Treating Soil for Nematodes

• 1). Look for signs of nematode infestation. Your plants may have wilting foliage or a yellowed appearance. There may be spotty damage and evidence of root rot. The spotty damage would show healthy growth in some areas and no growth in others. Treatment should be during the hottest months, which are typically July to August, in order to conduct the most heat. During treatment, leave the soil bare.
  
  
• 2). Use a tiller to prepare the soil for treatment. Position it on the ground at one end of the area you are treating for nematode infestation. Work it over the soil much like mowing a lawn. Make rows until you have completely tilled the area. Keep the soil moist by watering it on a daily basis. The soil should be saturated when you water it once a day.
  
  
• 3). Cover the area with the polyethylene sheeting. Keep it in place with garden stakes. The sheeting helps conduct heat into the ground to kill the nematodes.
  
  
• 4). Leave the sheeting over the soil for six to eight weeks. The high heat will penetrate the soil and kill the nematodes. Then remove the sheeting, and plant in the treated soil.