Does Weed Killer Kill Nematodes? How To Solarize Soil To Kill Nematodes?

If you have a vegetable garden, you have most probably familiar with Nematodes. Both good and bad Nematodes are available. Beneficial Nematodes will improve soil quality. However, root-knot or “plant-parasitic” are known as bad Nematodes. It can harm a plant’s root system, and Plants have difficulty absorbing water and nutrients due to it.

Does weed killer kill nematodes?

Probably not. A weed killer must contain Telone II, chloropicrin, Vapam (metam sodium), and Paladin ingredients to kill Nematodes. Since most components are absent in weed killers, they can’t kill them. But few weed killers can kill a few portions of nematodes from huge groups.

Let’s dive into the details about “Does weed killer kill nematodes?” Keep Scrolling!

Does Weed Killer Kill Nematodes?

So, you are here to know, does weed killer kill nematodes? Nematodes come in various groups such as omnivores, fungivores, predators, bacterivores, plant parasites, etc.

Before sharing “Does weed killer kill nematodes?” let’s know about ways to kill nematodes.

An article was published online in Wiley Online Library, where they have researched to figure out whether weed killers can kill Nematodes or not.

They have used a weed killer to see how various feeding groups react after applying it. The result was not impressive.

The weed killer reduced the richness of two feeding groups (predators and fungivores) But increased the richness of three two feeding groups (omnivores, plant parasites, and bacterivores).

As a result of weed killer application, nematode richness grew further. So, the weed killer didn’t give effective results to deal with them.

So, why the weed killer reduced the abundance of few feeding groups while increased other feeding groups? The weed killer killed many predators and fungivores because the application of herbicides negatively affects both fungivores and predators.

On the other hand, the abundance of other feeding groups increased because these groups received food resources from the weed killers.

So, should you use weed killers to kill nematodes?

Do you know the particular type of nematodes your garden soil has? Since it is hard to tell without a laboratory test, it is better to opt for an alternative solution.

Hopefully, you have got a clear view on “Does weed killer kill nematodes?”

How To Solarize Soil To Kill Nematodes?

Just because weed killers don’t work effectively to kill nematodes that do not mean you will allow them to thrive and destroy your lawn.

One of the highly effective methods you can use is solarizing the soil to kill nematodes. So, how this eco-friendly approach works? It mainly uses sunlight as the main source to kill nematodes.

Do you know how to solarize soil to kill nematodes? If not, nothing to panic about —we will guide you on how to solarize soil to kill nematodes step-by-step.

Step 1— Turning Up The Soil

Before solarizing the soil, you want to turn up the soil by using a hoe or rake. Split up the soil in the peak 7–8 inches.

Why should you do it? This allows sufficient sunlight to enter inside the soil and make them defenseless and exposed.

Step 2— Watering Slightly

After turning up the soil, water them slightly. Use a hosepipe to sprinkle water and make them dampened but not moist.

The solarized soil will become hotter due to this. Additionally, it will increase the huge amount of nematodes. The solarization process won’t be effective if your garden soil is excessively dry or powdery.

Another thing you can do is let garden soil drenched properly from rain and start the work the next day.

Step 3—Adding A Sheet Of Plastic Top Of The Soil

Now collect a plastic sheet to cover the whole soil area. Make sure the sheet is clear to be visible from inside to outside.

You can purchase it from your local superstore or any gardening store. Measure the soil area and buy it based on the measurement.

Step 4—Sealing The Plastic Boundary

After covering the whole soil area with the plastic sheet, use additional soil to seal the entire region. Make sure to close the gap, and all sides of the sheet are secured by using the excess soil properly.

Retaining the moisture of the soil is what it does as there is no airflow. Also, the sunlight will directly reach the area, and the heat won’t come out. It will increase the temperature inside under plastic sheet gradually.

Step 5— Solarizing Procedure

So, you have done everything. Now, lets the sunlight reach properly on the soil and trap the nematodes.

So, how many weeks do you need to keep them in that condition?

An increase of 2-3 degrees of heat is not enough to kill nematodes. The temperature needs to reach at least 35°C (95°F) to kill nematodes.

According to most experts, a minimum of 6 weeks is necessary to raise the heat at this level. One rule of thumb is working on it during the summer season since the temperature is higher during this season than in other seasons.

During the six weeks of the solarizing procedure, make the plastic sheet is properly covered. Check each side of the sheet to ensure no uncovered.

Step 6—Removing The Plastic Sheet

After six weeks of the solarizing procedure, finally, you can remove the plastic sheet. Recycle the plastic. Now, your garden soil is completely ready to grow new plants. That’s it!

You should dig the soil more than 7-8 inches because the solarization process only worked for the top of 7-8 inches of soil.

How do Grubs Affect Your Lawn?

Various types of beetle larvae can be found in your lawn, which is known as grubs. They have a worm-like body structure. You are most likely to see them at the end of summer when

So, how grubs affect your lawn?

Grabs can eat the root of grasses. In fact, no matter what the soil has, it will consume everything. It makes your lawn thin, unhealthy, weak, and brown after gobbling up nutrition from the soil. The more time it stays on the soil, the more damage it will incur.

Killing the white grubs soonest is your first task. Then, you want to restore your lawn health. Also, you want to take protective action so that it doesn’t come in the future.

How to Kill Lawn Grubs on an Organic Lawn?

Does your lawn have lots of grubs? Are you how to kill grubs on your lawn? Thankfully, you can get rid of lawn grab in many effective ways.

Using chemical-based pesticides may kill lawn grubs, but they are harmful to our environment. Also, they are not a permanent solution. That’s why people are focusing more on natural and organic ways to kill lawn grubs.

Though people often use many homemade DIY solutions, they are not effective enough. To kill lawn grubs, you need powerful grub-killing solutions without harming the lawn.

That’s why we suggest you choosing the Safer® Brand Lawn Restore® Fertilizer. It is effective enough to keep your soil pests-free throughout the season. Apart from eliminating grubs, it will make your lawn healthy and thick.

Check out these easy-proven yet effective tips while applying this solution:

• Don’t let your lawn grow more than 2 inches.
• You should not water your lawn regularly after applying this fertilizer.
• Water the grass deeply to ensure they reach the soil properly.

How to Control Grubs Without Chemicals?

Gardening means caring. No care, no good result. Many people believe only high-quality fertilizers and chemicals can eliminate grubs. But they forget regular caring and preventive actions can help them to remove grubs from the soil.

After discussing with several garden experts, we have come up with some fruitful tips. Here are they:

• Water regularly, especially during the summer—but not overwater.
• Choose grass-like Turf Type Tall Fescue, which has an enigmatic root structure.
• Collect good Nematodes from a garden store and use them on your lawn.
• Allow birds to come to your yard as they are fond of eating grubs.
• If you have a chicken farm, allow chickens to roam in your yard so that they can eat grubs.
• Use milky spore to treat grubs, especially Japanese beetles.
• Apply neem oil to reduce the production of grubs.
• Use homemade DIY solutions such as a mixture of water, lemon juice, dish soap, and mouthwash to kill them.
• Before applying any homemade DIY solution, make sure you dethatch your lawn.
• Ensure sufficient airflow on the grass to make it hard for grubs to free movement. a

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Conclusion

No doubt, beneficial nematodes can help your lawn in various ways. But dangerous nematodes can do several damages to your lawnmower too. Therefore, you should eradicate them as soon as possible to protect the beauty of your lawn. We have already talked about every possible way to kill nematodes and also “Does weed killer kill nematodes?” Take preventive actions as fast as you can. Happy gardening!

Last update on 2023-01-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API