When I first learned about foliar nematodes about 6 years ago, on this site, in fact, I spent hours, days even, ripping out plants that showed signs of them. I poured boiling water in the holes they left and felt emotionally drained from the result. I started to hate gardening as it no longer seemed like a restful hobby, but something that had me worried all the time. First, it was HVX, then the nematode knowledge...I was ready to give up. HVX was easier, since all I had to do was give up hostas. LOL. NO, didn't do that, just learned where to buy them.

Thought I had f.nems in control. HAH! No such thing of course. I recently learned (from a tread somewhere on this forum) that 'Jack Frost' brunnera is a host. Groan. Those are expensive! So I go and look, and of course, what I just thought was drought marks or signs or dying back for the season is nematodes.

There is no easy or effective way to have your garden rid of them. I think they are working on some chemical, but even if it was out there now, don't think I'd use it. Because I'm sure it would kill beneficial things too. Isn't that the way it always works? With the cure, comes a host of other problems? You can probably try to get rid of every plant that shows signs of it, but the next plant you bring in...and look at a list, there's hundreds of known hosts...can have nematodes and reinfect your garden again. Besides, I think they can live in the soil for years and years, just waiting for a host to jump on.

So, I've calmed down and decided to tolerate them and not trade or give anything away. I do not want to give the pest to anyone else...even if they most likely have the pest themselves.

Anitamo, I agree with all you said. A few years ago on this forum I remember saying something like, "If I can't have nice hostas, I won't have any hosta." Boy, I sure had to change my thinking real quick like. LOL.

With all of the money and hard work that I've invested in trying to rid my garden of nematodes, one of the hardest things for me to do is turn down friends' request for a "little piece of a hosta." Even if they look nem free, I
won't share any of them anymore. I wouldn't do that to my friends. So much for hosta being the "friendship plant"

I've heard that people with a pestacide license are the only ones that can use chemicals that actually work against nematodes. Does anyone know if those with that license can be hired to use those chemicals on the adverage home gardener? I'd be willing to pay someone to treat my garden

Those licensed to to use chemicals are the regular pest control folks - the same ones you call to get rid of pests in the house. I would, however, research what chemicals actually work and make sure the pest control operator was using that chemical.

Sometimes, you have to buy a rather large quantity of at item when you buy it wholesale. It's possible that some unscrupulous operators might try to use a chemical they have on-hand rather than the one you want applied. There was a link on this forum this week to an article published by the Ohio Extention service that detailed what chemicals worked for nematodes.

bkay

See the thread on Nematodes soap treatment. I don't know if it's easy but it's not that hard. It is also not poison or likely to fry your plants. I'm very encouraged by the results. I feel confident that when a plant shows up with them I will just make sure and treat that one next year. I'm not paranoid about bringing in new plants in case they have them. This feels like a managable problem to me. McT

bkay, I was hoping that maybe farmers have that kind of license and could help me out.
A few years ago I read that article from the Ohio Extention Service and I found a place online that sold me some Zerotol. Just regular home gardeners like myself can't get it now. I wasn't impressed with it anyway.
Diazinon is another one that the EPA took off of the market. Spent hours on the web last night checking out nematicides and there's a place called domy ownpestcontrol.com that sells a product to take the place of Diazinon. I plan to call them about it. My question is if it works so well why hasn't it been taken off the market too? I spent hours yesterday heat treating 8 plants.
That's a lot of work! There just has to be an easier way.
I sprayed yesterday with the last of my Neem Oil.

Thanks for the discussion. I think we will have to just wait for something to be "invented". In the meantime we can continue to experiment and try things out. Elaine

Most stuff that has worked is too harsh on groundwater, has too many ill effects on the environment or even us... in a recent thread on Hallsons Gardens forum... Chris..one of the owner/operators of that fine establishment... suggested a mentality of relaxation... and suggested simply using a pesticide with "merit" aka "imidacloprid"... something like bayers rose care or 12 month tree and shrub protection... the rose care takes multiple applications through the season and contains fertilizer... the tree and shrub 12 month formula can be used sparingly once for year round protection... I used the tree and shrub this year..sparingly spreading it around in all of my beds..a little bit more concentrated close around each hosta... after I saw signs of the nematodes... I'm only a two season hosta newbie... so I can't comment on the fact that I've had nems bad for years and the stuff works...but I can tell you I've seen no ill effects to the hosta from using this "merit"...
I can agree with Chris on continuing to treat sufficiently... IMHO they were always handled before with chemicals...and will have to be from here on out...the infestation is so bad its hard to tell how well "merit" will work... its fairly new on the market and with any chemical its gonna to take a decade to get this infestation back under control... if we ever can... I know you are seeing what bed bugs can do these days... its all over the news around here... evolution..what a shame...so Chris...a certified hosta farming aficionado professional plantain lily pimp said to just use "merit" and put your shut up hat on... thats exactly what I'm gonna be satisfied in doing... I had also commented on that thread.. that IMHO... any hosta retailer that claims to be nematode...or even HVX free.. is a big liar...
Well guess what... Chris didn't agree... but he didn't disagree either....every division cannot be tested... its not business friendly... and nematodes are just something were going to have to deal with... I think the main thing is that we have hosta retailers that are aware of HVX and Foliar Nems and wouldn't knowingly let an infected division get shipped out... just like some of you commented before that you know you have nems bad and would never trade or give out divisions to someone... I'll give out divisions myself... but I would be sure to tell them.. "look I got nems real bad man"... some claim the "merit" actually works... I'm pretty sure it has something to do with the pesticide not working entirely on the surface... the plant actually absorbs the pesticide through the roots... where something like sevin is entirely topical... and washes off after a good rain... plus I think the "merit" might make the hosta harder to eat up since the "merit" filled hosta probably kills the nems...So unless a sure bet comes out on the market.. I'll probably just use that 12 month bayer tree and shrub.. every year... once a year and see how much better or worse the nem damage gets each year....I'd say its definately less work than giving my hostas hot baths lol... they always want me to turn on that Kenny G... I hate Kenny G
Keep it simple silly
John

John, Merit is one of the treatments that I've used and had good results with, but stupid me, I didn't order any this year. I had never heard of the stuff until one day I called a nursery in the north-east somewhere about ordering some hosta. I had a long conversation with the owner and the subject of nematodes came up. He suggested that I buy some Merit. When I asked him how much to use, I remember he told me to take a few handfuls of it and just throw it into my hosta beds. Well, I sometimes have a way of overkill. Instead of doing that, I took a handful and poured it onto the crown of every one of the heavily infected cheaper/common plants. It worked! No nems this year on any of the plants that I treated that way last year. Will they emerge again on those plants? Who knows.
I sure wish I had ordered some Merit this year. I plan to order more soon.

There is a lot of talk about crab shells helping with the nematode problem. It seems bacteria that break down the crab shells also breaks down the egg shells of nematodes.

http://www.basic-info-4-organic-fertilizers.com/crab-meal.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Crab shells

you can get the bayer stuff at lowe's and walmart... probably any other box store as well.... and wow crab shells... I like snow crab lol...maybe more trips to red lobster are in order!
John

I've also recently come to the realization that those black splotches all over so many Jack Frost Brunneras (including mine) are likely nematodes. Great. Also found some leaves on a Huechera today that I'm pretty sure is infested too. I'm also suspicious of many ferns out there. I'll try the Bayer stuff next year on a few things, but I've decided to just live with them, basically. I'm not about to dig up and trash half my garden. If I trade anything from my garden in the future I will let the person know of the state of my plants and leave it up to them to decide if they want them. I would take plants in trade from a garden with nematodes, since the horse is already out of the gate here.

coll - I agree with you - and I was suspicious of a large area of lily of the valley. I think they have had it for years. What can we do? Go around the whole yard with each and every idea out there? Every time you cut a hosta you have to change the tool you use or soak it in bleach?? I will just live with it and let anyone I give a hosta to know the problem. Hostas at this time of the year are full of all kinds of brown spots and etc. anyway. And in this area in about 3-4 weeks they will be gone. Then spring......

The source of anti-nematode insecticide probably is not limited to Bayer. I used Ortho some 30 years ago when I had leaf miners in birch leaves. That was also systemic. The 'General Ortho..' insecticide I have also lists to be killing rose leaf miners, same as Bayer.
Bernd

Oh, I haven't even mentioned my Lily of the Valley- I have a HUGE stand of it...it's the only thing that was planted in this yard when we moved in. It gets major brown streaks at the end of summer (as does everyone elses LOTV that I see around). So I guess it either has nematodes or that anthracnose stuff or something.

coll.... I noticed my Lily of the Valley being streaked this year and didn't think much about it until I noticed so many nems in my garden.
I know for many people, LOV gets uber-ugly shortly after it blooms, but mine always stays with me right up to the frost. So, I don't know if the fine vertical streaking is nems or the uglies.

Yeah, it's hard to say because they don't have the same vein structure that we're used to studying with hosta. On Heuchera, the nematodes appear as little geometric blocks on the leaves. And then ferns- hard to tell what's just browning parts of fronds from over or under watering, or nematodes! Honestly, I don't even want to look that close at my ferns at this point. I'm done stressing about these things so that I can devote all my anxiety to voles!

My LOTV looks pretty good up until late August, I'd say. It even looks fairly decent right now, for the most part, but not near as healthy and green as it does in the Spring. A client of mine has some in more sun and hers seems to look lousy all summer long.

I think I read somewhere that Impatience can have nematodes too.
Who doesn't have at least one Impatience in their garden as a companion plant to their hostas?

Who doesn't have at least one Impatience in their garden as a companion plant to their hostas?

That'd be me. I've never had impatiens at this house. In fact, I haven't had any in at least 7 years.

yeah I don't either lol... but if you send me one I'll plant it...and don't trash those Brunneras I'll pay shipping for them lol...
John

I found an extra dog Heartworm pill in my kitchen drawer today. I was just reading that heartworms are a type of nematode. I'm going to grind up the pill and dissolve it in water and drench the one remaining infected hosta that I was planning on just trashing. It will be a science experiment! Just not sure if I should try it now or wait til Spring.

See my latest posting in the best online retailer thread on the front page now for an update on my non nematode status. I have been formally corrected lol....
John

Oh great, I thought all those black splotches on my Jack Frost's were because they are too dry and burnt. Now, I'm worried. How can you tell the difference between black crispy leaves from the heat, sun, and drought from nematodes?

I guess to be sure you could do the water test, where you cut up and soak a leaf and look for nems with a loupe. When I look at the leaves, I can see that the dark spots take up a segment of leaf between veins, leading me to believe it's nematodes, based on what I've read about how so many of the Jack Frosts are hosts. I'd post a pic of my leaves, but I have a hard time figuring out how to post pics here.

kentstar...that's exactly what I thought, too. I didn't take a photo on my JF before I ripped out all the leaves, but I did find a site with a photo. It's irregular diamond shapes, inside the veins. Easy to recognize once you know what you're looking for. Click on the brunnera leaf.

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Thanks anitamo! I will look at my Brunnera's again tomorrow morning. To me it looks like it may be nematodes. Bummer... I would have thought that it was sunburn and drought, but I've noticed that it is only showing on one of my Jack Frosts and I have 3 others that don't look like that one. It's so hard to tell when I know it's late in the season and things are starting to go dormant for the coming winter anyways. I sure hope it's not!
I read earlier that some sort of Bayer Product can help somewhat. What Bayer product is that? I have some Bayer Advanced Disease Control (not the 3 in 1) I could use, but I'm not sure if that will help. I have been using it regularly anyway.
The product Zerotol is way too expensive to use. I'm also not sure if a neem oil will do it either.

Thanks for I_like_to_grow's call to Chris at Hallson's. I just bought a big canister of granular systemic 12 month Bayer Tree & Shrub for next year, $24 wow. It has Merit, and will prevent those nematodes in 2011. I had also bought earlier a canister of Rose and Flower for 2011, and I will use that every 6 weeks until it is empty, should also help those hostas. Though I have to stretch those canisters for 200 hostas.
Then I also stocked up with 2 Ortho Slug-getta fort 2011, will take care of those too. At HD $9.40 or so for 3 lbs. That is working great.
On the mouse, mole, vole and chip front it is quiet, they are all asleep, must have liked those pellets!
Ready for those nemas, slugs and voles for 2011! Let them come!
Bernd