Fw: nematodes/marigolds
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Fw: nematodes/marigolds
- From: "* <p*@rapidnet.net>
- Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 16:01:14 -0700 (MST)
Carolyn Schaffner wrote on Saturday, March 29, 1997, at 1:18 AM:
>
> to --Paige, Rick, John M., anyone else --
>
> Do we have TWO kinds of nasty nematodes, a foliar and a root
destroying??
------------
>How do I know nematodes when I see them, and how do
> I know the effects of any combatant?
=====================
Hi. Carolyn. It may have seemed that I was talking about "leaf"
nematodes because I said I plant marigolds between rows of
vegetables. But no, it's the roots I'm trying to save.
There are countless species of nematode. All are microscopic
roundworms, so you won't see them with the naked eye, you'll only see
their effects. Most species of nematode do not affect plants. As far
as I know, those that do are all soil dwellers.
Some soil nematodes drill holes in plant roots, making it easy for
harmful fungi and bacteria to make inroads. These are the
nematodes that I attempt to drive off by interplanting marigolds,
whose roots send out chemicals that are toxic (or anyway highly
disagreeable) not only to nematodes but to wireworms. Plants harmed
by nematodes may show signs of root trouble that range from
wilting to rotting. Sometimes they just seem a bit listless. But
nematodes aren't to blame for everything, of course. If you think you
might have nematode problems,
maybe have some affected plants tested.
Paige Woodward
pwoodwar@rapidnet.net
Pacific Rim Native Plants
A small, maniacal nursery in wet Zone 6 on top of Chilliwack Mountain
in southwestern British Columbia