For those blight survivors out there... all my toms are in pots but I guess i now need to clean those before using them next year - washing up liquid ok? The only other thing is that all the pots stand in the side return, partly on a gravelled strip. That strip often gets weeds in it but some of the blighted toms have dropped in... should I get something to treat that gravel with as well as could spores live in that over the winter? I'll be putting tomatoes in the same spot next year - haven't got much choice.
Update on this issue - I picked off any that looked affected (approx 4lb) and binned them. I also thinned a lot of the others placing the small green toms into an empty plastic greenhouse on the sunny patio - these have ripened over the summer and we have had a massive harvest thanks to the late sun enjoying them raw, in soups, in pasta sauces and on pizza. Yesterday I picked the rest still on the vines and have put them in the ripening chamber (hopeful I know at this time of the year, but if not I have a couple of recipes for green tomatoes).
It was definitely not blight as I have had no other issues, other than split ones (erratic watering direct from the rain as these tomatoes are planted outside). I think the soil-born virus idea was probably the best.
I always grow under cover because it would be pointless trying to grow toms outside up here, but I think outdoor toms are always a bit more susceptible to weather damage and anything that can be wind borne.
Bf - I'm not sure if washing up liquid would be enough for your pots or if you should use some disinfectant as well, or whether the gravel would harbour anything for next year, but someone else will hopefully look in and be able to help
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Bf206, it's not a bad idea to use a bleach solution to clean out any pots you're going to re-use for whatever purpose. Not necessarily against tomato fungal diseases because the residual spores, if any, will have been on top of the soil. They don't poison the soil or pots, per se.
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Done some more searching ... could it be Phytophthora , also known as buckeye rot? This starts on fruit which is low to the ground/touching the soil.
For those blight survivors out there... all my toms are in pots but I guess i now need to clean those before using them next year - washing up liquid ok? The only other thing is that all the pots stand in the side return, partly on a gravelled strip. That strip often gets weeds in it but some of the blighted toms have dropped in... should I get something to treat that gravel with as well as could spores live in that over the winter? I'll be putting tomatoes in the same spot next year - haven't got much choice.
Update on this issue - I picked off any that looked affected (approx 4lb) and binned them. I also thinned a lot of the others placing the small green toms into an empty plastic greenhouse on the sunny patio - these have ripened over the summer and we have had a massive harvest thanks to the late sun enjoying them raw, in soups, in pasta sauces and on pizza. Yesterday I picked the rest still on the vines and have put them in the ripening chamber (hopeful I know at this time of the year, but if not I have a couple of recipes for green tomatoes).
It was definitely not blight as I have had no other issues, other than split ones (erratic watering direct from the rain as these tomatoes are planted outside). I think the soil-born virus idea was probably the best.
A big thank you to everyone who advised.
Glad you got a result HD
I always grow under cover because it would be pointless trying to grow toms outside up here, but I think outdoor toms are always a bit more susceptible to weather damage and anything that can be wind borne.
Bf - I'm not sure if washing up liquid would be enough for your pots or if you should use some disinfectant as well, or whether the gravel would harbour anything for next year, but someone else will hopefully look in and be able to help
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Bf206, it's not a bad idea to use a bleach solution to clean out any pots you're going to re-use for whatever purpose. Not necessarily against tomato fungal diseases because the residual spores, if any, will have been on top of the soil. They don't poison the soil or pots, per se.