Help With Spots - Page 2

b54red · July 9, 2015

I guess I'll have to disagree on this one. If you use the copper at the recommended rate at least the one I use which is Southern Ag it does seem to speed up the dying of leaves with some diseases. It doesn't do it nearly as fast as the bleach spray applied at the right strength but I have noticed that it will sometimes shrivel the diseased portion of the leaf in a manner unlike what happens if the disease were to progress naturally.

I think with the problem you are having you should get out this evening and spray the tops and bottoms of the leaves and all stems and the mulch under the plant with the bleach spray at the rate of 5.5 ozs (of the Clorox concentrated or Ultra bleach the one with 8.25% sodium hypochlorite) added to a full gallon of water with a little dish soap for better coverage. This is the rate I use when I am having a bad problem and you might get some slight leaf burn on some but it shouldn't be too bad. Use as fine a mist as possible so you don't leave too many puddles on leaves. Do this late in the evening then prune off all the diseased leaves the following morning. Repeat the bleach spray late that evening and then the next morning do a follow up with Daconil. It looks like your Early Blight problem is worse than anything else. I have had much better luck preventing EB with Daconil than with copper but copper has been more effective on Septoria and Gray Mold for me. If you think your Septoria problem is worse then do the follow up with a copper spray and then a few days later use Daconil.

I hate to say this but with the amount of disease your plants are showing you might end up with a few plants looking like palm trees but they should recover. Some years when the weather is dry just spraying with a fungicide every week or so is adequate but when you have those extended rainy periods the bleach treatment is essential if you want to come out of them fairly unscathed. When we have an extended rainy period I start using the bleach spray at the rate above between rains about every 2 to 3 days because no fungicide will stay on the plants if the rains are heavy and the bleach spray will kill a lot of the diseases that are starting even before they are visible to the naked eye.

I know it is tough on you northerners and westerners having to deal with really persistent disease pressure because it is much rarer for you than down here in the hot and humid south. Until I started using the bleach treatment I could almost always count on my plants looking like that by mid June every year except those rare times when the humidity stayed relatively low. Now a large percentage of my plants will last until frost but it does take perseverance in using preventive fungicides and jumping on any disease very early and often. Even doing all that I will still lose the battle on some plants because I wasn't quick enough in my response to a disease.

Bill

RayR · July 9, 2015

Bill, if it does seem to speed up the dying of leaves it may be the type of copper compound that has something to do with it, Southern Ag is 31.4% Copper Ammonium complex (8% Metallic Copper Equivalent).
I've only used Soap Shield which is 0.5% Copper Octanoate (Copper Soap), 1.8% Metallic Copper Equivalent.

b54red · July 9, 2015

Ray, that seems to be quite a big difference in the amount of copper.

Bill

solkster · July 9, 2015

Thanks for the help. Did a heavy haircut and hit with a heavier dose of copper. But alas now getting my every-other-day dose or rain here in Southeast PA. Will repeat in the AM. I have three small plots each that has two tomatoes. These two are bad, the two 20 ft. away are moderately infected, and the two another 20 ft away are almost perfect.

July 9, 2015	#17
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	Bill, if it does seem to speed up the dying of leaves it may be the type of copper compound that has something to do with it, Southern Ag is 31.4% Copper Ammonium complex (8% Metallic Copper Equivalent). I've only used Soap Shield which is 0.5% Copper Octanoate (Copper Soap), 1.8% Metallic Copper Equivalent. Last edited by RayR; July 9, 2015 at 02:23 PM.

July 9, 2015	#16
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I guess I'll have to disagree on this one. If you use the copper at the recommended rate at least the one I use which is Southern Ag it does seem to speed up the dying of leaves with some diseases. It doesn't do it nearly as fast as the bleach spray applied at the right strength but I have noticed that it will sometimes shrivel the diseased portion of the leaf in a manner unlike what happens if the disease were to progress naturally. I think with the problem you are having you should get out this evening and spray the tops and bottoms of the leaves and all stems and the mulch under the plant with the bleach spray at the rate of 5.5 ozs (of the Clorox concentrated or Ultra bleach the one with 8.25% sodium hypochlorite) added to a full gallon of water with a little dish soap for better coverage. This is the rate I use when I am having a bad problem and you might get some slight leaf burn on some but it shouldn't be too bad. Use as fine a mist as possible so you don't leave too many puddles on leaves. Do this late in the evening then prune off all the diseased leaves the following morning. Repeat the bleach spray late that evening and then the next morning do a follow up with Daconil. It looks like your Early Blight problem is worse than anything else. I have had much better luck preventing EB with Daconil than with copper but copper has been more effective on Septoria and Gray Mold for me. If you think your Septoria problem is worse then do the follow up with a copper spray and then a few days later use Daconil. I hate to say this but with the amount of disease your plants are showing you might end up with a few plants looking like palm trees but they should recover. Some years when the weather is dry just spraying with a fungicide every week or so is adequate but when you have those extended rainy periods the bleach treatment is essential if you want to come out of them fairly unscathed. When we have an extended rainy period I start using the bleach spray at the rate above between rains about every 2 to 3 days because no fungicide will stay on the plants if the rains are heavy and the bleach spray will kill a lot of the diseases that are starting even before they are visible to the naked eye. I know it is tough on you northerners and westerners having to deal with really persistent disease pressure because it is much rarer for you than down here in the hot and humid south. Until I started using the bleach treatment I could almost always count on my plants looking like that by mid June every year except those rare times when the humidity stayed relatively low. Now a large percentage of my plants will last until frost but it does take perseverance in using preventive fungicides and jumping on any disease very early and often. Even doing all that I will still lose the battle on some plants because I wasn't quick enough in my response to a disease. Bill

July 9, 2015	#19
solkster Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: PA Posts: 10	Thanks for the help. Did a heavy haircut and hit with a heavier dose of copper. But alas now getting my every-other-day dose or rain here in Southeast PA. Will repeat in the AM. I have three small plots each that has two tomatoes. These two are bad, the two 20 ft. away are moderately infected, and the two another 20 ft away are almost perfect.