I fear that's what it is. Tubers too deep for me, 8 to 14 inches. Roundup. How do you roundup that stuff right in the middle of my plants? Even roundup won't get it all now if I could isolate it. I don't think it's wild garlic, and I suspect many google images are not id'ed correctly. It's a losing battle pulling it even though it does pull fairly easily IF you can isolate it and get a good grip on it, but it will be right back. What nasty stuff, must have come in on something like I'm thinking the lilies weren't clean or the soil, seed starter I ws'ed with or even in some seeds, lots of ways to get nasty things. Guys who do my lawn, etc., could bring stuff in on their equipment. That's the problem, try to make things better with topsoil, bags of stuff, get stuff you never had before along with the battle of what you did have before. I think I'm finally rid of that particularly nasty clover and some plant I never saw before, didn't get a photo for an id, encroaching on the garden, used roundup painted on for some of it, 24d or weed 'n feed took care of a lot that got in the lawn. You don't want 24d or weed 'n feed to get onto your garden plants. So I recommend a high quality spreader or hand spread it around beds but not in them. Or put up shields. Or don't use it at all like some. I would never have gotten rid of that clover and it was a round dark green ovoid smooth edged stuff that looked like it had runners, never had anything like it before. Thanks, at least it's good to know what I'm dealing with. If I apply a pre-emergent, I'll have to give up the lilies, too, probably. At least the isolated patches that haven't been around too long, I can dig down and see if I can get deep enough. So far it's just in the back yard and behind the garage. Rhizomes. Big. Chills down my spine lol.

Thanks for your answers. Some research that I have been doing indicates that rice water used as a base liquid and combined with other natural materials may be more effective treatment for various plant diseases. Evidently these are very ancient techniques and I was hopeful that someone on this Forum might have run across reference to them. Rice water could be made in three ways (I think). The first would be to soak unhulled rice grains in water for two or three days, strain it, and I find indication that this may possibly be a control for root knot nematode. Also, some experiments allude to faster, stronger seedling growth when watered with this type of rice water. The second method would be water poured off from cooked rice water. Yes, Scott, I know about the recent postings of using milk to control plant mildew problems. Wonder what happens if we combine it with cooked rice water? The third method might be rice flour whisked into water. The last two methods produce a starchy water which may just act as a 'paste' to adhere whatever to a plant surface....i.e. compost tea water + a bit of rice water may yield interesting results. I will stop rambling on the subject and begin experimenting when growing season comes around again. Hopefully you all have found the book LANDSCAPE AS SPIRIT by Mosko and Noden. Beautiful book! May help out those of you working on rock setting projects.

Pieter, Nematodes do travel through wet soil and hibernate in soil. They do need plant tissue to live. This is why I suggest that when hostas are determined to have a virus that "nematacides" be used in conjuction with killing the plant (removing the required source of food). Perhaps a better way to approach the problem would be to perform the nematode testing to determine whether they are evident first. In many cases Nematode damage is readily determined by characteristic elongated brown streaks. If there is no nematode infection then using an insecticide would still be a good idea as it would be difficult to determine the thrip or other insect population and spraying would be "cheap insurance" to prevent transmission to other plants. In any event a combination of a non-HVX virus with nematode or thrip infection would be a difficult situation. I think these are the only practical ways to approach the problem. Extensive and expensive laboratory testing may or may not determine the virus or other disease involved, but that still leaves the problem of treating it when the plant is in a bed which you are trying to preserve. I don't know of any other prudent next step other than killing the plant, in situ, and ensuring it is completely dead. Killing it before taking steps to address nematode or thrips first or concurrently will speed up the spread as we know that nematodes or thrips live on tissue and killing / removing the plant alone will simply cause them to go elsewhere. If the action where taken with ground freezing immenent, then your suggested scenario of hybernating nematodes infecting new plantings may be possible. I think this would be a very unusual and improbable situation as hostas would be dying off before any real ground freezing. There are no over-the counter approved nematacides, however cholinesterase, the ingredient in Bayer Systemic is listed as a nematacide and might work as well as anything available to the homeowner. Of course bleach and ammonia will kill them undiluted, but the problem of how much to use and preventing damage to neighboring plants is a big problem. Spraying with a 10% solution of ammonia is done for slug control, so this might be an option to help. I simply don't know of any sure-fire nematode control other than professional treatment. Jon

belleftl, I think you have done the best you can considering the situation. It was a mistake and we all learn from our mistakes.. that's how we all grow. I can tell you're a nice girl and wanted to give a helping hand to somebody when they were down and out. Hey.. because what if it were you right? But this loser has taken advantage of his friends in the worst possible way and he needs to go. Do yourself a favor and don't you back down if he "conveniently" can't find a place to crash... I wonder if he's even looking? My word... this man is 31 years old.. you even helped him find a job and he managed to screw that up too?! Dude needs to get his life together big time. This is what parents and siblings are for!! He's taking advantage of your boyfriend's and his brother's kindness and causing them to do the same thing to you. You are right.. it is NOT your problem. I would start finding apartment brochures online and lay them out for him to look at. If I were you I would even speak to him and remind him he needs to be out by x day and tell your boyfriend since he's HIS friend he needs to keep prodding him and ensuring that he will indeed be out AS PROMISED. Otherwise.. you are gone for good. Because seriously, if your boyfriend can't handle this messy situation that he's gotten you both into then what does that say about your future life together? Hope this helps and good luck! :) You know what they say.. "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."