We love our fig tree, but this year we discovered it is very diseased. It has both the Mosaic Virus and Root Knot Nematodes. I'm so sad...it's always been a very productive tree. It was here when my family first bought the property. It was moved twice since we've had it, yet it still thrived and gave us loads of fruit. So, we will try to do our best to take care of it. We're thinking of buying "Dragonfire -CPP Natural Nematicide" It is supposed to be an oil made from from wild sesame seeds. It's supposed to be toxic to the nematodes, both good and bad ones so I'm reluctant, but it's worth a try to save the old tree. I think the mosaic virus was there before, but the weakened root system (caused by the nematodes) really made the virus more active, I think... It's kind of like a coldsore, when you catch a flu or something, the virus acts up and causes the cankers.
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I thought this may help you in your nematode struggles.
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/nematode.html
It is from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service's site.
Thanks Anne, yes, I was looking at that exact page just last night, it was saying, "Nematode control is essentially prevention, because once a plant is parasitized it is impossible to kill the nematode without also destroying the host." That's kind of discouraging. If anything, we DO have a seedling from this fig tree. I'm hoping that will eventually produce a yield(in maybe 5 or more years)...sigh...
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