DIY Nematode Ranching: Nematode Small-Scale Propagation Protocol (Petri Dish)

Materials needed
- Petri dishes
- Cotton rounds
- Frozen, dead Mealworms (5-8)
- 5-10mL of Nematode solution (can be weak [as low as 10 nematodes] or strong [as high as 1 million nematodes])
- Water
Starting Plates
- Get out petri dish and place 1 cotton round on the base of the petri dish
- Load mealworms on the cotton round
- Place second cotton round on top of mealworms (creating a mealworm sandwich)
- Apply nematode solution on top of cotton rounds. Only add enough nematode solution to soak the cotton and leave a small pool around the cotton. The nematode solution shouldn’t take up the entire base of the petri dish.
- Let sit for 2-4 days to allow nematodes to enter mealworms
Cleaning Plates
- After incubating for 2-4 days, rinse the cotton rounds with water. You don’t need to drown the mealworm sandwich. Just add enough water to cover the base of the petri dish
- Gently swirl the water around the petri dish to help work the nematodes out of the cotton and into the water.
- Gently pour off the water into a collection container.
- Repeat steps rinsing steps 2-3 times
- Use the water from the collection container (nematode solution) to make more plates or dump into sink or apply as a small spot treatment
- When finished rinsing, leave only a small amount of water in the petri dish until the next cleaning. The water shouldn’t cover the base of the petri dish. The water is only to keep the cotton moist.
- Clean plates every 2 days
Timeline of Plates (estimates)
- Initial infection period: 2-4 days after start
- Ramp up period: 2 weeks after start
- Maximum production: 2-6 weeks after start
- Plate Fallout: 6-8 weeks after start
- Total plate lifespan: 8 weeks
DIY Nematode Ranching: General Information
DIY Nematode Ranching: Nematode Large-Scale Propagation Protocol (Paint Tray)
This article was posted in Cranberry and tagged Brandon Gominho, Cranberries, cranberry, nematode, nematode ranching, Nematodes, Shawn Steffan.