Topic: Bordeaux mixture, Dithane safe to eat tomatoes?

[Digeroo]

If they get blight, chutney the lot

Can I confirm whether you use blackened fruits? Or do you manage to catch them green before they go black.

[OllieC]

If they get blight, chutney the lot

Can I confirm whether you use blackened fruits? Or do you manage to catch them green before they go black.

You make it when they're green. They won't all go at once, when you see it on a few of the fruit, you pick the whole lot. When it's just on the leaves, by removing all suspect leaves you can delay the spread to the fruit.

[Robert_Brenchley]

It's probably isolation that does it. Once one plot gets it, the air in the vicinity is going to be full of spores. I have dire suspicions that it survives overwinter in accidentals, and effectively becomes endemic on allotments. Otherwise, why do we have annual outbreaks while someone like you doesn't see it?

[Digeroo]

I was under the impression that fungus spores are very difficult to kill. 

[Robert_Brenchley]

They are until they germinate. Then they're vulnerable, but if the leaf isn't coated in fungicide, you're in trouble.

[Kepouros]

In response to small, I`m quite sure that it is the isolation that has protected him.  I have not grown tomatoes for the last 15 years, but in the 45 years that I did (under glass) I never experienced blight on tomato plants, and potato blight was a rare occurrence.  Then the derelict allotments a quarter of a mile away were started up again, all the plots were taken, and now Potato Blight is no longer an "if", but a "how soon".

[MrBean]

I can't remember where I saw test plots for blight protection, but they were using shelters over plants, and comparing them with unsheltered plants. The sheltered ones did significantly better, as the spores did not land on the plants during rain showers.

I put up this shelter which needs a couple of bits cut off, and some strings arranged to support the plants. The blue hoops were for the original cloche arrangement. The idea is, the sheet will protect the plants, and the rain will roll down the back to be delivered to the roots.

[tim]

I read it too.