Q. Will the diatomaceous earth I have used in my garden and around fruit trees kill beneficial nematodes? A. Diatomaceous earth has the same effect on beneficial nematodes as any other nematode. I don’t know of any solid research that shows diatomaceous earth will reduce nematode populations. You might be wasting your money. When nematodes are damaging plants, most recommendations are to mix compost into the soils to reduce nematodes populations and encourage more rapid growth. Some fruit trees such as stone fruits are grown on rootstocks, such as Nemaguard©, that are somewhat resistant to nematodes. Some sources will tell you to grow varieties of vegetables resistant to nematodes, reduce nematode populations periodically using a technique called “soil solarization” or abandon the spot. I wish they were easy to control but they are not.