Way to much rain

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by b54red

I just got soaked again. I was out trying to put up a rack for a second tomato bed when the bottom fell out. It wasn't even supposed to rain til after lunch. I did notice a little early blight showing on a few of the lower leaves on my in ground tomatoes but that is easily controlled. This kind of wet weather makes me worry more about spot and speck diseases that can be devastating. A one or two day break in the rain would be wonderful right now.

Bill

What is Spot and Speck disease on the tomatoes, please. I don't know that. I haven't even heard of it before. What do I even look for. If you say it that bad Bill, I sure hope we all don't get.

Learning to switch over from more or less perennial flowering plants to all veggies sure is a challenge.

[Stvrob]

Is it best to wait till the weather breaks before spraying copper? Or take the first opportunity to spray even if its likely you will get rain that same afternoon?

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Stvrob

Is it best to wait till the weather breaks before spraying copper? Or take the first opportunity to spray even if its likely you will get rain that same afternoon?

I'm a little bit A--l Retentive, and I would be worried about all those spores spreading in the wind and rain, then fluorishing in the continued rain. If you have a weather re
Ort where you are going to get hit with a storm later in the day, it might be beneficial to spray thoroughly that morning, jupst to kill all the stuff that already is taking hold. Provided you have an hour or so to let it dry before the next rain.
That's what I would do anyway.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Starlight

What is Spot and Speck disease on the tomatoes, please. I don't know that. I haven't even heard of it before. What do I even look for. If you say it that bad Bill, I sure hope we all don't get.

Learning to switch over from more or less perennial flowering plants to all veggies sure is a challenge.

There are several speck and spot diseases and I'm not sure which ones I get sometimes but they can be really hard to control especially in rainy weather. They seem to be more damaging to larger plants but they can get on seedlings. Just Google tomato diseases and go to some of the sites and they will explain them better than I can. They usually start with some or all the leaves having dark spots or specks on them and they can also affect the stems. If they are not stopped they can cause a huge amount of leaf lose and stunting of growth. When it is raining like this I try to clip off any leaves that have discolored spots or yellowing and discard them. If it ever stops raining I will give them a day or two to dry out and then will probably apply a copper spray and a week later Daconil. If the spots increase after the rain stops I will then try a diluted bleach spray and then remove any diseased leaves.

Bill

[b54red]

Before anyone asks here is a thread on the bleach spray and its use.
http://tomatoville.com/showthread.ph...t=bleach+spray

Bill

[budfaux]

Yep, lots of rain and flash flooding today, and a chill in the air.
I haven't put any plants in the beds yet, but when things dry out, I'll definitely be placing the the plants laterally in trenches, as most are itchng for their permanent home.
No worries for me at this point....

[Starlight]

Originally Posted by b54red

Before anyone asks here is a thread on the bleach spray and its use.
http://tomatoville.com/showthread.ph...t=bleach+spray

Bill

Thanks Bill. Yes, I would have asked about it.

This is what day 9 of rain. Three more to go before we get a break. Since I am new to all these heirlooms, will I need to put them back under some shade cloth or something for them to dry out? When the sun comes back out, it will probably be blistering and hot, will it scorch the heirloom seedlings? I don't know how sensitive they are to things yet.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Thanks Bill. Yes, I would have asked about it.

This is what day 9 of rain. Three more to go before we get a break. Since I am new to all these heirlooms, will I need to put them back under some shade cloth or something for them to dry out? When the sun comes back out, it will probably be blistering and hot, will it scorch the heirloom seedlings? I don't know how sensitive they are to things yet.

I just leave mine out. The quicker they dry out the better.

Bill

[Rfdillon]

Folks, we have just ended a week of rain. Although I can see no signs of disease, should I spray with Daconil today? I am still trying to get a handle on a spray schedule. I sprayed with Actinovate last week, but am not sure of when to start spraying Daconil/Copper/bleach solution. Any advice is welcome!

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Rfdillon

Folks, we have just ended a week of rain. Although I can see no signs of disease, should I spray with Daconil today? I am still trying to get a handle on a spray schedule. I sprayed with Actinovate last week, but am not sure of when to start spraying Daconil/Copper/bleach solution. Any advice is welcome!

I would go ahead and spray with either Daconil or copper as soon as the plants are dry.
We are still getting pounded with rain but at least yesterday it was decent. The rain is supposed to end today or tonight so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I still have squash, pepper and cucumbers to set out and they are getting way too big.

Bill

[Rfdillon]

Bill, can I go ahead and spray in the middle of the day, or should I wait until late this afternoon? And is it OK to spray with a foliar fertilizer, after I spray with Daconil?

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Rfdillon

Folks, we have just ended a week of rain. Although I can see no signs of disease, should I spray with Daconil today? I am still trying to get a handle on a spray schedule. I sprayed with Actinovate last week, but am not sure of when to start spraying Daconil/Copper/bleach solution. Any advice is welcome!

Whatever you do, don't mix Daconil and copper together. Instant sprayer clog!

[Starlight]

Checking to make sure I have this right. Use the bleach spray first for several times and than use the Daconil?

I can't believe the rain has actually stopped for a few, but it pitch black outside so no way am I going out to try and spray.

I'm hoping they are right and tomorrow is the last day of rain for a few days, but then we get hit again for several more days.

My poor plants took a heck of a beating today. I worried what shape they gonna be in tomorrow when I can hopefully get a good look at them. We not only got tons and tons of rain, but high winds, thunder, lightening and a tornado touched down a few miles away.

Also I don't have anything to measure 5 ounces of bleach or 7 ounces once I see what my bleach bottle says. Can anybody tell me how many cups or parts of a cup that would be instead?

[clkeiper]

"Also I don't have anything to measure 5 ounces of bleach or 7 ounces once I see what my bleach bottle says. Can anybody tell me how many cups or parts of a cup that would be instead?"

An ounce is 2 tablespoons, so you would measure 10 tablespoons into your container and dilute it, 7 oz would be 14 T or 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons. do you have a measuring cup in your kitchen? Bleach wont hurt that if you have one and use it. Also make sure of your bleach concentration. Use what the "recipe" calls for, if it calls for regular bleach don't use the "ultra" or whatever it is called.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Starlight

Checking to make sure I have this right. Use the bleach spray first for several times and than use the Daconil?

I can't believe the rain has actually stopped for a few, but it pitch black outside so no way am I going out to try and spray.

I'm hoping they are right and tomorrow is the last day of rain for a few days, but then we get hit again for several more days.

My poor plants took a heck of a beating today. I worried what shape they gonna be in tomorrow when I can hopefully get a good look at them. We not only got tons and tons of rain, but high winds, thunder, lightening and a tornado touched down a few miles away.

Also I don't have anything to measure 5 ounces of bleach or 7 ounces once I see what my bleach bottle says. Can anybody tell me how many cups or parts of a cup that would be instead?

Bill needs to field this one. When I used bleach the one time, it was very harsh, I think it might be because I grow at a different time of year? So I dont use bleach or Daconil, because Daconil is not organic, and because the copper spray as I described is both organic snd very highly effective, and kills all foliar fungi and bacteria, so if used regularly it becomes preventive, but it is also good for a current infection. Daconil is most effective as a preventive.
You have to find what works best in your hands and garden.
Personally, after seeing what the bleach did, it wont be used in my garden again, but it might work well for you, as it does for Bill.