Oh, Karen, I got a knot in my stomach when I saw your pics. I'm all too familar with what nematode damage looks like. I'm sorry. That Gold Standard has a real bad case of them. Maybe GS is a fave of nematodes cause they really hit one of mine hard too. Today I spent hours in my gardens. For the first time I have hope since I first spotted an infected leaf this yr. (which was over a month ago) Last weekend I started spraying the ZeroTol using a 2% solution instead of the weaker solution that was recommended by the manufactor. I finally noticed a difference today in the decrease of plants that show damage! Should of used the 2% solution from the very start. Today I took my Gold Standard that was riddled with nematodes and decided to experiment with Bruce's "bleach water soak" and see what happens. I also put a couple August Moons in bleach too. Right now they're soaking in it and tomorrow morning I'll plant them somewhere "downstream" from any of my other hostas. I dug a nearly mature Gold Standard up, divided it into many plants, cut off the leaves to about 2-3" from the crown and put them in a 10% bleach water solution. Then of course I poured scalding water in and all around the hole. Just for the heck of it I poured 50% bleach water in and around the hole too. Soon I'll post pics of this years hosta hospital. Janice, You mentioned INTEGRITY....What's that? Sad isn't it? Greed replaced integrity a long time ago. I've always enjoyed sharing my hostas with friends and family...and now I feel that I can't, and that bothers me. Karen, one good thing....Gold Standards and Blue Cadets are cheap, vigorous and are rapid increasers so you may want to just pitch them and start over. If you decide to treat them using the ZeroTol fungicide, I found a cheaper place to buy it. I ordered another 2.5 gal and I saved about $40. No charge for hazard material shipping either. I think it was $114.00 plus $14.17 for shipping. The company is E H Griffith..... I plan to stick with the ZeroTol this year since that's what I started with last month. PS...Your front cottage garden is lovely.

i dont know ... but what are they going to attack if the plant is dormant????? if the leaves fall off .. wouldnt the nem have to travel back to the crown for winter? if they are inside the plant ... how can a nem traveling above ground .. have time or the ability to penetrate the crown before frozen??? there is no leafy substance to penetrate .... as i said.. i dont know ... but i would bet a buck you are ahead of the curve by getting rid of known problems ... as for raking... there may be wounds in the crown or pips from the scratching of the rake .... i just dont know .. ken

We tried nematodes several years ago to handle an annoying fungus gnat problem with our house plants. First of all there is a shelf-life as nematodes are living creatures so you need to purchase from a source with high turn-over or ships direct. Bottom line is the application of nematodes to our house plants did drastically reduce the fungus gnat population after a couple of weeks but one should note it doesn't entirely eliminate them. After a few weeks there is a balance that's struck (as in all eco-systems) that hopefully one finds they can tolerate. We made it through winter putting up with the few that would never quite go away. In the end, we put all the plants outside in early spring. Then repotted each in fresh, sterilized potting soil, sprayed with a product called Eight, every few days for a couple weeks while they sat in the garage then finally brought them one-by-one back into the house. With house plants you do have options to try controlling the gnat population such as letting succulents dry out completely (breaks the fungus gnat life cycle) or put a tall layer of diatomaceous earth or perlite on top, or spray the plants and soil with Eight, and eschew most organic matter from the potting mix (especially peat)... however I don't believe any of these strategies would be viable within a worm bin. So the best strategy would be start over with the bin, keep it inside (in a dark basement or closet would be best) and maintain a thick layer of dry bedding material on top... even using a lid if necessary. Our experience with the house plants taught us that once fungus gnats get started there is no guaranteed fix to totally eradicate the gnat population short of starting over again.

Shrubs Grow The most desired shrub is the mythical one that grows rapidly to the desired height and then stops. Of course it doesn't exist. Shrubs grow more or less continuously throughout their lives, some quickly and some slowly. An extra 6"/year on a 20' bush may not be noticeable but it does add up. In some conditions, winter dieback or a short growing season can effectively stop shrubs at a smaller than normal size, but the only reliable way to keep shrub at a specific size is through pruning. Once a shrub stops growing, it is halfway to dead, susceptible to disease and won't produce a strong display of flowers or fruit. How Big do they Grow? Shrubs come in a wide array of shapes, from pencil thin spires to flat ground huggers. Some are very amenable to training or pruning into different shapes. Shrubs grow as large as conditions allow and for as long as they are healthy. It has become a common practice for nurseries to label shrubs with the expected size after 5 years. At best this is an indication of fast and slow growers, at worst it is extremely deceptive. I have seen labels stating that a gum tree will be 6' tall after 5 years (small print says with annual pruning). In practice such a plant is likely to be 40' tall in 10 years. A holly 6' tall after 5 years could grow into a 50' tree. Of course there are shrubs that will never get more than two or three feet tall but they are usually slow growers or wide-spreaders. Try to find out the mature size of a typical specimen and how long it takes to get there. Pay attention to the spread as well as the height. A 6' pencil could be lost against your house, but a 6'x10' shrub is an imposing beast. Research the growth habit and recommended pruning. Some shrubs can easily be sheared to size, others will resent pruning. How Fast do they Grow? How fast do you want? There are vigorous shrubs that will grow 2', 3', or more per year. Some scramblers and climbers will grow much more. Others only grow a few inches. The important thing to remember is that if it grows fast it is going to be big. The magic shrub that grows 3' in each of the first two years and then stops does not exist - it will grow another 3' in each year after that. Shrubs at the cold limits of their range grow more slowly and might even shrink in a cold year. Shrubs in general grow more slowly in colder climates. Very hardy shrubs grow more slowly even in warm climates. Shrubs grow more quickly with the correct moisture levels and good fertile soil. Image by: Ian Nartowicz