straw and blight?

pacmanJohn · February 10, 2012

I've used straw around the base of my tomato plants the last 3 years and it has worked well for weeds and keeping moisture under the straw, but I have also noticed that the last 3 years I've had a bad problems with blight which I had not had before. Could the soil under the straw be a breeding ground for fungus? I had heard that mulch helps with 'mud' splattering on the bottom of the plants during hard rain which would help against fungus/blight... confused...

Thanks for your input.

PaulF · February 11, 2012

I use straw for a mulch and always put layers of newsprint directly on the soil then layer the straw on top of that. I have been an advocate of this method for several years. For me blight has not been an issue and seems to be less than when not having a mulch layer. I do notice fungal growth on the straw, but I have heard/read that this type fungus is not the same as what causes problem tomato diseases. I am sure there will be more comments.

pacmanJohn · February 11, 2012

Thanks for the info. Hope you're right.

February 11, 2012

A very interesting thread. I look forward to learning more as I use straw also, and at $3.00 a bale [and this is the cheapest] it adds up to quite a bit over a 200' x 100' area. Especially if you want it thick enough to prevent weeds. I'm definitely going to use the newspaper method too.

February 10, 2012	#1
pacmanJohn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Frankfort, KY Posts: 143	straw and blight? I've used straw around the base of my tomato plants the last 3 years and it has worked well for weeds and keeping moisture under the straw, but I have also noticed that the last 3 years I've had a bad problems with blight which I had not had before. Could the soil under the straw be a breeding ground for fungus? I had heard that mulch helps with 'mud' splattering on the bottom of the plants during hard rain which would help against fungus/blight... confused... Thanks for your input. __________________ John

February 11, 2012	#2
PaulF Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brownville, Ne Posts: 3,296	I use straw for a mulch and always put layers of newsprint directly on the soil then layer the straw on top of that. I have been an advocate of this method for several years. For me blight has not been an issue and seems to be less than when not having a mulch layer. I do notice fungal growth on the straw, but I have heard/read that this type fungus is not the same as what causes problem tomato diseases. I am sure there will be more comments. __________________ there's two things money can't buy; true love and home grown tomatoes.

February 11, 2012	#3
pacmanJohn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Frankfort, KY Posts: 143	Thanks for the info. Hope you're right. __________________ John

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February 11, 2012	#4
WillysWoodPile Guest Posts: n/a	A very interesting thread. I look forward to learning more as I use straw also, and at $3.00 a bale [and this is the cheapest] it adds up to quite a bit over a 200' x 100' area. Especially if you want it thick enough to prevent weeds. I'm definitely going to use the newspaper method too.