TA7 and I was sent a smith warning, just seems so early. I had to take two of my three my popup pvc greenhouses off some of my tomatoes today as they are almost touching the top and have 3 flower sprays and another in sight. They are in the open now but I am rigging up a shelter with polythene on top. It`ll have to do. I am blowed if I am going through the same `worry` palaver as last year
IT's so early that I doubt that there's any blight out there to spread.... the worry period is in a months time when there will be enough blight set in place to spread if we get a few SP's in a row.... that said last year was pretty good for getting rid of blight.... although it wasn't very warm, it wasn't very wet at all so most of the discard heaps shouldn't be riddled with it....we might have a bad year this year, but it will be July before it really starts....
We should worry - from 7 rows of spuds we have 4 live plants - the rest have rotted in the last monsoon. Deep joy!
That's bad luck bionear2. :(
I wouldn't be certain of the timing, Chrisscross - I lost most of my tomatoes in June last year to blight, and so it certainly is possible. Though last year we had an early start, with a heatwave in April, followed by wet weather from June on. So round here it was a very bad blight year.
I had been hoping this year would be better, but I think that every year! :)
Well...I had first blight warning to our area today... ::) Nice to know that the 'blight alarm' as text message works as last year I didn't receive any.
I expect another one or two this week. Over 10 degrees and 90% humidity at the moment
Please - what's a "smith period"?
Two of my cherry toms have blight, I have removed them and thrown then out in the hopes of stopping it spreading. They were both the 'runts' of the 11 plants I had so I'm hoping the others will be ok. Problem is they are outside in the rain but I don't have anywhere else to put them :(
I didn't need 11 plants so throwing two isn't a crushing blow, but it will be if the rest get it! grrrr
another warning today and I also have tomatoes out in the rain. Grhhh, only growing six next year, it`s not worth the worry of having any outside
Same here :-\
Quote from: ohmeohmy07 on June 08, 2012, 12:12:17
Please - what's a "smith period"?
When the night temperature and humidity are high enough for long enough to allow the spores to spread rapidly
Quote from: saddad on June 08, 2012, 16:10:27
Quote from: ohmeohmy07 on June 08, 2012, 12:12:17
Please - what's a "smith period"?
When the night temperature and humidity are high enough for long enough to allow the spores to spread rapidly
As I understand it, the spores are spread by the wind and they are everywhere, but they need to be activated by damp and warmish weather. Only activated spores cause blight rot. A full Smith period = conditions are right for blight activation.
Just had my blight warning email :(
Manics, a good description is here, along with a free email/text alert system
http://www.blightwatch.co.uk/content/bw-Smith.asp (http://www.blightwatch.co.uk/content/bw-Smith.asp)