Daconil spraying schedule

yotetrapper · January 10, 2010

I had issues with fungal diseases last season, and this year wish to do a preventive spraying cycle using daconil, but am unsure when to start, and how often to spray. Any advice would be appreciated.

Angela

bcday · January 10, 2010

I have taken to starting when I first transplant the plants out into the garden. I make up a 5-gallon pail of Daconil and dip the entire plant upside down in the bucket right to the soil line, to thoroughly cover all the leaves. Then I set the plant aside to dry in the shade before planting it in the garden.

A foliar fungal disease called Septoria is a serious pest here. It strikes early in the season and by the time the plants should be reaching their peak production, they are losing leaves instead. Last year I didn't start with the Daconil until I saw spots on the leaves and then I had a hard time getting the Septoria under control.

How often to spray after the first treatment is highly dependent on the weather and how much fungal disease pressure there is in your area.

If the weather is cool, cloudy and damp as it was last year here, you'll have to spray preventatively once a week or even more frequently, as advised on the label. Weather like that helps fungal diseases to grow and spread.

If you have a long stretch of hot dry weather, you can let it go for awhile longer, but you'll still need to keep a sharp eye on the plants and resume spraying if you see any new symptoms.

frogsleap farm · January 11, 2010

There are some cultural things you can/should do, such as mulch heavily, water from the bottom, and remove infected leaves. Crop rotation is obviously the biggie, but hard to do for most backyard gardeners. These cultural practices alone have not been effective for me. Last year I started applying a rotation of two fungicides, one foliar application every 10 days starting in early July. I did it religiously through the end of August and it worked like a charm. I got minor Septoria on some varieties last summer, but none of the take-all symptoms I've seed the last few years. I'm very interested in host plant resistance as a long term solution - but we're not there yet.

huxter09 · January 11, 2010

A popular spray in Australia for the sort of fungal disease encouraged by humidity is a 10% milk in water solution ,especially for the aubergine/marrow/squash family .I spray my toms too and haven't had any problems for a couple of years ,but it hasn't been as humid a summer either .I resist foliar watering too ,using ground drippers directly at the roots and heavy mulch.

January 10, 2010	#1
yotetrapper Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Oakland MS Posts: 231	Daconil spraying schedule I had issues with fungal diseases last season, and this year wish to do a preventive spraying cycle using daconil, but am unsure when to start, and how often to spray. Any advice would be appreciated. Angela

January 11, 2010	#4
huxter09 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Victoria Australia Posts: 53	A popular spray in Australia for the sort of fungal disease encouraged by humidity is a 10% milk in water solution ,especially for the aubergine/marrow/squash family .I spray my toms too and haven't had any problems for a couple of years ,but it hasn't been as humid a summer either .I resist foliar watering too ,using ground drippers directly at the roots and heavy mulch. __________________ The world needs you to grow your own food !

January 10, 2010	#2
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	I have taken to starting when I first transplant the plants out into the garden. I make up a 5-gallon pail of Daconil and dip the entire plant upside down in the bucket right to the soil line, to thoroughly cover all the leaves. Then I set the plant aside to dry in the shade before planting it in the garden. A foliar fungal disease called Septoria is a serious pest here. It strikes early in the season and by the time the plants should be reaching their peak production, they are losing leaves instead. Last year I didn't start with the Daconil until I saw spots on the leaves and then I had a hard time getting the Septoria under control. How often to spray after the first treatment is highly dependent on the weather and how much fungal disease pressure there is in your area. If the weather is cool, cloudy and damp as it was last year here, you'll have to spray preventatively once a week or even more frequently, as advised on the label. Weather like that helps fungal diseases to grow and spread. If you have a long stretch of hot dry weather, you can let it go for awhile longer, but you'll still need to keep a sharp eye on the plants and resume spraying if you see any new symptoms.

January 11, 2010	#3
frogsleap farm Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Minnesota Posts: 568	There are some cultural things you can/should do, such as mulch heavily, water from the bottom, and remove infected leaves. Crop rotation is obviously the biggie, but hard to do for most backyard gardeners. These cultural practices alone have not been effective for me. Last year I started applying a rotation of two fungicides, one foliar application every 10 days starting in early July. I did it religiously through the end of August and it worked like a charm. I got minor Septoria on some varieties last summer, but none of the take-all symptoms I've seed the last few years. I'm very interested in host plant resistance as a long term solution - but we're not there yet.