Tomato leaf blight

[Duff 206]

For the past few years we've been having one he** of a time with leaf blight on our tomatoes. Someone said it could be related to tobacco leaf blight, so the wife and I made sure not to smoke or discard our cigarette butts anywhere near the garden. Someone else said it was carried over from year to year in previously contaminated soil, so this year we raised the plants in pots on our deck well away from our old garden plot and used commercial potting soil. Still got blighted.

OK, what do we try now?????

Thanks for any tips!

Duff :wh:

[mavfreak 11]

I had it last year and I tryed everything that someone told me about but never helped. I ended p just ripping up plants that were affected and leaving one that wern't but it got them as well. I don't have an answer for you duff.

but I think it should be mentioned that this could fall under a new gardening catorgory on red square if they add it.

[Duff 206]

but I think it should be mentioned that this could fall under a new gardening catorgory on red square if they add it.

Hi, Heath,

Sorry you got blighted, too. I'm sure we're not alone, and somebody's got to have some advice for us!

As to posting in the new gardening section, we just did!!!!

Duff :)

[mavfreak 11]

Duff I didn't know that it was added yet. Ok so i'm a blind fool.

I didn't plant any tomatos this year cause I was told the=at the blight is in the ground now, and once you get it you got it untill you remove all the contaminted soil.

I hope someone would shed some light on this subject

need new glasses :)

[PPGman 5]

We lost every one of our tomatoes last year to blight, however i noticed that the Amish and the Mennonite's had good crops though. I tried something different this year and started gettng into heirloom seeds. I bought some seeds from a place called Amishland Heirloom Seeds, and none of our tomatoe plants got blight this year. They were by far the best plants i ever had in the garden, no blight, excellent tasting, and good sturdy plants. The thing that interested me with the heirloom seeds is that you can save your seeds year after year and you only have to buy them once. Might want to give this a try and see if you have better success against the blight for next year :)

[MaineDad 85]

Duff,

Doug is right. Heirloom seeds can help. Make sure you rotate your crops so that your tomatoes are not in the same place for at least 5 seasons and make sure they never follow where potatoes were the previous season.

Unfortunately, blight is air-born in many cases, so sometimes there's nothing you can do. I have not had blight for two years now, so I think I am in a good pattern now.

[Raider 2]

I have had my best luck by moving the tomato plants each year and keeping a good layer of compost around the plants. I also stake them up and pinch and prune all of the lower leaves up to at least a foot high so the rain is less likely to splash soil on them. This year was hot, wet and a storm blew some of my plants down and pummeled them. Those that fell got blighted and those that remained standing still look good. Another thing I do is remove the spent plants at the end of the season and take them to our town waste center (they take everything to a high temp composter) rather than compost them in my garden.

[KC9KAS 4,741]

My tomatoes were upside down in buckets. Used potting soil with the moisture holding material. I had blight, and lousy tomatoes this year.

[wheel horse 1045 2]

Duff,

Doug is right. Heirloom seeds can help. Make sure you rotate your crops so that your tomatoes are not in the same place for at least 5 seasons and make sure they never follow where potatoes were the previous season.

Unfortunately, blight is air-born in many cases, so sometimes there's nothing you can do. I have not had blight for two years now, so I think I am in a good pattern now.

should you rotate your potatos every year also?

[MaineDad 85]

Duff,

Doug is right. Heirloom seeds can help. Make sure you rotate your crops so that your tomatoes are not in the same place for at least 5 seasons and make sure they never follow where potatoes were the previous season.

Unfortunately, blight is air-born in many cases, so sometimes there's nothing you can do. I have not had blight for two years now, so I think I am in a good pattern now.

should you rotate your potatos every year also?

Yes you should if you can. Never plant them where tomatoes were the previous season too...

[bk-scouter 93]

Does any have any pictures of their tomato blight ? Ours turned out great for our first year, but I'd like to know what it looks like.

-BK

[MRM 4]

I herd if you get the blight remove the plants and get them out of the garden ASAP and burn them so it cant spread if you just pull them the blight will still spread, don't leave dead plants in the garden or till them in or put in a compost pile, this is what a local organic farmer said.

[specialwheelhorse 174]

Research your plants or seed, some varietys are much more resistant to blight and disease.

We have lost a lot of this in our modern hybrids.

Jim in Texas

[County Agent 0]

There are two different tomato leaf blights that are common, early blight and late blight. Both are caused by fungi. Early blight is the one that we see most frequently in middle TN. The classic symptom of early blight is the development of target-like necrotic lesions on the upper surface of foliage. It begins on the lower leaves first and will progress up the plant over time if nothing is done to protect uninfected tissue. The lesions are simply areas or spots of dead (brown) leaf tissue that somewhat resemble a bullseye target with concentric rings ( you have to use a bit of imagination sometimes to see the bullseye resemblance). As the disease continues to develop, the infected leaves will become chlorotic as chlorophyll production is reduced and entire leaves will brown up and shrivel. As the disease is fungal, it tends to develop when weather conditions favor fungal growth, such as fairly high humidity and some free water on the leaves such as from dew or overhead irrigation applied shortly before sundown.

A number of fungicides will protect uninfected foliage and halt the spread of the disease or at least slow it the point that plant decline is gradual and a tomato crop can still be made. Fungicides don't really cure the disease (once a leaf shows the fungal lesions, it won't recover and appear healthy again), but they can do a fine job of protecting uninfected tissue. The key to getting the benefit from fungicides is to begin making applications prior to or just at the first sign of symptoms and follow the treatment interval specified on the product label. A fungicide that many gardeners use in my area is chlorothalonil which is a common fungicide used in numerous brands such as Daconil. Contact the Extension office operated by your state land grant university which serves your county for information regarding vegetable disease control that is effective in your location.