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Upa Creek, MO

I have been battling mild disease for the last 2 years and should probably take a year off since I cannot rotate... but not going to happen, lol.

That being said, what biologicals are your favorites? I have used Actinovate in the past, but hear a lot about Companion and Rootshield... any others or combos?

I am also currently growing mustard, will mow, till and water in.

Anything else for prevention, management and control?

This is a very open ended post so any ideas please mention them. I know at some point we all battle soil issues and many go undiagnosed. I believe the cause of mine was an extremely wet spring\summer and growing in shade after 230pm daily.

Thanks

8/26/2026 6:43:33 PM

Bethlehem CT

Companion and actinovate should help. You could also incorporate a phosphite fertilizer like agrifos or KPhos.

8/27/2026 6:29:17 AM

Bethlehem CT

Buy a couple strong fans and some hydrogen peroxide and just be ready.

8/27/2026 6:31:38 AM

Westmoreland, KS

white Dewitt weed barrier. Just cut holes in it for the roots put a little sand under the root node and don't bury any vines....it helps but doesn't stop everything.

8/27/2026 10:07:45 AM

Portland, CT

What's your email? In 2024 both of my plants got totally destroyed by fusarium and I make a few tweaks and haven't seen a hint of soil disease since (of course I've seen insect/airborne though). I can send you the file where I compiled all the stuff I did.

8/27/2026 2:39:09 PM

Central NY

Nick, I'd love to see that [email protected] feel like I got it cleaned up but like Luke, I'm planting in the same spot next year...(.companion every 3-4 weeks here.)

8/28/2026 10:40:41 AM

Western PA

Luke, after you till in the mustard and water it in well, ( they say 1 inch of water) you need to tarp in and seal all the edges to keep the gas in. That sealing step is very important.
A better product that's been out for a few years is mustard meal pellets. it is much more concentrated. 40# per 1000 sq feet. Email me for info if interested. I have to leave for work now. If I get time over the weekend, I can give more details on here as well.

8/28/2026 1:19:02 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Thanks Pork and Moon, looks like I will add Companion with my Actinovate.

Nick, thanks... I will get it from Porkchop if you send it to him.

Jake, I will definitely look into that.

Zappa, can you elaborate on sealing the edges? Couldn't the gas escape everywhere else or I might be totally misunderstanding you. I am letting the mustard grow another couple weeks so I have time. Please let me know!

Thanks all

Edit: for those who have my old hotmail that was tied to my BP account, I have not checked in it a year so don't use it!

[Last edit: 08/28/26 7:05:40 PM]

8/28/2026 7:03:48 PM

aurora, IL

You can drench your soil with Oxidate 5.0 to help kill the diseases in the soil directly. It is a sterilizer.

[Last edit: 08/29/26 9:56:49 PM]

8/29/2026 9:55:26 PM

Western PA

Sorry to just get back, been a really busy weekend. What I mean by sealing the edges?

We had a speaker from one of the big mustard producers a few years back at our seminar. She said that after you mow it down, you need to IMEDIATELY till it in, otherwise it will start gassing off and you will lose a significant amount of the gas. Then you need to also put a big piece of plastic over your entire patch and seal the entire perimeter. I used old 16-foot deck boards to seal mine. I put cement blocks on top of the boards to weight them down and to aid in sealing the edges.
This should be done with either a mustard crop or also if you use the pellets.

research mustard meal pellets. My club bought a pallet of them, and we were able to buy them at our seminar a few years ago. I think that company was called "farm Fuel Inc", based in California.

We found a better place in Tennessee though. Their pellets are even more concentrated with the glucosinolates (the gas). This company is called volunteeragproducts.com. They say their product is 25-30 % stronger than the traditional mighty mustard cover crop. These pellets need tilled in then watered in heavily. they say 1 inch of water. I got about 1/2 inch of water on, and my soil would not take any more. I covered with the plastic and sealed all edges. YOU CAN SMELL THE MUSTARD GAS after a few days!! the pellets swelled up like 5 times the original size, lol.
If you use the pellets, you have to wait 3 weeks until you can plant anything. So you leave the plastic on for 3 weeks.

Unfortunately, the shipping charges are terrible to get 1 or 2 50-pound bags shipped to you. you can get an entire 40 bag pallet shipped for about the same!!

I did the mustard pellets last year in the spring, and I also did the oxidate drench where my hoops were going to go. I had very little disease pressure last year, BUT we also were very dry during the growing season.

Hope this helps someone.

[Last edit: 08/30/26 1:50:38 PM]

8/30/2026 1:48:47 PM

Australia [email protected]

As far as fusarium and other rot problems raising your cec helps I had quite a bit of this year's ago but after adding lots of coal ash and coarse sand I don't see it touch wood nowadays and I crown the patch haven't grown cover crops last seasons either its all good to have great drainage and nicely prepared patch but with the amount of water people put on them you have to think about where your soil prepared profile ends does it drain or sit there build up and and cause problems if you're on flat ground heavy cec and deep rip it's like making a dam

8/30/2026 3:59:34 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Thank for that reply Zappa, I get what you meant now. I will look into the pellets. I have a local contact here who can find some of the harder to get stuff at good prices.

Thanks Dale, I have really worked on drainage the past 10 years. Initially I was on heavy clay, but now the drainage is better. I do need to make a few spots more uniform with the rest. I did add sand at one point too and it has helped with disease quite a bit.

Chris, I will read up on that stuff tonight.

8/30/2026 7:44:24 PM

Western PA

Luke, email me at [email protected]
Lee Zappa

9/1/2026 7:29:34 AM

Upa Creek, MO

Thanks Lee, email sent

9/1/2026 6:03:10 PM