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 Post subject: Root-Knot Nematodes
PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2003 11:19 am 
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Joined: Thu Dec 25, 2003 7:52 am
Posts: 4
Location: Texas
I need some help. My first season was good but at the end of season I noticed spotted wilting. When I pulled the plants, I found what seems to be root knot nematodes. This is new soil that was pasture but was turned under and worked over before planting. During the season, I kept hay and barn cleanings in the furrows for weed control and mulching. I haven't been able to find a good explanation or cure for my problem but after finding this forum, I'm sure somebody can help. I plan on keeping the ground turned under all winter and turning the chickens into it just to keep it cleaned out. My theory is to starve them out. We plant mostly rice around here so not many people have this problem. Thanks for your time!


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PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2003 1:08 pm 
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This may be of some help to you:

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/dallasnews.php?id=46

From your post in the Meet & Greet section:

"After my first season, I find that I seem to have an infestation of root-knot nematodes. The garden is 40' x 80' and it seems to affect just some areas. I raised my beds and kept hay and stall cleanings in the furrows to hold moisture and keep weeds down. I've pulled everything and turned it all under and will keep it busted up during the winter."

It might help to get a more focused answer if you could reply as to what you're trying to grow and what type of soil you have there. The rice reference implies that you are in southeast Texas; is that right?

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PostPosted: Fri Dec 26, 2003 2:36 pm 
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Location: Texas
Yes, I am along the Gulf Coast in Texas. I looked at the link you refered me to and with that ratio, I would need about 250 pounds of citrus peelings. Since I'm a beginner with this problem, is there a market on citrus peelings where I could buy what I needed? Since citrus is highly acidic, how would this affect the soil? Please bear with me, I'm just starting to learn! Thanks.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 27, 2003 8:56 am 
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You probably can buy orange peel/pulp from juice extractors, either local ones or those in the Rio Grande Valley, although pulp processed for sale likely has been treated to change its characteristics. Instead of that, I would look for a free local source for unadulterated orange peel, such as the remnants from kids' soccer games or any events that use high volumes of oranges. If you have a local grocery that juices oranges, that's another possibility. Commercial pulp can contain the fruit pulp as well as the rind, and I don't know whether the fruit pulp enhances or impairs the nematode control character of the peel. I don't know whether lemon, lime, and grapefruit peel work as well as orange, although it probably is easier to find volume quantities of orange peel. One obviously would prefer peel from organic oranges, but you may not be able to achieve that.

The acid-base effect of the peel on soil chemistry, to the extent that it is even an issue, can be a complicated matter. I'm skeptical that the quantity of peel at issue would have any effect on growing conditions (it may be that the anti-nematode effect depends some on the acid-base properties of the orange peels; I don't know). I'll make the assumption that the primary acidic agents in peel are citric acid and maybe some ascorbic acid, and not really very much of either, with maybe a smattering of other organic acids. Citric and ascorbic acids are weak acids and are dispersed in the rind matter, so it isn't as if one would be applying a readily available strong acid product such as sulfur dust. Moreover, citric acid is triprotic, so it's buffering capacity is spread between maybe ~pH 3 and pH 6+ (depending on which of two pKa value sets one uses). Still, soil chemistry can be complicated, so you may have to experiment with different parts of your bed to get a suitable answer for your particular environmental conditions. The result may depend a fair amount on how "alive" the soil in your bed is. One would hope that the situation will become more manageable as you increase the organic matter and life in the soil and neutralize any synthetics that might be present now. For the benefit of the odd junk food junkie that might wander upon this post, I hasten to add that Orange Bang candy is not a good substitute for real orange peel, or for oranges in any fashion. :wink:

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In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice, they aren't -- lament of the synthetic lifestyle.


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PostPosted: Sat Dec 27, 2003 4:21 pm 
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Joined: Thu Dec 25, 2003 7:52 am
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Location: Texas
Thanks for all the information. I'll go into town tomorrow and check with the grocery to see if the hog farmers take the oranges with the rest of the produce. Meanwhile I'll check the web to see if there might be some where close I can get peels. I'll be down in the valley next week for the World Bull Riding Finals. Be a great chance to pick up a truck load of peelings if I can locate some processing plants. There is nothing more disappointing than to work hard on new ground only to find that next year your yield will probably drop 75%. I'm going to beat this bug one way or the other! Thanks again for all your help! :D


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PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:56 am 
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Location: San Antonio,TEXAS
My understanding is that the organic program will take care of root knot nematodes.

First you have to have the right microbes in the soil. Compost generally provides the right ones. For turf you should apply no more than one cubic yard per 1,000 square feet. For beds you can apply as much as you can afford. If you need to have a special dose of microbes, then Bt, beneficial nematodes, and that EarthWorm product are about all you can add. If you want to be sure you have your microbes in top form, make compost tea and spray that every week or so.

Then you need to fertilize regularly with a protein based fertilizer. Regularly means at least twice a year up to every two months if you can afford it. I use corn meal and alfalfa pellets as my primary fertilizers. Application rate is 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Use more if you fertilize less often and less if you fertilize more often.

If you do this, there are microbes in the soil that will kill the root knot nematodes and protect the plants from their return.

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PostPosted: Mon Jan 05, 2004 4:00 pm 
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Not to put words in the DD's mouth, but I was under the impression that the orange peel therapy assumes that some order of an organic program already is in place and that the rk nematodes persist somewhat despite the existing organic practices. Maybe the orange peels work regardless of soil conditions, but I bet they work better under organic conditions.

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