rid of them. Very disheartening
I can't help you but I can sympathize.

thanks for the input, and sympathy. i,ll try the rye. i,m assuming i need to pull and toss it, not plow it under?

flsusie, nope, no need to pull it and toss it. What happens is the nematodes are attracted to the roots, enter them and can't get out, then die. What you would do is grow the cereal rye then either mow it or use a weed-eater to cut it back, then till/plow/shovel it into the soil several weeks before your planting time. Not only will it get rid of the nematodes but the top growth will add nice plant matter and encourage good tilth to your soil. If it were me I'd do that before it flowers and goes to seed.

Happy Gardening!
Shoe

Root-knot Nematodes are nasty buggers and once you have them you usually have 3 choices - defeat them, abandon the bed or grow hybrids that are nematode resistant...

They are tough to eradicate completely and from what I have read parts of Florida have a major problem with them. Fortunately for me, they are not indigenous to soils of the Southwest and are not found in native desert plants unless they have been introduced. Most here hitchike in on plants from a nursery or shared plants from somewhere else.

Shoe's suggestion of cereal rye as a cover crop is a good method. Also, I have read that Mexican Marigolds (Tagetes minuta) drive them away. Increasing the soils fungal population can also help as fungi eat nematodes.

This is a good article from the U of A College of Ag...

http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/diseases/az1187

I also remember seeing beneficial namatodes being sold somewhere that are supposed to control them - maybe Gardens Alive - but I have not ready any evidence supporting their effectiveness. I think with most beneficial nematodes, application at the proper time under the right conditions is the key to their success. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has successfully used a product like this successfully!