Topic: Blight

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've got it in my spuds. We haven't had a Smith period for ages, though we've had quite a lot of single days when the criteria have been met. There's no reported outbreak closer than Wolverhampton, and I'm convinced this has come from volunteers, probably on the site. I can see I'm going to be trying to convince everyone to be ruthless with them in future. I'll still get a crop, but it's going to destroy my toms, yet again, before they have a chance to do anything.

[Hector]

Terribly sorry to hear this :(

[tonybloke]

Very sorry to hear this robert!!
(yes, blight DOES come from volunteers, it can't over-winter in soil alone) ;)

[amphibian]

Very sorry to hear this robert!!
(yes, blight DOES come from volunteers, it can't over-winter in soil alone) ;)

It can overwinter on some weeds of the Solanaceae family. However volunteers are a more likely source.

What I don't get is why the blight doesn't cause the volunteer tubers to rot away.

[Eristic]

What I don't get is why the blight doesn't cause the volunteer tubers to rot away.

They may not be infected. It is easy to blame little spuds but it seems that only the UK establishment holds on to the line that blight does not survive in the soil. Just maybe it does.

[amphibian]

What I don't get is why the blight doesn't cause the volunteer tubers to rot away.

They may not be infected. It is easy to blame little spuds but it seems that only the UK establishment holds on to the line that blight does not survive in the soil. Just maybe it does.

So are you suggesting that the volunteer picks up blight on its way to the surface, then allows it to become airborne from the emerging plant?

I've never heard it suggested that blight is capable of overwintering in the soil, but I am always happy to be corrected.

[tonybloke]

What I don't get is why the blight doesn't cause the volunteer tubers to rot away.

They may not be infected. It is easy to blame little spuds but it seems that only the UK establishment holds on to the line that blight does not survive in the soil. Just maybe it does.

to quote your often used phrase
where is your evidence?
all the current evidence suggests / proves it can not live in the soil overwinter without plant material ;)

[GrannieAnnie]

Will a copper spray prevent it from traveling to our tomatoes?

[midnightvelvet]

All my toms got blight and had to be destroyed this week  :-\

Got my peppers too but so far chillie's and aubergines seem ok.

Still got one italian tom plant in the porch and a basket with tumbling toms in so all is not lost yet  ;D

[tonybloke]

Will a copper spray prevent it from traveling to our tomatoes?

it'll certainly help ;)

[amphibian]

All my toms got blight and had to be destroyed this week  :-\

Got my peppers too but so far chillie's and aubergines seem ok.

Still got one italian tom plant in the porch and a basket with tumbling toms in so all is not lost yet  ;D

I brought this up previously, but I think it needs addressing because it's important we gardeners know what we are dealing with and how to react. To my knowledge peppers cannot get blight, Phytophthora infestans. I think you may have been dealing with an entirely different disease or more than one disease simultaneously.

[KittyKatt]

Sorry to hear about your potatoes. You may be able to save your tomatoes. I did last year, but it did mean being very vigilant and sacrificing my organic principles. LAst year when the potatoes got blight I cut all the stems and leaves off the infected potatoes and burnt them or put them in the dustbin. I was lucky, as the tubers were still ok. I lost all my tomatoes in 2007 so I was determined the same wouldn't happen in 2008. First, I went over every single tomato plant, and where a leaf looked infected I cut off the whole branch and burnt / dustbinned it. I made sure the plants were well fed, and sprayed every 10 days with Dithane. (I had already tried copper in 2007 but found it to be only limited in its effectiveness as the blight was very bad.) I carried on inspecting the plants at least every other day, cutting off any leaves that showed any signs of blight. I also pinched out the tops of my plants a bit earlier, some after 4 trusses had set, but the later plants after only 3 trusses had set to encourage the tomatoes to ripen earlier. I also had more success with cherry tomatoes, and have given up trying to grow the beef steaks. On plots all around mine the  tomatoes were dying, but mine remained healthy for long enough to get a reasonable crop. (not as good as 2006, but a lot better than 2007!)
HTH
KittyKatt

[Barnowl]

I think you may have been dealing with an entirely different disease or more than one disease simultaneously.

MidnightVelvet, firstly I'm very sorry to hear you've already lost your tomatoes.

I agree that you may have a misdiagnosis because, before we got the allotment, I started gardening at home by growing chillies then tomatoes as well and have done so ever since; so I've had some years of growing them alongside one another. I have often had tomatoes affected by blight but the chillies and sweet peppers next to them were never affected. do you have any photos of the affected plants?

I think you may be the first in the forum to report tomato blight this year. What bad luck.

PS If you go for leaf etc removal,  best to disinfect the blade between each cut.

[Robert_Brenchley]

My toms have got it now, and I walked round the site this morning and verified its presence on at least two plots at the far end. I'm not going to use dithane, so I'll probably give up the idea of growing outdoor toms and look at putting up a polytunnel for next year. A neighbour of mine built one very cheaply, and another neighbour has one with a roof and no sides, which would be ideal for early toms. There are obvious possibilities if I give it some thought.

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

two plants binned on Monday. Another inspection today when it stops raining. I have already sprayed wth Dithane once

[70fingers]

Yep, looks like we have it here in Bedford. Devasted about 40 tom plants  :(

sorry to hear some of you have it as well!

[medicinejack]

Got it in the greenhouse. Devastatingly swift aswell.

[GrannieAnnie]

After having a drought we've now had lots of rain and warm humidity and it looks like some of mine have blight, especially the Brandywine toms. They were all grown from seed but perhaps the wind brought it from the neighbors' toms.

 But I'm not going down without a fight and have severely pruned and sprayed with copper and seedweed.

[gwynleg]

I tried tomatoes at home this year to see if it made any difference (last two years got none on the allotment because of blight). Sadly it doesnt - in fact the tomatoes have got it where my allotment potatoes havent (yet).
Ho-hum!

[daveyboi]

I would be interested in knowing what varieties have been affected by blight. I am beginning to wonder if some of the newer varieties are more susceptible than the older varieties or vice-versa