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gixxerific
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Early blight or what do you all think?

My potatoes are doing horribly this year. My neighbor 2 doors down has great looking plants from the same seed I gave her some of my leftovers. Most of mine have died or are dying. My tomatoes have a similar ordeal going on.

Could use some help on this. Thanks.

[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/Gardening/DSC03832.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/Gardening/DSC03833.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/Gardening/DSC03835.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj185/gixxerific/Gardening/DSC03836.jpg[/img]

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gixxerific
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This has been going on for some time now. I finally had to bring up to HG and find out what I should do.

About the potatoes, would it be totally redundant to replant potatoes in these spaces? I did plant some Sweet potatoes in some of the empty spots they don't seem to be effected by this, at least I hope.

TZ -OH6
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Can't tell exactly what it is without a closeup to see if the Early Blight rings are present, but it does look like some sort of fungal foliage disease. Spores are everywhere, but depend on climatic conditions to be infective so replanting potatoes in the same spot shouldn't be any more of a problem than planting them ten feet away.


The color of the potatoes doesn't look good....low nitrogen?

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gixxerific
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Tz I could take a closeup, but if you hit "control' and use the scroll on the mouse it will blow up the pic, I think the "plus" "Minus" key do the same thing.

As far as low nitro, that could be. I have been having problems with my garden this year. Though my neighbor with the better looking potatoes has not used fertilizer at all. So we come back to my trying to get the soil ready and not doing such a god job at it this year.

This is a newer garden than I have been working on since I moved in 3 years ago.

I have never had problems like this in my last garden, as least that I can remember. I am hoping every year it will get better, though the weather has not been cooperating here for the past few years.

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gixxerific
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By the way all of the potatoes, albeit small, have tasted great, same with the tomatoes.

TZ -OH6
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I was thinking more along the lines of you running out to the garden and reporting back.

I'm on dial-up so I can't see more than about half the posts having pictures in them because they don't download all the way.


These are the rings

https://shouragroup.com/Images/gallery/vegetables%20big/Toma_early_blight_01.jpg


Septoria leaves little black dots, something else (gray spot maybe) leaves the center of the dead spots clearish. But all pretty much act the same way as far as treatment and avoidance goes.



I totally understand new gardens that don't act right.

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rainbowgardener
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My potatoes are looking just like that (my first year of growing potatoes :( )

I think the yellow color is part of the condition, because they started out a nice healthy dark green for a long time until they got sick. They are planted in mostly good compost, so it's hard to imagine much nitrogen deficiency...

One potato plant that was planted later in the same container, but hasn't gotten infected (yet), is still very dark green.

Hasn't touched my tomatoes yet though they are in the next bed, very close.

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gixxerific
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I really think it is septoria. I should have said that at first.

Sorry to hear you are having the same problem Apple. :cry:

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rainbowgardener
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I'm not Apple... she probably never has stuff fail like this!

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gixxerific
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rainbowgardener wrote:I'm not Apple... she probably never has stuff fail like this!
Dang it did it again. :lol: :oops:

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applestar
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Oh, I've had my share... :roll:
My current no-grow problem children are watermelons, melons, and onions. Well they grow, but not as big as they're supposed to. Trying different locations and early start methods for the 2nd year. :bouncey: I still need to tweak the corn too, though they're growing as well as expected so far. :wink:

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Without a close-pic, it's hard to say, but I'll call it as early blight by looking at the pictures you posted. Septoria and early blight look a lot alike, but septoria is usually smaller whereas the pic you posted looks like there are larger spots on the plants.

Snip off the infected leaves and put them in the trash, far away from the compost heap or garden. Did you rotate crops this year? Planting in the same spot consecutively is a sure way to get disease build-up in the soil.

Another thing you could do is prune off the lower leaves on the plants. Diseases like these are often caused by soil splashing up on the plant, so it helps to prevent that and also allows better air-circulation between plants, so there's another plus.

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gixxerific
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I do know about the soil splash and air flow causing problems.

But what ever this is is in my newly worked over garden as well. The new garden was started late this winter. So while it still could be caused by my older garden since the new garden is in the direction of the prevailing winds. I'm not sure how it started. It has been very wet and humid and that sure isn't helping.

If I'm thinking right here early blight has rings like that found in a tree correct? My plants don't have that look to them.

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applestar
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I can't tell for sure what it is, but you're having a run of bad luck and circumstances, which are related to your sick plants. Starting with the extra pale foliage, extra hot weather, then all the rain. Your poor plants haven't been able to recover.

I suppose ruthlessly sacrificing the diseased leaves and spraying the remaining healthy leaves may be one course of action. (but I would still keep to the 1/3 rule).

Finding a really good source of compost -- you could probably scrape up enough of your own for this -- and brewing up some aact to hopefully boost the phyto/rhizosphere communities may be another, especially if you're using a lot of Milk Solution or other fungicides.

Hope things turn around for you soon. :wink:



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