(Long read...sorry)
Well, I saw them pop up last year and quickly eradicated the whole area. Fortunately (tongue in cheek) they were only 1 year old seedlings. This year, I don't see any signs in hosta yet, but I do see signs on them in Trillium, False Solomon's seal, and true Soloman's Seal. These new infected plants are in two totally different parts of the yard and nowhere near the outbreak I had last year. It leads me to believe A) they were naturally in the area and only showed up this year. Or B) they came in on one of the new ferns from 2 years ago.
It's strange... I have them in the garden...and there's
no way I'm digging up my beds to try some new-fangled technique to eradicate them, but I don't care all that much. It's actually a
RELIEF. Sounds strange, but I have been so paranoid about accidentally bringing them in, that I have tried to create a little bubble and not bring in anything new. What's the point now?
I have tried to cure different gardens of nems and found it to be a fruitless money pit and it takes a HUGE toll mentally. I have lost
years of hosta enjoyment by digging, cutting, dipping, treating, boiling, burning and killing hostas with nematodes. I just want to enjoy my gardening. That's all. If there's a spray I can use to suppress them, fine. I'll use it. But my days of battling nems and
worrying about them in the garden are over.
Some day, there will be a product to kill them again. It will happen. Southern Blight used to keep me up at night too. I just bought Bayer Prostar and it is 100% eliminating it from my soil. Same will come for nems in due time.
I have nematodes in my garden (he shouts from the mountain-tops)!!!
![:lol:](./images/smilies/icon_lol.gif)
Ahhhh....lets get back to buying new and exciting plants from different people again.
Lastly... My parent's garden has had them for over 7 years. And over the past 3 years damage has been getting less and less. No chemical sprays, no treatment whatsoever. Is it the natural balance in nature beginning to suppress them? I hope the same for everyone.