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Utah

I read somewhere that some growers use a chemical or product of somekind that kills every thing in the soil(not sure if it is for insects or disease, etc) and then add humates for a proper way to start each season. Has anyone heard of this and what is its purpose and what is the product used, Pros and cons?

4/13/2008 1:00:56 AM

Picton,ON (j.vincent@xplornet.ca)

There are soil fumigants that can be used to essentially sterilize the soil. This is used primarily in intensive horticulture when disease or nematodes become such an extreme problem they can’t be dealt with in any other way. Crops such as strawberries, tobacco, and potatoes are commonly fumigated.

The chemical commonly used is “Metam-Sodium” sold under the trade names Vapam, related compounds are Vorlex, & Telone 260.

The fumigant basically kills everything in the soil, including disease, insects, weed seeds, all soil organisms, nematodes, earth worms…everything! When you are done, the soil is essentially dead. You then reintroduce the organisms you want.

As an agronomist, I have recommended and sold these products, however the use of fumigants is extreme. Producers in a commercial agricultural situation may be justified in there use, however I’m not sure they really have a place in giant vegetable production. Rotating to a new piece of ground is by far the best option.

4/13/2008 12:34:11 PM