What are nematodes?
If you are new to vegetable gardening you will probably be imagining yourself carefully nurturing your healthy, glossy plants, perhaps giving them a little water from your pretty little yellow watering can. You see yourself smiling with satisfaction as each crop bursts from the soil only to mature into a perfect example of the best mother nature has to offer. That's how I felt when I started anyway and while I have had brief peeks into that beautiful world the day to day reality requires a little more effort.
The main problem I have is there's an infinite amount of other creatures who seem to feel they are entitled to my gardens bounty without putting in any of the work. While I can't say I feel too friendly towards the culprits I don't want to start dousing their habitats with pesticides to keep them out so I need to find some alternatives. We have been using naturally occurring nematodes at Quickcrop for a number of years with excellent results. They are not harmful to the environment and with couple of applications per season are very successful. So, what are they?
Nematodes are microscopic roundworms which are naturally found in your garden soil. There are vast numbers of different species, the total number estimated at about 1,000,000 but we need only concern ourselves with the ones that are going to help us out. These tiny worms prey on the larval stage of certain pests thus breaking the life cycle and providing very effective natural control. Different nematodes target different species so you first need to identify your problem and get the right nematode for the job. Our 'Supernemos' is unique in that it contains a range of different nematodes meaning it targets a broad range of garden pests. 'Supernemos' will control Vine weevils, Scarid fly, Strawberry root weevil, Chafer grubs, Leatherjackets, Wire worms, Cutworms, Cabbage worm, Fungus gnat larvae.
How does it work? As we've already said the nematodes in most retail brands are naturally occurring and will more than likely be present in your garden anyway. All we are doing here is increasing the numbers to tip the balance in our favour. After applying the nematodes they will seek out the larval or grub stage of their targeted pest and go in for then kill (Stop reading now if you're squeamish!). These tiny crusaders then enter the body of the host and start to tuck in. The nematode secretes a bacteria which kills the host in 48 hours and then settles in for a bit of reproduction. The dead larva then becomes a nursery for juvenile nematodes which then head off in search of new grubs to infect when they've eaten the first one. The cycle then continues as your little army of worms spread through your garden.
'Supernemos' means you no longer have to be an expert on garden pest identification as one pack targets most of the more likely problem pests you'll encounter. With just two applications per year (one in spring and one in Autumn) it will prove just as economical as a chemical spray yet with far less labour. I can personally vouch for the products credentials as we have used it very successfully in our own garden with truly excellent results.