Nematodes through the seasons
The Garden in March
The gardening season begins in earnest during March, with many herbaceous plants, bulbs and seedlings producing their first leaves of the year.
Seed sowing picks up, whether in the garden or under glass, but all seedlings are susceptible to attack, especially from slugs. Hardy annuals sown in situ may be resilient to whatever the weather throws at them, but slugs find them irresistible. They can also see off tender and half-hardy seedlings in the greenhouse - a potting bench is no barrier to these slimy critters!
Although gardeners assume that the large slugs they see on the soil surface are responsible, these are unlikely to be the culprit. In fact, 95% of all slugs are underground and it’s these which do all the damage, eating the seedlings once they’ve germinated and creating holes in root crops such as potatoes.
Slugs become more active as soil temperatures rise during spring, especially when conditions are moist. Looking at the rain teeming down outside, I think such conditions are likely to be met!
If you want to protect your seedlings, whether flower or vegetable, and your early potatoes, then treat the ground now with Nemaslug. Using microscopic indigenous nematodes, it works effectively at temperatures above 5oC. Remember that one slug can have 25,000 teeth and 90,000 grandchildren, so you can see why early treatment is essential. Treat in March and you can knock out a whole generation of slugs. Nemaslug will protect for at least six weeks and often longer, depending on the soil type, location and micro-climate.
Nemaslug is simple to apply using a hose-end sprayer, such as the one produced by Miracle-Gro or Phostrogen (contact your distributor for full instructions), or a watering can with a coarse rose.
As temperatures rise, other pests also become active. Vine weevil grubs that have been over wintering deep in the soil start making their way to the surface. These will quickly eat through the roots of herbaceous plants, causing them to wilt and come away in your hands, whether in your borders, greenhouse or containers. You can treat with Nemasys Vine Weevil Killer when soil temperatures are above 5oC.
All Nemasys products are environmentally-friendly, so can be used in borders and containers and the greenhouse. They’re also safe for pets, children and wildlife and are the most effective method for controlling these soil pests - think of the nematodes as heat-seeking missiles, with slugs or vine-weevil larvae in their sights. They actively move through the soil looking for them, feeding and replicating within them until they’re all destroyed.
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Autumn & Winter
The evil weevil – an early check pays dividends. You may not think much is happening in the garden during January and February, but after a mild winter it’s always worth keeping an eye out for pest damage. One of the most pernicious pests is the vine weevil, which attacks many garden plants – some, such as fuchsias, cyclamen and begonias are particularly vulnerable.
Although most damage appears
during the growing season, you may find that vine weevils are still active in
the greenhouse. You’re not only sheltering susceptible plants from the freezing
temperatures, but vine weevils as well.
Adult weevils eat irregular-shaped notches in
the leaf margins of plants – a characteristic sign that most gardeners can
identify. Such damage may only be cosmetic, but the larvae are more of a
problem, devouring the roots until the plants wilt and die.
Nematodes can be used to treat
plants under glass all year round, and in the garden from early March, as long
as the temperature is above 5oC. All vine weevil adults are female
and can lay around 1,500 eggs each, so an early treatment, is worthwhile.
You can use Nemasys Vine Weevil Killer freely, because it is completely safe for plants and wildlife, indoors and out - unlike chemicals which can’t be used on open ground or food crops. It is also environmentally-friendly, because the nematode used is indigenous.
Nemasys Vine Weevil Killer will kill the larvae present and protect against further larvae damage for several weeks. If you have a minor infestation, one treatment may be sufficient. If the problem is more serious, treat again during the spring as well as the autumn.
Shop for Nematodes - Nemaslug, Vine weevil, Chafer Grub, LeatherJacket