Root Knot Nematodes

If you’ve ever found a wilted plant in the garden and you know it’s getting enough water, go ahead and hit that subscribe button.

Today we’re talking about Root Knot Nematodes.

What they do to crush a grower’s dreams, and what you can do, if you find them crushing yours.

We’ve all been there. You go out to do your daily garden inspection only to find your favorite pepper plant completely wilted. Loaded with fruit but looks completely dead. Sometimes seeming to have happened over night.

On our farm, the two main causes are generally attributed to root rot fungi or root knot nematodes. On occasion we will even find termites to be the culprit.

Root Knot Nematodes are a root zone parasite belonging to the genus Meloidogyne, that target agricultural crops.

These Nematodes bore through and deposit their eggs into the roots via rectal excretions of a gelatinous matrix. This gelatinous rectal matrix then forms scarring and protective knots around the eggs that will prevent the roots from up taking water and nutrients.

Aside from taking cuttings, little can be done to save a plant that has been affected.

The main methods of treatment for affected soils are chemical nematicides, cover crop green mulching and the use of beneficial predators and organisms. We opt for the later with our use of our FPJ in hopes that the biodiversity of fungi and other microbes will drive them out or eat them.

If you want to know more about KNF and how we make our FPJ, make sure to check out our previous video titled, “Dank Tank – No Rules FPJ”

After cleaning the soil of any infected root debris, we like to hit them hard with full strength FPJ and allow them to “cook” for a week or two before replacing with a transplant.

This approach works well for us and we hope it sheds some light on sudden wilt in your garden and what you can do about it.