Allotments 4 All

Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Duke Ellington on July 09, 2016, 07:59:27

Title: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: Duke Ellington on July 09, 2016, 07:59:27
Blight has reared its ugly head on our allotment site again. One plot holders spud have been severely affected and its rapidly spreading. 😭😭 The strange thing is there have been no blight warnings which I normally receive via email. how does the blight warning system work? It's such a shame as one new plot holder is thinking of giving up his plot after only one year. I have seen the early signs on my allotment tomatoes which I will remove today. a lot of my potatoes are Sarpo Mira so we will see how they perform. My pink fir are showing early signs though.
I AM NOT HAPPY😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: mrrigsby on July 09, 2016, 08:34:48
Unfortunately there is little you can do whether you get early warning or not. Here in SW we get blight every year in early July. To get a crop of early potatoes I try to plant late Feb if possible, then harvest crop before blight becomes a problem. Sarpo Mira have proved reliably resistent here but they are not to everyone's taste. More blight- resistent varieties are being trialed each year and that may be the way to go for growers in blight prone areas.
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: BarriedaleNick on July 09, 2016, 08:48:21
Same here but mostly on toms.  I will always get blight at some point but not the first week of July.  It has been terrible season and this seals the deal.  I have sprayed mine with some cooper fungicide and cut down a couple of plants but I m not overly hopeful.
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: sunloving on July 09, 2016, 10:10:51
I've got the first signs in the poly tunnel but everything outside is fine. Must be the warmer temps inside. I'm kicking myself though because the spores need free water to germinate and I had been so careful to water only the soil and not the leaves, but I got a new hose and gave everything a good spray last week and hey presto now have brown spots.
So my advice is don't let the leaves of your indoor toms get wet if you can.
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: Tee Gee on July 09, 2016, 10:29:20
ssshhhh! fingers crossed.....
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: lottie lou on July 09, 2016, 13:04:59
Noticed brown spots on one of my tomato plants about a week ago.  Stripped the leaves off.  Funny only the one plant seemed affected and the others of the same variety appear to be okay.  Wondering if I strip the leaves down to just four leaves, that might help. 
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: johhnyco15 on July 09, 2016, 15:33:39
here on the sunshine coast its the same a lot of people have had to take up all there tomatoes ive been spraying mine since early june  only lost two plants so far out of 120 i side shooted and sprayed this morning no sign on the other plants   potatoes  are all ok only got sarpo mira left the rest  earlies and second earlies all harvested well always get blight but this year its very early last year it was late september before it arrived
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: galina on July 09, 2016, 19:58:55
So sorry to hear - only a matter of time before it gets here  :BangHead:
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: ancellsfarmer on July 10, 2016, 08:30:24
Blight questionaire.
Have you registered with blightwatch.co.uk?
Have you had a smith period for your area (now by post code)
If so, are you able to determine how many days between forecast and  the appearance of syptom upon your plants?
Did the symptom noticed occur on both potato and tomato on the same day, if not, which was first and how long before the second?
How many days did you leave between first and reaction?
What action did you take?.
Has the crop been destroyed?
How was plant material disposed ?
Were adjacent plots similarly affected on the same day(s)
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: pumkinlover on July 10, 2016, 08:38:44
I haven't had any blight warning notices this year, but one of our members reported it last night. Usually get so many notices before any actual signs show up, so same as you Duke. I wonder if the warning system has been deactivated?
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: lottie lou on July 10, 2016, 08:52:05
Got an alert about a month ago but I think it was for the allotment postcode.  Checked yesterday and spuds seem to be okay.  My tomato plant was in the greenhouse but, as said, only the one affected.
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: Jayb on July 10, 2016, 10:20:06
Blightwatch revamped their site earlier in the year which might be why you haven't been getting email warnings if you didn't update your details with them.
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: Jayb on July 10, 2016, 10:23:01
Sorry to hear that Duke.

Where's the questionnaire from Ancellsfarmer?
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: Hector on July 10, 2016, 11:08:20
I have a horrible feeling that what I thought was Magnesium deficiency might not be :( Leaves were yellowish before

I treated all with Epsom salts before working away last week...came back to this on tomatoes in greenhouse. Oddly enough leaves going brown /dead on Stevia.....vainly hoping I've made mix too strong and this isn't blight.....no sign on outdoor spuds.
(http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL1098/4708695/24579638/412656546.jpg)
(http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL1098/4708695/24579638/412656551.jpg)
(http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL1098/4708695/24579638/412656552.jpg)

What do you think folks :( sorry to hear you other folks have it.

Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: Duke Ellington on July 10, 2016, 17:13:27
Hector yours looks more like magnesium deficiency to me...but I'm not an expert.
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: Hector on July 10, 2016, 20:42:21
Thanks Duke. I've removed any odd leaves and will monitor. Sorry to hear you have had blight :(
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: Jayb on July 10, 2016, 21:31:07
Agree with Duke, deficiency not late blight.
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: saddad on July 11, 2016, 23:42:28
I've been the prophet of doom on site for the last month but fingers crossed not yet!
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: Duke Ellington on July 12, 2016, 19:59:38
Saddad I think you have been more like....

(http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh131/jazzbyrd/a8974a4b002cb91e49f07de0f8c3a8af_zpsnnsav7mz.jpg)
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: johhnyco15 on July 13, 2016, 17:44:02
duke this is what it looks like after I've sprayed in answer to your pm   hope it helped
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: George the Pigman on July 14, 2016, 22:21:43
Over in South West Birmingham we had  a full Smith alert back in mid June (relating to having locally 2 inches of rain in a day!) but everything seems OK. I usually grow a few outdoor tomatoes by my spuds. They get it first and give me  a bit of an early warning. Blightwatch have revamped their site and I think you need to re-register to get the warnings
What part of the country do you live in Duke?
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: galina on July 17, 2016, 10:09:13
The very first signs of blight on potatoes appeared yesterday here in Northants at the Beds border,  Harlequin were the ones with a few spots of rot on the leaf edges, which I am sure is blight   :BangHead: 

Thinking positively,  these next few days of summer weather hopefully will stop/dry up further development.  The affected leaves have been removed to prevent further spreading.

Fingers crossed   :wave:
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: Digeroo on July 17, 2016, 20:23:12
With all the rain not surprised about the blight, but actually mine are looking ok not sure I understand why.  I wonder if all the rain washes the spores out of the air.

Though some on site look unhappy.
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: johhnyco15 on July 17, 2016, 20:31:11
I've lost one this weekend it had large truss of toms i was admiring their size around  2" across each then to my horror at the base of the plant the tell tale large chocolate blotch destroyed the plant immediately  checked the other 118 plants all seem ok so far
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: Hector on July 17, 2016, 22:40:20
Really sorry to hear this :(
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: Jayb on July 18, 2016, 08:36:34
I haven't been able to do anything for a few days LB was just starting in the potatoes, but after four days and nights of foggy mist i think it will be a nasty sight  :sad5:
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: galina on July 18, 2016, 10:34:23
Hope not Jayb!  Blight is always depressing when it takes hold.  :BangHead:

Hope the forecast weather (two days of summer)  will dry off the affected spots and allow for effective pruning and the plants will grow on a bit more.

Fingers crossed   :wave:
Title: Re: BLIGHT HAS REARED ITS UGLY HEAD AGAIN!!!!!😱
Post by: Jayb on July 18, 2016, 11:12:48
Yes it always makes me a tad grumpy. I'll check later after I've done the greenhouse jobs.
On a more positive note I'm growing several LB resistant potato varieties, so should be able to give a view of how they cope.