Nematodes Happen

Stunted growth, yellowed and browning leaves, wilted demeanor. This is not just another depressed plant in need of cheering up. I suspect nematodes. Can't be certain until the roots are examined for knots, aka galls. However, I have already lost 6 or 7 tomatoes and cucumbers this season whose roots I have examined and wept over. Sadly, this plant is scheduled for surgical excision under sterile conditions later this week. Silly to wait, but I am a silly optimistic gardener operating under the delusion that I can salvage the Yellow Pear fruit hanging so valiantly on the pathetic vine.


See the little bumps? Nematodes are microscopic, so I can't even use my favorite bug control--index finger and thumb pressed firmly together with bug betwixt. This photo is the root of a tomato.






And, this is the root of a crookneck squash. Pretty impressive demonstration of the vile invader. The squash worked like a maniac above ground producing flowers, attracting bees, suffering the vigorous assaults of squash bugs, and actually setting fruit (about 20) that matured. All the while, it had a sub rosa secret life. Who knew?



The discovery of this nematode infestation was accidental because this plant got yanked for other reasons. SQUASH BUGS. Their eggs look like those gold bead cookie decorations and come by the dozens. This photo is a juvenile. The adult is more toasty colored with a harder crust. At this stage I clap my gloved hands together over both sides of the leaf and easily eradicate--well, a handful of the sap suckers.













My apologies for starting my new blog year on such a negative note, but this is the problem that's been on my mind for the last couple of weeks. On the bright side, working on this solution is a way better caliber of problem than this gardening girl has gnawed on at 3 a.m. for the last year or so. This one can at least be fixed with solarization and lying fallow for a while. Come to think of it, most things I perceive to be problems at 3 a.m. benefit from exposure to the light of day and letting be.