Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
greenhorn4sur

Soil Fungus Amendment/Treatment

Greenhorn2
10 years ago

Hi...i recently found out that my Raspberry bushes that have been dying from root rot is because even though i replant the bush with new ones the Fungus/Spores stay in the soil and contaminate the new planting eventually killing each transplant....my idea is the kill off the Fungus/Spores with heat or fire , the excessive heat is suppose to kill anything in the soil...i'm thinking of using a torch, or something like denatured alcohol and saturate the area then light it up...........Fungicides are very expensive unless there is a cheaper organic solution ?........any feedback is welcome.

Comments (5)

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    10 years ago

    i would like some more facts before i go relying on your diagnosis ....

    the thought that bramble is this touchy on soil... makes me wonder how you planted them.. what your native soil is.. how you water... if you fertilized .. where you are ... whether you had a soil test done .. ... and the source of your plants ...

    the link says:

    The best control strategy involves prevention. Avoid planting in poorly drained sites and select fields that have naturally good drainage or improve drainage by tilling. Purchase disease free nursery stock from a reputable grower or grow rooted cuttings or nursery plants on raised beds. Avoid over irrigating when soil temperatures are high.

    more facts please ...

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: link

  • Kimmsr
    10 years ago

    Pouring a flammable, or combustable, liquid on soil and then lighting it is both illegal and not a very good idea. Since whatever that liquid is burns as a gas, somewhat above the soil surface, it would not heat the soil enough to do much harm to any disease pathogens that may be in the soil.
    Possibly soil solarization might work and would be much safer and probably would keep you from being fined by your local fire authorities.

  • mulchmama
    10 years ago

    The vast majority of soil fungi are beneficial, and if your plants have root rot, they're feet are too wet, either because you have poor drainage or are watering too much. I doubt very much you would be able to kill all the spores no matter what you do, but even then, mold and fungus spores are always airborne and always landing in your garden. This is a futile battle, and most likely you would be fighting something that isn't causing your problem.

    Also, even if you could sterilize the soil through whatever means, you should know that the good-guy soil organisms don't return to the soil until they have a food source, which would be the pathogenic organisms. IOW, the bad guys show up first.

  • jean001a
    10 years ago

    If your raspberries have root rot, you should obtain fresh new plants and plant them in a new area in a raised bed.

    Don't use any plants from the old bed even if they appear to be okay. They will carry the fungus spores on their roots and contaminate the new bed. No washing, \etc, will cleanse the roots.

    No treatment available that kill the long-lasting residual from the root rot fungus.

  • Kimmsr
    10 years ago

    More research has shown me that this root rot fungus lives mostly in wet soils, so if possible improve drainage by adding more organic matter unless where you7 are growing these is around a swamp where too much organic matter is most likely why the soil is too wet.

    Here is a link that might be useful: raspberry root rot

Sponsored
Art Masonry Inc.
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars132 Reviews
Loudon County's Hardscape and Landscape Expert in Outdoor Living