Re: The dreaded "N" word...

Hi Alttara,   
        Yes, it's that time of year again when the nematodes become obvious and everyone starts squirming about what to say and who to say it to. For everyone who is new here, foliar nematodes leave brown stripes on hosta leaves that are clearly bordered by the veins. They are a serious pest that can spread at least five feet in any direction in the garden in one year. They greatly slow the growth of infested plants and may even kill them in a few years. When the leaves are wet they come out into the water on top of the leaf and can move from plant to plant either that way or through the soil. Moving through wet leaves in a garden which has them can make the problem much worse.
        So what can we do? The laws vary from state to state on what chemicals can be applied and where they can be applied. I would first suggest checking with your state to see what controls are legal there. The control measures showing the greatest effect on them are as follows in descending order of effectiveness:
        1. Nemacur--This is a chemical that is highly restricted in most states (to turf and agricultural use only) which gives near-total control of nematodes. If you are permitted to have someone with an applicators license use it on your property, this is the best solution.
        2. Vydate or Oxymyl----These are the same chemical in liquid and solid form. These are showing very good control, second only to Nemacur. These too are restricted, but not as tightly as Nemacur.
        3. Heat--- heating the plants can totally destroy the nematodes in that plant. If you are not careful, it can destroy the plant too. The soil where the infested plant was should also be treated with boiling water.
        4. ZeroTol--- Just mentioned in the last Journal, and unrestricted, it appears to give approximately 80% control. This is better than nothing, but still leaves them in the garden.
       If your state will not permit use of the first two chemicals, maybe the best bet would be a combination of the third and fourth methods. Plants can be potted if they are worth saving and placed in a car on a hot day. While this may destroy the foliage, it usually won't kill the plant. Careful heating in water, monitoring the temperature and time, should work better. This combined with ZeroTol may work very well.
      By all means, please contact the nursery that sold it to you and tell them about their plant. They may not know they have a problem.
                                                                           ............Bill Meyer

Hello all,

Doing a daily survey of my gardens (which I haven't had a chance to do in several days), I saw a sight that chilled my veins, despite the 90+ degree outside temperature.

I've seen pictures, I've heard talk, but now, I get my first "in the flesh" peek: H. Montana Kinkaku has nematodes. Unmistakably.

I summarily dug it up, and ran to my hosta reference library. It is currently soaking, isolated, in a bucket. (Now I'm wondering what to do with the water in that bucket, once I decide what to do with the plant.)

Can anybody tell me if they've had much success with the hot water treatment, or should I just throw the poor, afflicted, yet beautiful thing away?

I also hesitate, oh, yes, verily I hesitate, to say that this hosta was purchased from one of the vendors at First Look.

Alas!

-Alttara

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