Nematodes

[blossom]

Hi there,

has anyone used nematodes before? My garden is FULL of slugs. My paths look like some hiddious slimy walkway in the summer from all the slugs and snails I stamp on, but it is never enough.
Apparently gardeners world did a thing once looking at all the ways of getting rid of slugs and most of them (like egg shells) did not work, so as I don't really want to put copper around all of my plants I though these nematodes sounded good.

Any experiance/advice on where to get them would be great.

Thanks

[Jaxom]

Blossom I have nematodes on order for this year. I will be trying them for the first time. At £18 they had better work. I saw the staff at the Eden Project using them and that convinced me to give them ago this year. I am buying mine from the Organic cataloge, but I am sure they could be found cheeper somewere else. http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalo...oducts_id=1383
Jax

[smallblueplanet]

....I saw the staff at the Eden Project using them and that convinced me to give them ago this year...

Oooh! what was the Eden Project like? I'd like to go but its quite expensive.

[Jaxom]

I went in the first year it was open and it was everything I had seen on the TV and more. I plan to go again in the next year or so. There seems to always be something new being built or growing in the domes that makes the trip worth while. I didn't see the staff using nematodes when I was there. It was in a TV program that they were spreading the nematodes on the hillside in front of the larger of the domes. As regards the cost then tickets to get in were not that costly and the food they produce and sell is worth what they charge. Plants bought from there are not cheap at all, but that is how they raise some of their money. If they were charging twice the price for admittance I would still pay to go and visit.
The only draw back is the crowds. The Eden project is a victim of its own success. They vastly under estimated how busy they would become in the first year of being open. The estimate even worked into its equation the popularity of visitors to the site when the domes were being built and even that was not enough to get a high enough guess of final numbers.
Jax

[poultrychat]

Try here blossom http://www.greengardener.co.uk/index.htm

[Bugeyes]

Hello Blossom
I sell these nematodes (Nemaslug) as part of my job but only to commercial growers. The small pack should cost around £15 but it is really important to follow the instructions - I find that most failures with nematodes are due to incorrect application. Don't expect the effect to last forever either, generally after 4 weeks you need to reapply so target areas where seedlings are in grave danger! Temperature range is 5-30 degrees C so that shouldn't be a problem, keep the solution well stirred and apply in the evening! Phew, lots of instructions but it is a good product if used properly. Good luck!

[blossom]

Thanks very much. Could you tell me what mistakes it is that people normally make, just so I can avoid them?

Thanks

[Bugeyes]

Hello it's me again
usual mistakes are:
1. keeping the product for too long - there is a use by date that really means it!
2. Mixing up the solution and leaving it for a while - nematodes will drown in this situation
3. Applying to very dry soil - the nematodes need a water film around soil particles so that they can swim to find the slugs so damp soil is needed before you start.
5. Expecting too much - nematodes are tiny and can only swim about 10cm from the arrival site so even distribution is important.
6. Treating way before slugs are present - treat when the prey is there otherwise they have nothing to go at and there is no chance of the nematodes reproducing.
Happy slug bashing!

[blossom]

Thanks very much. I can't imagin a time without slugs. mine have been coming into my house for the winter, and are now out in the garden again in force.
I notice there is a temperature range for using them aswel. Do you know if you use them and the temperature then drops, will that kill them? In other words, am I best off waiting until we definatly won't have any frosts?

Thanks again.

[Nicos]

I'm interested in the frost aspect. Last year we left it until the end of May to apply the nematodes, but plants like the spuds had grown considerably and it was tricky to water the soil and not the leaves. Ours should be arriving at weekend and I intend to use it on the strawberry patch and cover it with membrane. If I recall correctly they have a fridge life of something like 6 weeks? Is it best to rake the soil over slightly after applying so they are protected under an inch or so of topsoil? I've not seen any eggs or slugs so far whilst digging in the compost! Lets hope I'm not too early.

[JennieAtkinson]

Blossom - I tried nematodes last year, not on slugs, but vine weevil. Followed the instructions to the letter and the lot had gone. (OH was a bit worried about keeping them in the fridge until ready though!) Unfortunately my polytunnel had been erected over an area of old dockings and weeds and the area was full of them. Well the white sluggy things anyway.

The packet got rid of the vine weevil within the polytunnel and the area around them. Not noticed them this year, so have decided not to apply it. (I may regret it )

[Jaxom]

Snails out and climbing up the wall of the shed out side. I think that if there are snails then there has to be slugs. Now I'm just itching for my first pack to arrive by post. DEATH to slugs!
Jax

[Bugeyes]

'I notice there is a temperature range for using them aswel. Do you know if you use them and the temperature then drops, will that kill them? In other words, am I best off waiting until we definatly won't have any frosts?'

Once they are on and have soaked into the soil don't worry about them too much - the temperature is critical for the bacterium that the nematodes carry to be active and this is what kills the slugs/vine weevil. Cold weather or frost will only slow the nematodes' activity so that they are slower to find the prey.

[Nicos]

Bugeyes - Are they the same type of nematodes used to kill off vineweevil, just carrying a different bacterium? If that is the case,would it in theory be possible to buy a mix of different ones to apply at the same time?

[Bugeyes]

No Nicos, they are two different nematodes. The slug one is Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita and the vine weevil one is Steinernema kraussei (although a different one Heterorhabditis megidis is also on sale but only works at temps above 12-14 degrees C). Not entirely certain but I think the bacteria they carry are different.
The production processes differ which is why Nemaslug is so expensive and I think it is very unlikely that a mixture will be available - but I can ask at a meeting in April! How's that for service?!