Author Topic: Has blight struck yet? (Read 8600 times)

artichoke · « **Reply #60 on:** July 18, 2007, 13:42:47 »

I took a chance and was lucky - I put my potatoes into the ground really early because I was going to be away a lot (some in Feb, rest early March). When I got back to them on 7th July, all the wonderful vigorous foliage and flowers I had seen a month before had vanished leaving a few dry sticks. Yet the potatoes themselves are large and 99% healthy as I dig them.

I wonder if they had had such a long growing season that they reached full size before the blight wiped out the foliage. The ones I have looked at so far are Red King Edward, Charlotte and Desiree. They are the most successful and beautiful potatoes I have ever grown!

I also wonder, as I cannot dig them all at once, if they will succumb to the blight after all, underground, as the weeks go by. Does anyone know?

selwyn-smith · « **Reply #61 on:** July 18, 2007, 15:32:35 »

Our site in North Surrey has been hit. not a healthy potato or tomato to be seen. Also mildew on our onions.

Oldmanofthewoods · « **Reply #62 on:** July 19, 2007, 09:25:01 »

Clear on Blight so far. Downey mildew has had all the Onions. Cotswolds.

Trixiebelle · « **Reply #63 on:** July 19, 2007, 15:46:32 »

It's struck in Nottingham :'(

One of my neighbours, Dario, lost 160 outdoor tomato plants.

Ahmed lost his potatoes a couple of weeks ago and now one of my tomato greenhouses has been struck :'(

I'm really upset. This is the first year I'd grown different types of toms and planned to be a bit adventurous.

The other tomato house looks ok so far. Bit of a loss what to do really?

I really don't know how to recognise potato blight. A couple of rows of mine have died back but I'm not sure whether it's natural dying back or the dreaded blight ::)

ARRRGGGGHHHH!

electric landlady · « **Reply #64 on:** July 20, 2007, 12:39:58 »

Also in Nottingham...my tomatoes have had it, but spuds are OK so far.

I'm so disappointed about the tomatoes, this was my first attempt to grow them outdoors, and now I'm wondering if I should bother next year.

Garden Manager · « **Reply #65 on:** July 20, 2007, 19:04:12 »

Noticed blight on maincrop potato haulms a couple of weeks ago. I cut them off and destroyed them promptly. Remaining early crop haulms have since also showed signs and have been cut down too.

Thought tomatoes were OK, albeit s bit sick looking from too much rain and not enough sun and warmth. However i looked closely again today and saw what could be the first signs of blight on them, even on supposedly resistant ferlines.

As it is eary days (and have recently fed them with a general fertiliser), I will have a go at spaying with Bordeaux Mixture to try and save them, although I fear that will not be enough.

Lillypad · « **Reply #66 on:** July 20, 2007, 23:06:02 »

Blight here in Harrogate too. Cut all the potato haulms off and left the potatoes in the ground where I strongly suspect they are rotting away.

Tomatoes don't look too bad - I've removed a few leaves and will keep an eye on them but won't hold my breath.

Shallots have very sappy necks - neck rot?

Lillypad

Deb P · « **Reply #67 on:** July 21, 2007, 07:02:45 »

My indoor tomatoes had a few affected leaves when I checked last night! Yet strangely, my outdoor ones are still unaffected....? higher humidity in the greenhouse? Am I going to get any toms at all this year...? :-\

saddad · « **Reply #68 on:** July 21, 2007, 09:00:00 »

Don't give up hopes on outdoor toms just on one bad year... in the mid 90's I remember having a currant tom in full flower and fruit on Bonfire night... I blame global warming myself!
;D

Garden Manager · « **Reply #69 on:** July 21, 2007, 12:36:36 »

Strange to get it inside the greenhouse. I have always believed blight was carried by rain on the southwesterly winds, so any tomatoes in the firing line of this weather would likely as not get blighted. I suppose there are ways blight can get in the greenhouse, but this is far less likely to happen (unless you happened to move outdoor plants inside which already had the spores on them). The only time i got it in the greenhouse was when i did this one year at the end of the season.

theothermarg · « **Reply #70 on:** July 21, 2007, 16:37:38 »

well not feeling smug after cutting all my potatoes down! just dug up 2 rows of earlys (which were put in a bit late) and i row of 2nds . the earlys had 1 or 2 blighted ones on each plant the 2nds had app6 in the whole row so i suppose it is only a matter of time before it appears on the clean ones i,v dug up as well
happened when i tried maincrop once, those not eaten all turned eventually
OH is a bit put off eating the clean ones but i am sure it is all right
any wise words of advise? (and comfort)
marg

dandelion · « **Reply #71 on:** July 21, 2007, 16:51:10 »

The fruit on the Marmande toms was starting to rot. I cut down the 4 plants and took the healthy looking fruits home to ripen. I sprayed the other varieties (no sign of blight yet) today, but it started to rain 10 minutes later ::).

ruffmeister · « **Reply #72 on:** July 24, 2007, 21:13:53 »

checked our lottie toms and they defintly look like they have had it, oh well for next year hey?

tricia · « **Reply #73 on:** July 24, 2007, 23:39:37 »

All my outdoor toms have had it. First time for me too. Felt sick at first, but now I just feel I've put this year behind me as far as my small garden is concerned. Was so proud of my celeriac, but now the woodlice have made such a mess of them I feel quite disheartened.

Tricia

SnooziSuzi · « **Reply #74 on:** July 24, 2007, 23:55:51 »

I rekon mine had signs of blight today so seeing as I had a HUGE fire going I pulled the lot up and burned the haulms (I sound like a real allotmenteer now, don't I!??) . The spuds look really nice and had no signs of rotting at all!

looking forward to eating them all now ;D

Oldmanofthewoods · « **Reply #75 on:** July 25, 2007, 08:31:48 »

I will check the produce as soon as I can find Jacques Cousteau to lend a hand.

My shed has been rechristened as Kon Tiki.

Can anyone lend me an Irish Water Spaniel?

Marine Boy

Garden Manager · « **Reply #76 on:** July 25, 2007, 11:37:11 »

Had to go through all my plants yesterday in an attempt to limit the damage done by the blight. Except for one plant once all the infected leaves were removed, the situation wasnt as bad as I thought. Some plants are hardly affected -yet, and a couple arent showing much sign at all!

Hopefully by good husbandry (leaf removal and feeding) i can slow down the progress of the disease long enough to save some of the fruit and get something out of this bad year.

Mrs Ava · « **Reply #77 on:** July 25, 2007, 19:35:23 »

I lost all of my toms the very first year on my allotment and I was so sad. Have gotten away with no blight for the last 4 or 5. So far so good on the plot with the toms, but half of them are grown under a cover so they tend to withstand the blight for long than those grown in the open. It is a horrid year. I have 4 tomato plants at home which I will grow on in the greenhouse to provide me with a late harvest, and some toms! The spuds are odd also. Kestrel had plenty of blight, and after hanging it out for as long as I could, I finally removed all the top growth at the weekend. Maxine and Pink Fur Apple were still okay. Everyones spuds on the allotment have blight in various degrees, but so far nobody seems to have lost any toms. I will see on Friday when I go up.

tim · « **Reply #78 on:** July 25, 2007, 19:51:49 »

My (resistant) Sarpo Mira now have it - no hassle, because there will be spuds under - but also PFA, not due till October. Dammit!!

Raisedbed · « **Reply #79 on:** July 25, 2007, 20:56:10 »

An update from my earlier post. After spraying with Dithane (Bordeaux didn't work) outdoor Marmandes still hanging on. More rain today has meant the ends of a couple of branches were blighted (including the tomatoes on them) and have been removed. I shall spray again tomorrow if it stops raining. I too got the beginnings of blight on the greenhouse crop about a week ago, despite precaution of disinfecting tools, so infected leaves were carefully removed and binned and Dithane applied to the crop. They seem to be fine at the moment. Mind you I sowed some runner bean seeds in a large tub about 3 weeks ago and the leading shoots have almost reached the top of the 8 foot wigwam - growing about 4 inches a day in this rain.

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Author Topic: Has blight struck yet? (Read 8600 times)