Disease ID needed - I'm stumped

[Jimjam]

I've looked at a bunch of resources, and I can't identify this issue. Started on just a few lower leaves of a Sungold and now spreading throughout. I'm in southern California, growing in 15-gallon grow bags. My plants were doing fine and then we had a long period of cool rainy cloudy days, so I'm wondering if the soil stayed waterlogged for too long, though I thought my mix had good drainage.

Any idea what this is and what to do about it? Thanks.

- Jim

[ginger2778]

Looks fungal. Trim off and bag up as much diseased leaves as you can, then spray with liquid copper fungicide at the weakest recommended strength.

[peebee]

Jimjam, my Sungold leaves also look "fungal-ly" this year & it's probably the poor weather we've been having in So Cal. I've been pruning all such leaves. But fruit production has been amazing for all my tomatoes this season otherwise.

[DonDuck]

One leaf looked like bacterial leaf spot. Liquid copper can help control it, but not cure it.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by DonDuck

One leaf looked like bacterial leaf spot. Liquid copper can help control it, but not cure it.

True.
Almost always, Once you get fungus, you are in control mode, but it's not the end of the world. Well controlled, with preventive sprays every 10 days or so, but also after a heavy rain, and you can still get a crop and keep it alive in relative health for months. Try to avoid the flowers, they are sensitive to copper.

[DonDuck]

BLS normally appears in my garden in cool to moderate weather with high humidity. If your plants survive into hotter (above 85 degrees F) and drier weather, they can remain productive. Since the pathogen is inside the plant, it can't be eliminated, only controlled, Keep the area around your plants clean of debris and don't transmit the pathogen on your hands and tools. It isn't a good idea to save seed from a diseased plant since the pathogen is probably on the seed as well. Seed can be treated to remove the pathogen. The same disease can infect other garden plants such as peppers.


The disease usually appears as small brown spots with dark margins on the leaves. As the spots increase in size, they merge into yellowish splotches involving the entire leaf. The spots can also appear on the fruit.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by DonDuck

BLS normally appears in my garden in cool to moderate weather with high humidity. If your plants survive into hotter (above 85 degrees F) and drier weather, they can remain productive. Since the pathogen is inside the plant, it can't be eliminated, only controlled, Keep the area around your plants clean of debris and don't transmit the pathogen on your hands and tools. It isn't a good idea to save seed from a diseased plant since the pathogen is probably on the seed as well. Seed can be treated to remove the pathogen. The same disease can infect other garden plants such as peppers.


The disease usually appears as small brown spots with dark margins on the leaves. As the spots increase in size, they merge into yellowish splotches involving the entire leaf. The spots can also appear on the fruit.

I had a terrible time with BLS in my bell peppers two seasons in a row a few years back. It is very frustrating because nothing seems to help once it gets started. It even damaged my hot peppers. For some reason I didn't see a trace of it last year and my peppers were productive till they froze. I have never had a problem with it on tomatoes. The two years it was so bad were also years with a lot of aphids, stink bugs and leaf footed bugs on my bell peppers so maybe one of them carries it or moves it from plant to plant. I don't know but I have been on a mission to significantly shorten the lives of those particular pests whenever I can.

Bill

[DonDuck]

I think thripes are the vector for BLS. I have it this year on almost every type of plant in my garden expect egg plants. It almost killed my tomatoes. I think I've saved them by pruning my tomatoes back too new growth and treating them with liquid copper. My peppers have it, but I've not seen any fruit damage. My beet leaves have the spots, but the beet roots seem okay. The hot weather lf late June and July will help I hope.