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Home > Archive > UK gardening > September 2006 > Tomato problems?
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| Alan Holmes 2006-09-24, 9:25 am |
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A number of my tomatoes have developed some sort of fungus, the leaves have
started to change colour and some of the fruit are covered with fine white
stuff, I have dug themall out and put them in the dustbin rather than on the
compost heap.
Last year I bought some tom plants from a car boot and they suffered from
the same problem, which spread to the plants I had grown from seed, the toms
in the greenhouse were fine, although when I stopped watering them the
leaves there started to go a funny colour, which I put down to the fact that
they were dying off anyway.
So what is the answer to this problem?
I don't want to lose the chance of growing my own, I much prefer them to the
rubbish which is on sale in supermarkets.
Alan
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| On Sun, 24 Sep 2006 12:45:14 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
<alan.holmes@nowhere.com> wrote:
~
~A number of my tomatoes have developed some sort of fungus, the leaves have
~started to change colour and some of the fruit are covered with fine white
~stuff, I have dug themall out and put them in the dustbin rather than on the
~compost heap.
~
I hate to say this but that sounds like late blight... if the blighted
fruit stay in humid conditions then they rapidly go mouldy, with white
fluffy hairs.
We've had nine Smith periods in the last 14 days... perfect
conditions.
~Last year I bought some tom plants from a car boot and they suffered from
~the same problem, which spread to the plants I had grown from seed, the toms
~in the greenhouse were fine, although when I stopped watering them the
~leaves there started to go a funny colour, which I put down to the fact that
~they were dying off anyway.
~
~So what is the answer to this problem?
It's the weather. It gets warm and humid, the airborne spores
germinate, bye bye tomatoes and potatoes. Indoors offers a bit of
protection.
~I don't want to lose the chance of growing my own, I much prefer them to the
~rubbish which is on sale in supermarkets.
Burn them (or bin them) and grow in another location next year. And
watch for blight warnings
(Register on http://www.blightwatch.co.uk)
Spray if you're comfortable with doing so (Dithane, Bordeaux mixture)
though the latter is only preventative, not curative. Not sure about
Dithane.)
Have you got photos?
jane
Chiltern Hills, 140m above sea level.
Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!
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| Alan Holmes 2006-09-27, 8:25 pm |
|
"jane" <jane@moonrose.demonmapson.co.uk> wrote in message
news:no6lh2lnn4g65g7gtuss55u968ehc0r8nq@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 24 Sep 2006 12:45:14 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
> <alan.holmes@nowhere.com> wrote:
>
> ~
> ~A number of my tomatoes have developed some sort of fungus, the leaves
> have
> ~started to change colour and some of the fruit are covered with fine
> white
> ~stuff, I have dug themall out and put them in the dustbin rather than on
> the
> ~compost heap.
> ~
> I hate to say this but that sounds like late blight... if the blighted
> fruit stay in humid conditions then they rapidly go mouldy, with white
> fluffy hairs.
Well it certainly has been humid around here for a while, all the rain we've
had!
> We've had nine Smith periods in the last 14 days... perfect
> conditions.
I wonder what a 'smith period' is?
>Last year I bought some tom plants from a car boot and they suffered from
> ~the same problem, which spread to the plants I had grown from seed, the
> toms
> ~in the greenhouse were fine, although when I stopped watering them the
> ~leaves there started to go a funny colour, which I put down to the fact
> that
> ~they were dying off anyway.
> ~
> ~So what is the answer to this problem?
> It's the weather. It gets warm and humid, the airborne spores
> germinate, bye bye tomatoes and potatoes. Indoors offers a bit of
> protection.
You have worried me about the potatoes, they seem to be sufferng in the same
way, but I had put that down to it being the end of the season and that they
were dying normally.
> ~I don't want to lose the chance of growing my own, I much prefer them to
> the
> ~rubbish which is on sale in supermarkets.
>
> Burn them (or bin them) and grow in another location next year. And
> watch for blight warnings
I had already put them in the bin, and the dustman will be here tomorrow to
take them away.
> (Register on http://www.blightwatch.co.uk)
>
> Spray if you're comfortable with doing so (Dithane, Bordeaux mixture)
> though the latter is only preventative, not curative. Not sure about
> Dithane.)
I'll have to consider those ideas.
> Have you got photos?
Never thought to take photos, but then I'm a bit backward!
Alan
> jane
>
> Chiltern Hills, 140m above sea level.
>
> Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!
| |
| suspicious minds 2006-09-27, 8:25 pm |
|
"Alan Holmes" <alan.holmes@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:kADSg.47646$WV2.8838@newsfe2-gui.ntli.net...
>
> "jane" <jane@moonrose.demonmapson.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:no6lh2lnn4g65g7gtuss55u968ehc0r8nq@4ax.com...
>
> Well it certainly has been humid around here for a while, all the rain
> we've had!
>
>
> I wonder what a 'smith period' is?
>
>
> You have worried me about the potatoes, they seem to be sufferng in the
> same way, but I had put that down to it being the end of the season and
> that they were dying normally.
This site may explain
Late Blight of Potatoes and Tomatoes
http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.corn...ato_LateBlt.htm
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| On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 23:13:20 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
<alan.holmes@nowhere.com> wrote:
~
~"jane" <jane@moonrose.demonmapson.co.uk> wrote in message
~news:no6lh2lnn4g65g7gtuss55u968ehc0r8nq@4ax.com...
~> On Sun, 24 Sep 2006 12:45:14 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
~> <alan.holmes@nowhere.com> wrote:
<snip>
~> We've had nine Smith periods in the last 14 days... perfect
~> conditions.
~
~I wonder what a 'smith period' is?
Have a peek on http://www.blightwatch.co.uk/content/bw-Smith.asp
It's basically an empirical way of seeing when blight is likely to
take hold. I've found we can cope with one period if there's not many
other full Smith days within a week, but any more and off it goes.
~>Last year I bought some tom plants from a car boot and they suffered from
~> ~the same problem, which spread to the plants I had grown from seed, the
~> toms
~> ~in the greenhouse were fine, although when I stopped watering them the
~> ~leaves there started to go a funny colour, which I put down to the fact
~> that
~> ~they were dying off anyway.
~> ~
~> ~So what is the answer to this problem?
~> It's the weather. It gets warm and humid, the airborne spores
~> germinate, bye bye tomatoes and potatoes. Indoors offers a bit of
~> protection.
~
~You have worried me about the potatoes, they seem to be sufferng in the same
~way, but I had put that down to it being the end of the season and that they
~were dying normally.
Your best bet if blight is about is to cut the foliage down to the
ground completely, remove and burn it (or bin it). Don't compost as
home heaps don't usually get hot enough to destroy the spores.
Don't dig the tubers for at least a fortnight.
I grow a variety of maincrops, and my older varieties such as Pink Fir
Apple are now cut back. The only ones deliberately left are the Sarpo
Mira naturally blight-resistant ones: they're still looking horribly
healthy!
~> (Register on http://www.blightwatch.co.uk)
~>
~> Spray if you're comfortable with doing so (Dithane, Bordeaux mixture)
~> though the latter is only preventative, not curative. Not sure about
~> Dithane.)
~
~I'll have to consider those ideas.
~
~> Have you got photos?
~
~Never thought to take photos, but then I'm a bit backward!
~
~Alan
~
Good luck!
jane
Chiltern Hills, 140m above sea level.
Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!
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