Wilting, slimy leaves?

[ChrisK]

Maybe so (I don't see it on the UK label) but formulations, adjuvants etc are different for different crops. There are also stewardship rules about max amount of this chemistry to apply per year per unit of area and per plant to help manage resistance.

I am a firm believer that homeowners should have incredibly limited access to the big guns! ;-)

Originally Posted by Paradajz

as i said, not a recommendation, just a note

btw, SIGNUM fungicide ( as this stuff is named in Europe ) is labeled for use on tomatoes in most EU countries.

[Paradajz]

i, on the other hand, believe that i once met a study from UC Davis which has shown ultimate efficiency of Boscalid + Pyraclostrobin when dealing with Moldes and Mildews on tomatoes.

don't take my word for it, i'll see to find it if possible.
and again, not a recommendation, just a note

[Gussie]

b54red: Thanks for letting me know what is/isn't working for you, and I hear you on needing a week without rain. I will keep my fingers crossed for you and me for sure! I found Mancozeb at the fancy and expensive garden shop near me, but it looks like Amazon has it: http://www.amazon.com/Mancozeb-Flowa.../dp/B000BWZ9JO

I ended up doing bleach spray on all my plants last night, and then it rained again today. I hit them with the bleach spray again this evening. Once they dried for the most part, I went with the Exel LG-Actinovate-Molasses mixture at max strength (4 Tbs/gallon) instead of the Mancozeb-Copper Fungicide spray. I wasn't sure what the mixture should be, and the clock was ticking before it was too dark to spray. Looks like Mancozeb Flowable with Zinc is recommended at 3-4 teaspoons a gallon, and the Copper Fungicide is 1 Tablespoon a gallon. I assume I also need a spreader/sticker so would I do like 2 drops of dish soap, 3 teaspoons Mancozeb, and 1 Tablespoons Copper? Or when you mix them, should I go weaker?

Big question -- what's the benefit to doing Macozeb/Copper vs. Exel/Actinovate? Am I right in thinking that the Exel/Actinovate is less drastic? I would rather stay organic-ish, but I also love homegrown tomatoes so I will do what it takes, within reason. Because I am bonkers, I also have Fungonil, Ortho Disease B Gon, and Daconil, just in case one of those is better for this battle.

I will get up early in the morning and see what I am dealing with at that point. So far I see grey mold and what is likely early blight or something that looks an awful lot like it. Might have a little Septoia as well. About 1/2 of my 13 plants have some bad crud of some kind, and it is making me crazy.

Thanks, JamesL, Paradajz, ChrisK, and b54red. I am going to read as much as I can before I fall asleep so I can be smarter for the battle of the crud.

TOMATOES OR BUST!

rgustafs

[ChrisK]

There are a couple of new products from BASF that are labeled for tomatoes (Priaxor/Xemium). But these are going to be expensive and may not be available to non-commercial growers.

Originally Posted by JamesL

Excellent point Chris. The Pageant product is only approved for ornamental use.
The BASF crop product is Endura® fungicide which appears to be just Boscalid.

Not sure if the Pyraclostrobin is approved for crops in the US.

[Paradajz]

Chris,

i have spent almost half of my entire life fighting with chemistry abuse of both home and commercial growers. and that's in a country which applies an old system inherited from the country it once was, averagely restricting chemical residues in fruits at 3-10 times lower rates than EU.

my feeling about it is that it's knowledge which funds appropriate actions with both, home and commercial growers.

btw, both substances are averagelly far less toxic than mancozeb, for example.

but again, disregard the post, it was just curiosity with a tendency to kill the cat, as usually.

[ChrisK]

Sorry to belabor this but we need to be very clear here when it comes to using agricultural products and our wink wink nudge nudge recommendations. Regardless of what studies say, if it is not on the label it is illegal to use it for that purpose. Period.

Further, you take a risk that the particular formulation will be phytotoxic if it is not labeled for your crop, despite the active ingredient being the same as another product. We do extensive safety testing of these types of chemicals and there is a reason specific crops are on the label.

Originally Posted by Paradajz

i, on the other hand, believe that i once met a study from UC Davis which has shown ultimate efficiency of Boscalid + Pyraclostrobin when dealing with Moldes and Mildews on tomatoes.

don't take my word for it, i'll see to find it if possible.
and again, not a recommendation, just a note

[Paradajz]

Originally Posted by Gussie

b54red:
....

TOMATOES OR BUST!

rgustafs

you don't need dish soap with copper and mancozeb. if you chose to do it, make the mixture and leave it for a couple of hours, stir it up occasionally, than spray, but pay special attention to leaf undersides.

it'll help with spots also. as for the mold, it will only prevent the further spread if you sprayed it right, but the disease will only be controled once the weather improves- high temps and humidity under 85% are what you actually need there.
unfortunatelly, botrytis is a very hard disease to control once it has spread. what you need right now is to contain it to some point and to try stop the secondaries from making a disaster on such stressed plants.

br

[Paradajz]

Originally Posted by ChrisK

Sorry to belabor this but we need to be very clear here when it comes to using agricultural products and our wink wink nudge nudge recommendations. Regardless of what studies say, if it is not on the label it is illegal to use it for that purpose. Period.

Further, you take a risk that the particular formulation will be phytotoxic if it is not labeled for your crop, despite the active ingredient being the same as another product. We do extensive safety testing of these types of chemicals and there is a reason specific crops are on the label.

point taken, Chris. Period.

[Gussie]

Thanks, guys! In the morning, I am doing Macozeb and Copper even if it is raining. I feel like I have no other option at this point. The weather forecase show rain every day until Friday so I guess I need to re-do the spray after each rain? Should I do the bleach spray and then the M/C? Sorry I have so many questions. I just want to get it right.

I am always fascinated to learn how wickedly smart all of you are, and I am lucky to have found Tomatoville. Heck, I'd probably be spraying all sorts of craziness on my plants if it weren't for you 'villains.

rgustafs

[b54red]

I don't think Septoria or Gray Mold can be stopped when it is raining everyday. The best you can do is slow it down and hope for a break in the weather which may or may not come. As for getting humidity below 85%, I wish. We get lower humidity during the middle of the day on days it doesn't rain but every night and morning it stays near 100% for much of the summer. The only relief from that is when we have a drought or long period with no rain. That is one of the main reasons I like to do my spraying in the evening when the leaves are dry. It is much more difficult to formulate sprays to apply during the morning because the leaves are almost always dripping water until well into mid morning when the sun is just too hot for using any spray on the foliage. Despite that I am finding myself forced to spray more in the mornings due to the frequent afternoon showers we have been having lately. I sprayed with Daconil two days ago and it promptly rained hard the next day and so I am going to try the copper again this morning. Man is this frustrating.

Bill

[Gussie]

Oh I hear ya, b54. The constant rain is no good. I only got through 8 plants this morning before getting rained out. At least the plants were dry when I started. I am a Houstonian, so I can appreciate real humidity and heat. I am thankful we are not hitting the high temps, but I would love a break in the humidity soup.

I'll let you know how the Mancozeb and Copper goes. Maybe I'll even keep those 8 plants on that program, while I keep the others on Exel/Actinovate. Hmmm.

Onward!

rgustafs

[b54red]

Luckily it was very windy this morning and the leaves were fairly dry on the plants so I was able to apply the copper fungicide. Now if I can get a day with no rain we'll see if it helps. If I can't stop the progression of the diseases at least on the new plants I won't have to worry about spider mites later in the summer because there won't be any tomatoes for them to feed on. Only a 40% chance of rain today.

Bill

[Gussie]

So, rain Is in our forecast forever and a day. Do I spray with bleach everyday and then copper/Mancozeb once it (hopefully) dries? I know I shouldn't complain about rain because some of you wish for it, but the grey mold is making. me. crazy.

[z_willus_d]

Originally Posted by Paradajz

i, on the other hand, believe that i once met a study from UC Davis which has shown ultimate efficiency of Boscalid + Pyraclostrobin when dealing with Moldes and Mildews on tomatoes.

don't take my word for it, i'll see to find it if possible.
and again, not a recommendation, just a note

Not to promote chemicals we assume are nasty, but I believe Cabrio EG is listed for vegetable use, including tomatoes.

Also, is this the article you were looking for?
http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu...attributes.pdf

-naysen

[ChrisK]

Yes, the Cabrio formulation currently includes tomato. Note the PHI and max applications per season. It may require an applicators license to purchase.

http://agproducts.basf.us/products/c...fungicide.html

5 lbs will set you back $230 at amazon.

Originally Posted by z_willus_d

Not to promote chemicals we assume are nasty, but I believe Cabrio EG is listed for vegetable use, including tomatoes.

Also, is this the article you were looking for?
http://www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu...attributes.pdf

-naysen