Protect your much-loved garden from pests using beneficial nematodes

A garden bursting with vibrant colour, floral aroma and thriving plant life is a gardener’s summer goal. The joy of seeing seedling mature into life after the hard work of propagating, sowing and nurturing them takes a lot to beat for green-fingered folk. Unfortunately, many garden pests like slugs, vine weevils and caterpillars see these thriving blooms and healthy roots as an ideal snack, leaving your hostas hole-ridden and geraniums lacking and wilted.

Many of these pests have been lurking long before the damage can be seen, and that is why it is important to begin a biological pest control programme, like Nemasys® Beneficial Nematodes, early in the growing season, to destroy pests and their larvae.

Nematodes are naturally occurring microscopic worms that act as biological pest controllers, making them ideal for the organic home gardener. These tiny worms attack, invade, and kill targeted species, offering advanced biological control of a wide range of pests including codling moth, vine weevil, leatherjackets, slugs and many more.

Treating your garden with Nemasys® Beneficial Nematodes is easy. In just four simple steps you can reduce the population of unwanted pests in your garden in as little as three days, with maximum effect occurring in around two weeks post-application.

1)     Mix your chosen nematode product with a small amount of water and stir thoroughly to ensure all lumps are fully dispersed before adding in the rest of the water.

2)   When using a watering can to apply the product, use a coarse rose. This is key as the nematode solution will get stuck in smaller holes.

3)   Keep the soil moist for a few weeks after application, to make sure the nematodes remain active.

4)   Repeat applications of nematodes may be required, especially when treating slugs.

Using nematodes in the right conditions is also a key factor. The product should be applied when the temperature of the soil is within the right range (usually between 5°C and 30°C, depending on nematode species) and when UV light levels are low, so ideally early in the morning or at dusk.

Targeting the right pest at the correct time of their lifecycle is crucial to achieve effective control and keep your garden protected all year long.

To find out more about how nematodes work, take a look at this short video - https://youtu.be/JHNG1KSluh0

For further information and to find a list of stockists, please visit https://www.nemasysinfo.co.uk/ and follow basf_nemasys_uk on Instagram.

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Editors notes

Nematodes are naturally occurring microscopic worms, already present in our soil. Beneficial nematodes attack and kill targeted garden pests. They are compatible with organic farming, easy to use and can even be kept in your fridge!

Research scientists have isolated the nematodes that kill specific garden pests including Slugs, Vine weevils, Leatherjackets, Caterpillars, Codling moth and much more.

BASF’s state of the art production facility in the UK produces billions of nematodes in a form that is easily applied by gardeners. Over 20,000 different species of nematodes have been classified, although some estimates put the total figure closer to one million! BASF has the largest specialist nematode production facility in the world, growing trillions of beneficial nematodes for use in their Nemasys range of pest control products.

BASF experts are available for interviews, features and expert comment on biological pest control management, and product is available for reviews, competitions and product trials.