This is Blight Right?

[BrianSkilton]

Well, most of my tomatoes have what I believe to be some form of blight, I just started noticing this today. I looks like the dreaded rings are on some of the lower leaves. I did end up getting blight on my tomatoes last year as well, but that was later in the season. I know there really isn't much that can be done once tomato plants get this, but maybe I haven't heard of something. We got record rainfall in June (mainly from thunderstorms dumping 2-3 inches on us at a time). Let me know if I can control this some way? (Oh and I did mulch with grass, which didn't seem to stop soil splash up.) I should have learned from last year, and cut all the low laying branches, so there was no dirt splash up.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Nick,

Look up Septoria Leaf Spot, see what you think.

Eric

[cynthia_h]

I think DDF is spot-on (groan...) with the idea of Septoria. The separate, distinct spots rather than large discolored blotches can help distinguish Septoria from other plant diseases.

http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell. ... ptoria.htm

contains photographs, at successively larger magnification, of the leaf spots as well as discussion of the disease: conditions conducive to its spread (which you've certainly been plagued with) and how to keep other plants safe, etc.

Don't forget the "Helpful Gardener home remedy" for fungus attacks: diluted milk/water spray. Also baking soda spray. But not in the same spray bottle or at the same time....

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[BrianSkilton]

Yeah, DDF, I think you might be correct, it looks similar to that. I think I may try a baking soda spray, I also might try a copper fungicide. Anyone have any luck with a baking soda spray?

[TZ -OH6]

Avoid the milk spray. It is only proven effective against powdery mildew and viruses and can make Early Blight (Alternaria) and some rots worse.

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20ch ... mildew.pdf

Baking Soda + oil might work

http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/bakingsoda.html


Copper products are as dangerous (or more) as Daconil, but you can call yourself organic.

Most years for Septoria and Alternaria (Early Blight) I can just prune off the lower affected leaves to get me through the season and not do any spraying.

[lakngulf]

I was hit hard early on with blight or sep..whatever. We had some damp humid weather, I had not plucked the lower leaves, and I had to pull off a ton of them. The plants were healthy and kept on trucking, and have produced more fruit than any tomatoes I have ever had. Some HOT dry days helped.

Over the last two weeks, many more "pop up" showers, humid conditons and blight, blight blight.

I am very interested in what is the best mulch. I know one thing I plan to next year is plant more tomatoes like these, growing out the side of my boxes:





Here is a picture of how much damaged foilage I pulled off at one time:

[garden5]

I agree with pruning the infected leaves. They get infected from soil splashed up on the leaves, so pruning the lower sets of leaves off the tomatoes helps.

I've gotten it early in the season and have effectively avoided it by pruning off the infected leaves immediately and removing them far from the garden.

[BrianSkilton]

I ended up taking the bad bits off all the planets, so there is no bottom branches. I also added more grass as mulch. See if this helps much, but some of the bad leaves were at the top so not sure... it has been extremely hot and humid here 90's, could this be why?