Sun vs Shade Vs Disease

BigdaddyJ · September 2, 2011

I am an organic grower. I tried the Actinovate/Excell/Mycro this year with poor results. Anyway, I noticed that my oplants that get less sun fared better than those in full sun? I'd have thought just the opposite! The 8 hour/day did better than the total full sun ones! Any thoughts? Anyone ever have a similar year? Mostly EB, Septoria, spots and specs. Zone 7 DelaWHERE

Dewayne mater · September 2, 2011

Can't say about your neck of the woods, but tomatoes in N.Tx that get full sun all day are toast. Few living things can take the sun and heat combo and tomatoes are pickier than most things. 6 hours of sun is sufficient around here but my most success has been with 8 plus hours of 50% shade cloth filtered sun.

lakelady · September 3, 2011

Bigdaddy, I noticed the VERY same thing! I had a few San Marzanos in the shadier area as well as some in the main garden which has all day sun. The ones in the shaded area did much better, less black spots on them and they are also still producing, and have been for a long time. I thought it was just something different I did, but maybe you are onto something..... Truly, I thought it would be the opposite.

BigdaddyJ · September 6, 2011

Thanx to both of you. I am glad I am not the only one discovering that conventional wisdom isn't always 100% valid...

lakelady · September 8, 2011

I've learned that sometimes, no matter what I do, how hard I try to "figure something out" there are times when things are just going to go the way they want to go...and maybe at times, tomatoes are just one of those things lol..

BigdaddyJ · September 8, 2011

Boy that's the truth!

dice · September 16, 2011

It could be a matter of rain and wind protection. The ones out in full sun
all day dry out faster and get more btus (British Thermal Units) sooner,
but they also are more exposed to spores in the wind and rain. The more
shaded ones may have a bit of a windbreak around them and less spore
carrying wind blows over them. Which way is better may depend on
whether the spores also infect the plants that are providing the shade.

(In hot climates, of course, total heat can be a bigger enemy to plant
health and production than disease.)

dustdevil · September 17, 2011

Maybe you water the area that gets the most hours of sun more often. Then, the increased watering increases your chances of disease.

lakelady · September 18, 2011

Dust and Dice, both good observations. The sunnier areas got more water, and also the shaded areas were up against the house, so not as exposed to winds, etc. They were the last to succumb to septoria.

September 2, 2011	#1
BigdaddyJ Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Zone7 Delaware Posts: 399	Sun vs Shade Vs Disease I am an organic grower. I tried the Actinovate/Excell/Mycro this year with poor results. Anyway, I noticed that my oplants that get less sun fared better than those in full sun? I'd have thought just the opposite! The 8 hour/day did better than the total full sun ones! Any thoughts? Anyone ever have a similar year? Mostly EB, Septoria, spots and specs. Zone 7 DelaWHERE __________________ Farmer at Heart

September 6, 2011	#4
BigdaddyJ Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Zone7 Delaware Posts: 399	Thanx to both of you. I am glad I am not the only one discovering that conventional wisdom isn't always 100% valid... __________________ Farmer at Heart

September 8, 2011	#6
BigdaddyJ Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Zone7 Delaware Posts: 399	Boy that's the truth! __________________ Farmer at Heart

September 16, 2011	#7
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	It could be a matter of rain and wind protection. The ones out in full sun all day dry out faster and get more btus (British Thermal Units) sooner, but they also are more exposed to spores in the wind and rain. The more shaded ones may have a bit of a windbreak around them and less spore carrying wind blows over them. Which way is better may depend on whether the spores also infect the plants that are providing the shade. (In hot climates, of course, total heat can be a bigger enemy to plant health and production than disease.) __________________ -- alias

September 2, 2011	#2
Dewayne mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 1,212	Can't say about your neck of the woods, but tomatoes in N.Tx that get full sun all day are toast. Few living things can take the sun and heat combo and tomatoes are pickier than most things. 6 hours of sun is sufficient around here but my most success has been with 8 plus hours of 50% shade cloth filtered sun.

September 3, 2011	#3
lakelady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northern NJ zone 6b Posts: 1,862	Bigdaddy, I noticed the VERY same thing! I had a few San Marzanos in the shadier area as well as some in the main garden which has all day sun. The ones in the shaded area did much better, less black spots on them and they are also still producing, and have been for a long time. I thought it was just something different I did, but maybe you are onto something..... Truly, I thought it would be the opposite.

September 17, 2011	#8
dustdevil Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: WI, USA Zone4 Posts: 1,887	Maybe you water the area that gets the most hours of sun more often. Then, the increased watering increases your chances of disease.

September 18, 2011	#9
lakelady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northern NJ zone 6b Posts: 1,862	Dust and Dice, both good observations. The sunnier areas got more water, and also the shaded areas were up against the house, so not as exposed to winds, etc. They were the last to succumb to septoria.