Natural/organic prevention of early blight?

[Douglas14]

I'm off to nice start with my tomatoes here in central Minnesota. I'm seeing a few fruit sets already. I want to keep my plants as healthy as I can. I'm wondering what I can do to prevent, or lessen the affects of, early blight in my garden. Any natural/organic suggestions?

[ilex]

Compost tea, maybe Glycyrrhiza glabra extract.

[amideutch]

Check out this product. I have used it for years with good results.

http://www.planetnatural.com/product...e-lawn-garden/

Ami

[pmcgrady]

I just read in a Rodales organic gardening book, they recommend chopped and crushed garlic mixed with water put into a spray bottle and sprayed on plants. I've never tried it.

[Tracydr]

I'd go with worm compost tea,foliar sprays with that and neem, plus kelp. Also actinovate and excel might help.

[NarnianGarden]

Aspirin has been discussed here as well. Either as spray, or crushed in the soil.

[Shapshftr]

We had a fungal disease problem for years that completely destroyed all plants in due time. Initially we thought it was early blight. Later I thought it more resembled septoria leaf spot. But recently a horticulturalist looked at it and said it was some other fungal disease (can't remember what) and he said to just spray the hell out them with NEEM OIL. That took care of it. So you might want to try it.

[Barbee]

Best prevention for me is a nice layer of mulch put around each plant at plant out. Type of mulch doesnt really matter. The idea is to prevent splashback of soil from rain.

[dustdevil]

Look for a hybrid that is early blight resistant. Call your county ag agent. Early Blight isn't very common in MN.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by Barbee

Best prevention for me is a nice layer of mulch put around each plant at plant out. Type of mulch doesnt really matter. The idea is to prevent splashback of soil from rain.

The last 2 years I have gotten what I believe to be early blight. This year I have kept the leave pruned up away (about 15") from the ground and so far no problems at all. I also planted into weed barrier cloth which I think also helped. Plus virtually NO weeding.

[Douglas14]

Thanks for the replies. I'll consider all suggestions/recommendations.

Dustdevil,
I just assumed it was early blight, by reading a little on it. I didn't realize early blight isn't common in MN. Maybe it's late blight then? It starts sometime after fruit set on the plants. It starts on the bottom of the plant, and gradually works it's way up. Some varieties seem more resistant. I usually get a decent crop even with the disease. Most of the plants live until frost, but the bottom half, or so, is dead(brown and dried up) by the first frost. I grew a determinate variety last year, that the disease killed totally. But not before most of the fruit had ripened.

[Shapshftr]

Originally Posted by Douglas14

Thanks for the replies. I'll consider all suggestions/recommendations.

Dustdevil,
I just assumed it was early blight, by reading a little on it. I didn't realize early blight isn't common in MN. Maybe it's late blight then? It starts sometime after fruit set on the plants. It starts on the bottom of the plant, and gradually works it's way up. Some varieties seem more resistant. I usually get a decent crop even with the disease. Most of the plants live until frost, but the bottom half, or so, is dead(brown and dried up) by the first frost. I grew a determinate variety last year, that the disease killed totally. But not before most of the fruit had ripened.

What you describe sounds exactly like what we had. I tried keeping the bottom growth trimmed and mulching around the plants to prevent dirt splashing on them too. Still got it. And it always seemed to start right around now, mid to late June here in northern Illinois. Lots of people get it and think it's blight. It did get much better after we stopped using cages and started using my new trellis system that allows much greater air circulation. But my friend started getting it last year and asked the horticulturist dude about it. He told him it's Powdery Mildew and to hose the plants down with neem oil til it's dripping off them, and only in the evening so you don't burn the leaves in the sun. He said it stopped it, and didn't have a problem the rest of the year. I'm not so sure that's what it was, but could be. All I know is it only affects the leaves. Blight attacks leaves, stems and fruits.

[dustdevil]

Originally Posted by Douglas14

Thanks for the replies. I'll consider all suggestions/recommendations.

Dustdevil,
I just assumed it was early blight, by reading a little on it. I didn't realize early blight isn't common in MN. Maybe it's late blight then? It starts sometime after fruit set on the plants. It starts on the bottom of the plant, and gradually works it's way up. Some varieties seem more resistant. I usually get a decent crop even with the disease. Most of the plants live until frost, but the bottom half, or so, is dead(brown and dried up) by the first frost. I grew a determinate variety last year, that the disease killed totally. But not before most of the fruit had ripened.

Possibly Septoria.

[Cole_Robbie]

Light bleach solutions meet the organic standard, at least as far as I understand it. I don't know if hydrogen peroxide does, but it is another good alternative if you only have a few plants.

I've also read about, but have not tried, diluted milk being used as an anti-fungal spray, although I think that was more for powdery mildew than blight.

[jhp]

I alternate spraying neem oil and actinovate (amideutch linked actinovate in his post) about a week to ten days apart. Seems to help with fungus, but it seems inevitable that there will be fungus at some point. I'm not perfect and sometimes get busy and can't spray. Fungus comes in on the rain, not just from splash back. I remove unhappy looking leaves, mulch, prune away the bottom leaves, never wet the leaves other than the two sprays I mentioned. Never prune or harvest when plants are wet. That's the best I can do.

Good luck.

Jen