Is there a way to stop blight?? - Page 2

bus1key · August 15, 2013

Cant tell from the pics if its Late Blight or Septoria. I've slowed the spread of Septoria tremendously by picking yellowing leaves at first siteing and then spraying with 1tbl spoon baking soda per gallon of water with a couple drops of dawn or joy liquid dish soap. Once a week and after any rain. It would be a big undertaking with so many plant. Good luck !

madddawg · August 15, 2013

Sorry dont get much pc during the week, I will have more time to answer your questions and comments this weekend, sorry.

madddawg · August 17, 2013

The mulch/manure combo was put down a couple of months ago. I gave some to my father in law and his problem is worse. I am leaning toward that. But I have been using this stuff to some degree for the last three years but not this much tho.
I dont know how fresh this stuff was for sure. I am pretty sure I remember them telling me they keep it for over a month before they sell it. Maybe I will buy some this fall and cover it until spring.
As for the mites I looked for mites and didnt see anything.

Over Watering. Well I don't Think Thats the problem. I really only water each section but once a week if we dont get any significant rainfall.

kevn357 · August 21, 2013

Need more info to diagnose the problem. Better pics would help. Doubting herbicide damage and more likely septoria or early blight from the fuzzy photos. Early blight can be quite devastating if not treated. The bleach spray worked fantastic for me. I used copper and daconil when no rain was forecasted.

b54red · August 21, 2013

It has been raining every day for over a week now and the diseases are beginning to get the better of me. I used the bleach spray again this morning as there is no hope of using a fungicide in the constant rain. When I was spraying I was amazed at how much disease there was after days of nearly non stop rain. I fear that some of it may be Late Blight because I saw a few plants with lesions and bad leaves on the new growth. I even pulled one young plant that I knew had no hope of recovery. Even if the rain stops tomorrow I will surely lose at least 2/3 of the leaves on the plants now. I am beginning to wish I hadn't done all that work grafting and setting out a large selection of fall tomato plants. It seems that this year is so different than I am used to and the diseases are just constant. I can't be sure what diseases are affecting my plants because they are such a sodden mess and have not had a chance to really dry out so I can look them over good. It seems that every little cloud in the sky has decided to drop its moisture right on my garden this year. What I would have given for that a few years ago when we were suffering under an extreme drought. The sun finally came out just before noon and I thought I would get a chance this afternoon to closely inspect my plants only to have it start raining again by mid afternoon.

Bill

manyplews · August 28, 2013

I've sprayed Daconil nine times so far,since planting my tomatos on May29th and since we just had 3.2 inches of rain this afternoon,I'll likely spray again as soon as they forecast 24 hours of no precip.
My tomatoes are holding up pretty well with some minor signs of blight on the lowest limbs only.
Being a little handicapped,I have to haul the sprayer around in a garden cart,but I really
like tomato saandwiches !!

madddawg · August 29, 2013

I think some of the problem maybe the fact that I have nitrogen burn from all the mulch and manure I but down, More then usual. But also early untreated blight is also in my thoughts. I dont like using chemicals when I am picking. or about to pick, There is also the cost and time factor to consider for me. I got 10 hours a day dedicated to work during the week, and a couple hours in the garden. On the weekends between the garden and house work, That keeps me pretty busy. Finding time for more work, spraying, Don't come easy. But next year I will try to come up with a better plan. Always room for improvement..

chilisauce · August 29, 2013

So sorry...that looks like my tomatoes last year. We picked any sound tomatoes with any color and let them ripen indoors. If you do have LB, try Iron Lady and mt. Merit next year. There is LB nearby and we don't have it. (Yet). Plants have good yield.

guruofgardens · August 30, 2013

Now that our blight summer season is coming to a close, what can we do this fall and next spring to minimize next year's problems? What can we add to the soil in the fall? In the spring?

Is there any way we can 'immunize' the tomato seedlings with a fungicide when they're a couple of weeks old?

So many people have had disease this year. Any suggestions as to why?

Cole_Robbie · August 30, 2013

Notice that it starts on the bottom of the plant and works its way upward? Blight is a fungal spore that exists in soil, and probably your manure/mulch combo. From overhead watering and also from strong rains, the soil gets splashed up onto the bottom leaves, and that begins the infection. Drip irrigation can solve the splashing from watering problem. For the rainwater splash, you need some sort of ground cover. Black plastic mulch works well. I also noticed a lot less blight this year on tomatoes that were mowed around instead of tilled. The grass holds the dirt in place when the rain hits it, so it doesn't splash up on the plant.

bcday · September 1, 2013

Managing Late Blight:

http://www.njfarmfresh.rutgers.edu/d...orFall_000.pdf

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3102.html

madddawg · September 2, 2013

Guru, Good question. I was thinking about the bleach spray technique. and wondering if would do any good to pre-treat the ground with that .
Cole. Very good points there. Next year I will only do a little text area with the mulch/manure and straw and newspaper the rest. I do got an irrigation system.. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=29324 sometimes the water does spray up if the hose is not turned right. I just put something over the top of the hole,pc of newspaper or something. next year a pc of rag will be over all of em.
BC. I will check out them links another day. Back to the "home"work

kevn357 · September 3, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by guruofgardens

Now that our blight summer season is coming to a close, what can we do this fall and next spring to minimize next year's problems? What can we add to the soil in the fall? In the spring?

Is there any way we can 'immunize' the tomato seedlings with a fungicide when they're a couple of weeks old?

So many people have had disease this year. Any suggestions as to why?

You can't immunize seedlings. Disease is always rampant in different parts of the Country every growing season. You can create a brand new garden with sterile soil in containers or raised beds and still get hit with disease a week after you plant. There is no full proof method. One can only minimize the damage with trial and error.

I'm not an expert but I did pretty darn well moving from a hot and dry zone 10 to a wet and cold 6b. It rained 17 days straight and I fought off the fungus pretty darn well thanks to this forum. You just have to try different methods and see what works for you.

Also, economics come into play as well as how one feels about chemicals vs organic treatments. I had great success with Daconil on the west coast but found it pretty useless when it rained everyday where I am now. When we had dry periods it worked great though. Economically speaking, the bleach is where it's at. But if one doesn't have time to spray every couple days, they are going to have a rough time in wet weather.

Edit*

Just wanted to add that support methods, pruning, and spacing also play a big role when it comes to fungus treatment. My caged (20 inch diameter) plants (not pruned) have more space than my vertical 3 vine plants and have less disease. At the same time they haven't produced more. They just have more leaf growth.

Bottom watering or irrigation drips are only useful if you mulch enough to stop the disease in the soil from splashing when it rains and then remove every diseased leaf...

Daconil, Copper, and bleach spray rotation saved my plants after they were pretty beyond dead in my soaked clay soil. Use what you want based on how often it rains and the chance of rain moving forward.

Adding organic matter in the fall or spring adds helpful bacteria that can compete against the bad stuff. Just be careful what you add and when. Certain manures can be quite toxic to plants when added in the Spring...

bcday · September 3, 2013

Actually the links I posted were mostly a reply Guru's post, since that post had several rather general questions. To answer one of the questions, I think in the fall it's more a matter of removing things -- remove ALL of the infected plant material and burn it or send it off to the landfill. Late Blight can't overwinter on dead plant material, but if you don't have any idea what afflicted your plants, it's best to play safe until you find out. Septoria and Early Blight (which is NOT an early version of Late Blight, LOL) will survive the winter on dead plant material and re-infect your garden next year.

I don't think it would help to pre-treat the ground with bleach. You would only kill off a lot of good guys along with any baddies.

August 15, 2013	#17
madddawg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Missouri Posts: 407	Sorry dont get much pc during the week, I will have more time to answer your questions and comments this weekend, sorry. __________________ I grow a garden not just for the food I harvest, but for the creation of life itself. Johnny Cash

August 17, 2013	#18
madddawg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Missouri Posts: 407	The mulch/manure combo was put down a couple of months ago. I gave some to my father in law and his problem is worse. I am leaning toward that. But I have been using this stuff to some degree for the last three years but not this much tho. I dont know how fresh this stuff was for sure. I am pretty sure I remember them telling me they keep it for over a month before they sell it. Maybe I will buy some this fall and cover it until spring. As for the mites I looked for mites and didnt see anything. Over Watering. Well I don't Think Thats the problem. I really only water each section but once a week if we dont get any significant rainfall. __________________ I grow a garden not just for the food I harvest, but for the creation of life itself. Johnny Cash

August 29, 2013	#22
madddawg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Missouri Posts: 407	I think some of the problem maybe the fact that I have nitrogen burn from all the mulch and manure I but down, More then usual. But also early untreated blight is also in my thoughts. I dont like using chemicals when I am picking. or about to pick, There is also the cost and time factor to consider for me. I got 10 hours a day dedicated to work during the week, and a couple hours in the garden. On the weekends between the garden and house work, That keeps me pretty busy. Finding time for more work, spraying, Don't come easy. But next year I will try to come up with a better plan. Always room for improvement.. __________________ I grow a garden not just for the food I harvest, but for the creation of life itself. Johnny Cash

September 2, 2013	#27
madddawg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Missouri Posts: 407	Guru, Good question. I was thinking about the bleach spray technique. and wondering if would do any good to pre-treat the ground with that . Cole. Very good points there. Next year I will only do a little text area with the mulch/manure and straw and newspaper the rest. I do got an irrigation system.. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=29324 sometimes the water does spray up if the hose is not turned right. I just put something over the top of the hole,pc of newspaper or something. next year a pc of rag will be over all of em. BC. I will check out them links another day. Back to the "home"work __________________ I grow a garden not just for the food I harvest, but for the creation of life itself. Johnny Cash

August 15, 2013	#16
bus1key Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: indiana Posts: 7	Cant tell from the pics if its Late Blight or Septoria. I've slowed the spread of Septoria tremendously by picking yellowing leaves at first siteing and then spraying with 1tbl spoon baking soda per gallon of water with a couple drops of dawn or joy liquid dish soap. Once a week and after any rain. It would be a big undertaking with so many plant. Good luck !

August 21, 2013	#19
kevn357 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Parma, OH Posts: 147	Need more info to diagnose the problem. Better pics would help. Doubting herbicide damage and more likely septoria or early blight from the fuzzy photos. Early blight can be quite devastating if not treated. The bleach spray worked fantastic for me. I used copper and daconil when no rain was forecasted.

August 21, 2013	#20
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	It has been raining every day for over a week now and the diseases are beginning to get the better of me. I used the bleach spray again this morning as there is no hope of using a fungicide in the constant rain. When I was spraying I was amazed at how much disease there was after days of nearly non stop rain. I fear that some of it may be Late Blight because I saw a few plants with lesions and bad leaves on the new growth. I even pulled one young plant that I knew had no hope of recovery. Even if the rain stops tomorrow I will surely lose at least 2/3 of the leaves on the plants now. I am beginning to wish I hadn't done all that work grafting and setting out a large selection of fall tomato plants. It seems that this year is so different than I am used to and the diseases are just constant. I can't be sure what diseases are affecting my plants because they are such a sodden mess and have not had a chance to really dry out so I can look them over good. It seems that every little cloud in the sky has decided to drop its moisture right on my garden this year. What I would have given for that a few years ago when we were suffering under an extreme drought. The sun finally came out just before noon and I thought I would get a chance this afternoon to closely inspect my plants only to have it start raining again by mid afternoon. Bill

August 28, 2013	#21
manyplews Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SW Pa. Posts: 35	I've sprayed Daconil nine times so far,since planting my tomatos on May29th and since we just had 3.2 inches of rain this afternoon,I'll likely spray again as soon as they forecast 24 hours of no precip. My tomatoes are holding up pretty well with some minor signs of blight on the lowest limbs only. Being a little handicapped,I have to haul the sprayer around in a garden cart,but I really like tomato saandwiches !!

August 29, 2013	#23
chilisauce Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: western new york Posts: 15	So sorry...that looks like my tomatoes last year. We picked any sound tomatoes with any color and let them ripen indoors. If you do have LB, try Iron Lady and mt. Merit next year. There is LB nearby and we don't have it. (Yet). Plants have good yield.

August 30, 2013	#24
guruofgardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: zone 5 Colorado Posts: 942	Now that our blight summer season is coming to a close, what can we do this fall and next spring to minimize next year's problems? What can we add to the soil in the fall? In the spring? Is there any way we can 'immunize' the tomato seedlings with a fungicide when they're a couple of weeks old? So many people have had disease this year. Any suggestions as to why?

August 30, 2013	#25
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	Notice that it starts on the bottom of the plant and works its way upward? Blight is a fungal spore that exists in soil, and probably your manure/mulch combo. From overhead watering and also from strong rains, the soil gets splashed up onto the bottom leaves, and that begins the infection. Drip irrigation can solve the splashing from watering problem. For the rainwater splash, you need some sort of ground cover. Black plastic mulch works well. I also noticed a lot less blight this year on tomatoes that were mowed around instead of tilled. The grass holds the dirt in place when the rain hits it, so it doesn't splash up on the plant.

September 1, 2013	#26
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	Managing Late Blight: http://www.njfarmfresh.rutgers.edu/d...orFall_000.pdf http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3102.html

September 3, 2013	#29
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	Actually the links I posted were mostly a reply Guru's post, since that post had several rather general questions. To answer one of the questions, I think in the fall it's more a matter of removing things -- remove ALL of the infected plant material and burn it or send it off to the landfill. Late Blight can't overwinter on dead plant material, but if you don't have any idea what afflicted your plants, it's best to play safe until you find out. Septoria and Early Blight (which is NOT an early version of Late Blight, LOL) will survive the winter on dead plant material and re-infect your garden next year. I don't think it would help to pre-treat the ground with bleach. You would only kill off a lot of good guys along with any baddies.