Problem with Red Brandywine

[Mark0820]

I have planted Red Brandywine for the past three years, and every year it has become infected with disease and the plants have all died before the end of the tomato season (a couple plants died before they had any ripe tomatoes). My other varieties all seem to make it to the end of the growing season. Is this issue related to the growing conditions in my area, the seeds I purchased or something else? I have used the same seed all three years.

[tam91]

Are you growing other heirloom varieties? Or are the rest of your plants hybrids?

Also, are you using any disease control such as Daconil?

[Mark0820]

Originally Posted by tam91

Are you growing other heirloom varieties? Or are the rest of your plants hybrids?

Also, are you using any disease control such as Daconil?

All of my tomato plants are heirloom varieties. I have not used any disease control in the past, but have thought about using it next year.

[travis]

I have fungal foliar diseases in my tomato beds and Brandywine Red, Landis strain was one of the more tolerant varieties for me. I got the seeds from the SSE public catalog and thought the variety was very strong and productive. Which particular diseases do you have that are causing you the problem?

[tam91]

I have the regular-leaf red brandywine, and it and red pear both seemed to get more disease than some of the other varieties.

I do use Daconil though, or I wouldn't have any plants.

Most of mine had a bit of blight, but I kept it at bay. The above two, however, seemed to have some septoria leaf spot, and it was more difficult to control.

I had problems with red pear last year too.

All, however, made it to the end and had lots of fruit - they just looked a bit sad.

[Mark0820]

Originally Posted by travis

I have fungal foliar diseases in my tomato beds and Brandywine Red, Landis strain was one of the more tolerant varieties for me. I got the seeds from the SSE public catalog and thought the variety was very strong and productive. Which particular diseases do you have that are causing you the problem?

I often read in seed catalogs that Red Brandywine is very tolerant, that is why I am surprised I have so much trouble with it. I am not 100% certain of the disease, but I think it is early blight. I compare the diseased leaves from my plants to pictures in a catalog, and it looks like early blight, but the longer I look at the pictures the more diseases I come up with.

[tam91]

I feel your pain. Trying to figure out which disease isn't so much fun. At least Septoria Leaf Spot is... spotty.

Maybe post a picture, and see what people think?

In any case, unless you're horrendously opposed, I'd suggest trying the daconil.

[fortyonenorth]

Carolyn wrote a very informative piece on foliar diseases that's posted in the "Pests & Diseases" forum here. It's called "Forewarned is forearmed: how to read your tomato leaves" and is well worth a read, especially if you're having issues.

[Mark0820]

Originally Posted by fortyonenorth

Carolyn wrote a very informative piece on foliar diseases that's posted in the "Pests & Diseases" forum here. It's called "Forewarned is forearmed: how to read your tomato leaves" and is well worth a read, especially if you're having issues.

Thank you! It sounds like just what I need to read.

[travis]

Mark, yes I have Early Blight and Septoria Leaf Spot. The Red Brandywine got both of those diseases but for me it seemed they tolerated them much better than most heirloom types. Another good one was Burgundy Traveler which got both diseases but put out enough new healthy foliage to stay ahead of total vine death.

I'm just commenting on the apparent disease tolerance rather than prevention because we all know the benefits of Daconil, pruning, spacing, etc.

[carolyn137]

I think it was about 1991 when I first started growing Red BRandywine and I've grown it from time to time ever since, especially for new seed stock when I used to list it in the SSE YEarbook.

For me it was never that different from any of the other OP varieties I was growing, almost all heirlooms at the time, in terms of foliage diseases. Where I live there aren't any significant systemic diseases most years.

Travis, the SSE Public catalog doesn't list the Landis strain, which isn't a strain anyway. It's Linda at TGS who lists it. And she did it b'c she lists two Red Brandywines, neither of which are Red Brandywine, gifts from Seeds by Design, ahem, so she wanted an authentic one so got one from the Landis Museum in PA and called it the Landis strain.

There are no strains of RB.

The person who first got RB out oif the Yearbok was TOm Hauch whose seed company is heirloom seeds in PA and he still calls it his signature variety. He was the one who sent seeds of RB to Steve Miller at the Landis Museum and it was Steve who got the background info on it.

So there you go, for those interested. Just adding that a few years ago Tom sent me seeds of his RB and asked me to grow them out and compare with my seeds/growouts, and they were the same. he did that b'c someone was saying that his RB seeds weren't right. It ultimately turned out that the customer discovered that his seeds weren't from Tom's site at all and it's not the first time that's happened, and while Tom had no computer records that shoqed the guy had bought the seeds from him the guy told him that his computer was in error. The customer is NOT always right.

Ah, stories I remember and that one was a bad one.

[tam91]

Red Brandywine is a confusing critter. I had trouble (buying plants) last year because the store near me had potato leaf ones.

So... where does one buy seed for the REAL red brandywine, if one does?

[fortyonenorth]

Originally Posted by tam91

So... where does one buy seed for the REAL red brandywine, if one does?

Victory Seeds lists the "real" Red Brandy - I'm sure there are many others as well.

[travis]

Originally Posted by carolyn137

Travis, the SSE Public catalog doesn't list the Landis strain, which isn't a strain anyway. It's Linda at TGS who lists it.

You are correct. I checked my 2009 grow list and it was Tomato Growers Supply that I got the Red Brandywine, Landis strain from.

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by tam91

Red Brandywine is a confusing critter. I had trouble (buying plants) last year because the store near me had potato leaf ones.

So... where does one buy seed for the REAL red brandywine, if one does?

Tam, the first thing you do is to go to Tania's site, actually when looking for seed sources for ANY variety, and find Red Brandywine. Then on that page scroll down until you find seed sources. and then you maybe ask others where they know that correct Red Brandywine seeds are sold.

http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Brandywine,_Red

And from those sources I'd suggest:

Heirloom Seeds, b'c Tom still maintains what he initially got from the YEarbook all those many years ago

Sandhill Preservation, Glenn was offering the correct RB before there were ever ANY PL versions, same with me as to no PL versions when I started growing it.

Tania herself sells seeds for RB

Jeff Casey's site

Victory Seeds b'c I now know that Mike has the right seeds. What he was offering at first was a PL version, several of us contacted him about that, he pulled the listing and then after that is listing, I'm sure, the correct RL RB.

I can't speak to the others except to say that a few years ago Tomatofest had some RB on sale, but what folks got was a PL version which wasn't mentioned at first. I don't know about the one in the regular list, nor do I know about what folks get from the other sources listed.

And if you get RB from TGS be sure you get the one labelled Landis strain per the history I gave above.