I really thought that we had beaten it this year. But the haulms grew so long & entangled that only 2 sprays were possible.
Beaten what Tim?
The bloody blight!!
Oh dear. That's awful Tim.
Oh bad luck Tim. I've managed to avoid it for the first time ever but used a lot of Bordeaux mix on the toms since early on. Lost them instead to drought when I went on tour for a week and OH forgot to water them :(
At least they're about fully grown, so all we need now is to clear the haulms & wait ? 3 weeks.
Two is usually recommended but I'd go for three to be safe!
What variety were the spuds? Looks like a late main... PFA?
Play safe. Borrow a flame gun and flame the bed. That will kill all the spores on the surface or on any bits of litter you missed. Then lift after 14 days. Any longer and you`re providing dinner for the slugs rather than yourself
Yes - a slugs heyday was uppermost in my mind. We have a chap up the road with a flame gun, so today....!
They look like PFA, with their 6' haulms, but they are Cara. Probably drawn up because they are in almost total shade?
I can echo your sentiments today.
I had perfectly green, healthy-looking tomatoes. I picked a load last Friday, thinking I'll leave them to ripen up a bit before processing them.
After 5 days in the lounge, about 1/3 were blighted and of the rest, I had to cut out a lot of the worse-affected bits.
So just because it doesn't look like the spores are there doesn't mean they aren't! (bother...)
Managed to get a litre of passata out of what should have been two. And I'm afraid (after 4 days of Smith periods) to go up and look at the rest. I have a feeling I'll have lost the lot by now.
moonbells
There's a word for it!
Done, then.
Can you believe that there was all that foliage on those 2 short remaining rows??
I didn't get to cut down all the foliage on my blighted potatoes due to other demands on my time this summer. Just got round to digging up the potatoes this week. As you say, big fes time for the slugs.
is it ok to eat the few potatoes that the slugs didn't get?
And what do I do with the ruined potatoes - are they ok in the compost bin?
Any advice? Thanks.
PS you can tell I'm a novice. I'll do so many things differently next year!
They tend to overwinter in your compost bin.. and you risk spreading blight spores widely on your plots... I Brown/recycle bin mine as the council composting reaches much higher temps and is sterilised..
Any the slugs didn't totally ruin can be eaten but will fester faster than you eat them..
:'(
Thanks Saddad. Into the brown bin they go.
Is there a way we can sterilise the soil before we plant seed potatoes to avoid blight?
No, the spores of blight are airborne and spread by wind and rain. The spores can usually only survive for 14 days or so without a live host - foliage or tubers - so as long as you get all the tubers out of the ground the infection will not contaminate the soil. Most infections arise directly from diseased matter left lying around, such as discarded haulm left lying in a heap, discarded tubers from last year thrown under the nearest hedge etc. Utter cleanliness is vital, combines with protective spraying as soon as the necessary conditions of heat and humidity arise.
Infected haulm can be composted, but only if the heap is an active one with a temperature of 130 deg.f or so. I compost mine with fresh lawn mowings which heat up rapidly.
Well I went up to the lottie.
As suspected, blight EVERYWHERE. (Though not on the spuds - most of which are Sarpos)
My poor tomatoes! I staggered back with a waitrose green bag (not small!) full of the better-looking San Marzanos, a blue mushroom box of Cream Sausage (and eight butternut squashes - oops!)
There's now a vat of GT chutney simmering. Nearly 2 hours now, just getting to a nice stage :) and I have to go and find jars... and hope the bagful that remains doesn't rot overnight so I can make another huge batch tomorrow!!!
moonbells
(http://www.moonbells.com/allotment/2006/September_06/200906_2.jpg) My poor tomatoes!
Kepouros - Spraying with what please?
Same here, blight just hit my tomatoes - you can see the first plant in the pic below. Spent all day long yesterday trudging back and forth with bags of tomatoes, washing them, drying them and laying out to ripen in trays (hopefully!)
Shouldn't really complain though, this is the latest date the blight has hit here in six years.
Not a pretty sight!
I had to pick all my tomatoes on Wednesday, but I'm now wishing I'd picked them at the weekend as I'm pretty sure that I'm going to lose most of them to blight. Last year I managed to pick them just in time, not so lucky this time! Never mind thought, I have at least had some :-)
If you wish to be organic (or as near to organic as possible) you can use Bordeaux Mixture (which is basically a mixture of copper sulphate & slaked lime) or one of the several proprietary brands of copper sulphate sprays. The effect of these, unfortunately, only lasts until the next shower of rain, when it has to be repeated.
If you are prepared to shelve your organic principles for the sake of your potatoes (or tomatoes, for that matter) you can spray with Dithane 945, which is systemic, and the effects of which last for 10-14 days whatever the weather.
I would like to vouch for the Bordeaux mix. I have used it religiously the last 2 seasons and have had amazing success, and although finally there was what I thought a touch of blight showing, I now just think the plants are dying from exhaustion! Today I filled another bucket with lovely toms.
It may be accepted by the organic fraternity, but I won't put heavy metals into my soil.
I've seen Bordeaux mixture in available in orange bottles, do you have to
mix it with water and spray it on or is it some kind of powder that gets puffed
onto foliage?
Andy :)
Best as a spray - @35g/1.5l. Use immediately & spray under & over.
If you want to dust, you need a puffer thing.