PORT ANGELES — Veteran Master Gardener Muriel Nesbitt will discuss how to recognize and combat nematode damage to garden plants and how to use beneficial nematodes to control insect damage in the garden at noon Thursday in the county commissioners’ meeting room at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St.
This presentation, titled “Nematodes: The Good and the Evil,” is part of the Green Thumb Garden Tips education series sponsored by the WSU Clallam County Master Gardeners.
Nematodes are round worms that can be parasites on humans, plants or insects. Nesbitt will distinguish among the three types of parasites and will explain nematodes’ place in the animal kingdom and their role in ecology.
She will give brief attention to nematodes that are parasites on humans. She will provide detailed information on how to detect signs of nematode damage on plants and what can be done to prevent such damage.
Additionally, she will explain the use of beneficial nematodes to combat insect garden pests and fleas.
Nesbitt, who earned a doctorate in genetics from the University of Washington, retired from teaching biology at the University of California-San Diego.
She directed the Clallam County Master Gardener program 2009-12. She is a frequent speaker on sustainable growing and an instructor for the Master Gardener intern training.
The Master Gardener Green Thumb Garden Tips education series continues from noon to 1 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of each month.
For more information, call 360-565-2679.
