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Tomato blight
Pippin4
Posts: 63
in Fruit & veg
After suffering the loss of my outdoor tomatoes last season just as they were starting to ripen, I chose 'Ferline' this year because it is supposed to be blight resistant - not so. Same thing happened, the whole lot was blighted overnight, just as about to ripen. I am so depressed I do not feel like trying again next year - any suggestions?
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It all depends on what sort of blight, Sue. "Blight" has become a generic term for any sort of fungal disease. There are two true Blights - Early and Late. Early Blight is manageable with good housekeeping - removing affected leaves as soon as symptoms appear, etc. The plant will go on producing. With good housekeeping, cold weather will stop the plant before EB does.
Late Blight is a different matter. It can and will kill a plant within a week.
There are at least half a dozen other fungal and viral diseases that are loosely called "Blight". Few of them are as destructive as Late Blight.
Blight resistance only means that a plant is bred to cope better with certain fungal diseases than a non-resistant variety. It doesn't mean the plant won't develop disease. No tomato plant will resist Late Blight.
Thanks, Italophile. It was definitely late blight, with sudden onset and all leaves, stems and fruit affected. Will have to think hard what to do for next year but will probably end up frequenting the farm shop......
Late Blight is usually less common in home gardens than Early Blight but, sadly, there are no guarantees. As with any of the fungal problems, all you can do is be diligent with your housekeeping - as much space as possible between plants to aid air circulation; keep the foliage as dry as possible; remove the lower branches and foliage to keep at least a foot of space between the lowest foliage and the soil; even light pruning to avoid clumps of impenetrable foliage elsewhere on the plant.
Or you can spray preventively - that is, starting before any symptoms appear. Once they appear, spraying won't help.
Just what the tomato world needed - another Blight.
I had a text yesterday from blightwatch saying that a full Smith Period has been recorded where I live (CM12). So went to check the outdoor toms - 1 Gardeners Delight was covered in it! the other's are not affected atm. So the GD is in the bin. Fortunately I've had most of the toms from that one.
Billericay - Essex
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Thanks guys, I guess we just have to take our chances. I am pretty sure that the very mild winter has been partly to blame - we need a really cold spell to kill of (most) of the baddies, Good luck
That's a thought - there was hardly any frost last winter, at least in my balmy climate. Hence loads of aphids, whitefly etc in the early summer before the predators caught up.
I had tomato blight last year but I always use a very diluted mix of permanganate of potash and water and this kills any fungi on my plants. Last year all my outdoor plants got blight but after spraying saved quite a few plants and tomato's.
My dad used this spray about Sixty years ago and I have used it in my greenhouse every year for over thirty years. I use a few small bits of dust in my see though spray to go a very light mauve colour.
Why not try this.
Best wishes
Free blight resistant tomato seeds to experiment with. First 1000 applicants only
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/4JmB0hKPMNqNXqMKLctw1lf/tomato-seed-giveaway
Thanks fidget
I have been looking for them but server was down this morning. I love my tomato plants and these will be a challenge.