Nematodes in the Soil
Nematodes are a natural, biological pest control that can protect beneficial insects while also eliminating hundreds of common pests that harm soil. Nematodes have no negative effects on soil and their work in the soil helps protect many beneficial insects that can will improve your soil conditions greatly. If you are having trouble with a certain pest in your soil, chances are nematodes can help eliminate that pest quickly, safely, and with minimal effort. Here are how these little creatures do it and how they can help your soil flourish!
How Beneficial Are Nematodes?
While nematodes do occur naturally, they can also be easily brought into help damaged soil. Most nematodes spend their life fighting hard in many ways to improve soil conditions and can be a great tool for eliminating many types of pests. Some common pests that can be controlled with nematodes include termites, flies, ants, and many other predators that prey on beneficial insects, such as ladybugs and earthworms. Nematodes not only have wide variety of host insects, but are also quite fast at controlling the pests. Within just a few of days of application, most soil pests will be killed.
Nematodes find their hosts by using their homing mechanisms that react to the different carbon dioxide levels and temperatures; they also can follow insect droppings. When they find a suitable host, they will enter through openings all around insect skin and then attack their host from the inside. Bacteria emerges from nematodes once in their host and quickly multiply. The bacteria produces products from the host’s tissue that can then be consumed by the nematode. After about 48 hours the host will die and the nematode will search for another host insect. For this reason, they make for an amazing option for pest control when used in numbers. Most nematodes can nearly eradicate all pest insects, in a completely organic and ecologically safe way that will not harm any humans or pets. Not all nematodes will attack pests though. In fact, the majority of them are known as saprophytic and will break down organic mass. These nematodes can be used to produce both high quality compost and improve soil conditions greatly.
There are plenty of other ways nematodes are built for this job. For one, they are extremely durable when in the infective stage of their life cycle. They are also able to stay alive when stored properly; you should store them for up to 3 weeks at 370 or 500 degrees F. Nematodes also have it pretty easy thanks to their wide host range of insects to choose from. They also are able to go for a while without nourishment, and thus probably won’t starve. Also, while humans and pets are safe from it, there are no insects that are immune to the bacteria that comes with nematodes. Because of this nematodes are almost always successful when dealing with pests. Nematodes do infect some beneficial insects once in a while, but it is rare, since they usually will find a host that is a pest first.
Application
You can easily find beneficial nematodes from most garden centers, and it is so easy to apply. Nematodes are best when applied in the early evenings, with lower soil temperatures and lower UV incidence. A cloudy day will work just as fine, too. Nematodes function best when pest insects are present in the soil. You just simply mix nematodes with water and sprinkle it on our soil.
Start by putting the nematodes in a bucket of water, then stir them up to eliminate any lumpiness. Let it soak for a few minutes, and using a garden sprayer, watering can, or an irrigation system you can start spreading the nematodes. When using a sprayer, you should utilize maximum pressure to avoid blockages. Keep the nozzle opened to at least 1/2 mm. Then, start spraying! You want to evenly spread out the solution so every area is treated. Make sure to also mix every few minutes to avoid the nematodes from building up on the bottom. Once applied, keep your soil moist for just two weeks. Using a watering can is a much easier method for any small areas, just make sure to mix it up every few minutes.
Before application, you should take care in preserving the nematodes. First, you should always pay close attention to the package and follow only the directions on their package. Each species of nematode is different and formulations are going to change for each species. Also keep in mind that you cannot store nematodes in water, because they will drown. That being said, you should be swift when applying nematodes to soil, since if you wait too long they will all be dead before even reaching the soil. And again, nematodes require soil to be moist after their application. Wet soil is much easier to move through and will help them reach and find their hosts much more efficiently. Too much water though and your nematodes can either drown or will not be able to infect any insects.
Nematodes are a great tool to use for maintaining a healthy, organic, and pest-free soil environment. They are the number one biological pest control out there and have been around for millions of years. They are an essential part of our soil and keeping it as healthy as possible. There are many more great organic, effective, pest control options like the nematode that are so easy to use and easily produce higher quality soil or compost with barely any effort on your part. Nematodes essentially do all the work for you and help prevent many pesky pests.
Lincoln Landscaping “The Natural Choice”
Mike Kolenut President & CEO
https://lincolnlandscapinginc.com
(201) 848-9699
