Dreaded Tomato Blight - Page 2

Italophile will know for sure, but if they're well away from your other plants I don't think it would matter too much. I have my fingers crossed for you as well now

Thank you 

Leggi wrote (see)

I think the yellowing is from a magnesium deficiency, I was about to feed them just before I noticed the stem (that blackened part happened over the course of two days), I haven't needed to water them at all really so didn't get round to feeding.

I don't know whether it's a magnesium deficiency, Leggi, or just the beginning of the end for the foliage. Here's LB on a young plant with failing foliage:

Dovefromabove wrote (see)

I've just been to have a look at the 3 Marmandes with the black patches on the stem - they don't look any worse than they did this morning.  As I said I've moved them over to the other side of the garden and the foliage looks really healthy at the moment and the fruits look good.  I'm thinking that I might just reprieve them for a bit and not bag and bin them just yet - what do you think?

If they're well isolated it can't hurt to keep a watching brief. If it's LB, it will spread across the plant within a week or so.

Well, they don't look any worse this morning than they did yesterday - still black patches on stems, but no blight on the leaves that I can see.  They had their first dose of Tomorite (well Notcutts version of) yesterday as the second trusses are setting.   They're still as far away from the others as I can get them - they all still look fine - so far.

Fingers still very crossed.

Odd that there's nothing showing on the foliage. LB usually starts on the leaves.

There have been occasional patches of blight on the leaves - some each day, sometimes a couple of times a day - I've been inspecting three times a day and snipping any infected leaves off and bagging and binning them. Then we've had three days now with no blighted leaves but the black patches appeared on the stems 

Still only affecting 3 of the 6 Marmandes and nothing on the Red Alerts.

Very strange. Post a photo of the infected leaves before you bin them next time.

Oh!  Should have read that a bit earlier - one lower leaf with blighty patches on three leaflets on one suspect plant, another suspect plant had one small blotch on one leaflet.  Both were scrunched up in a plakky bag and binned (unphotographable) - I'll photograph the next ones I find.

It's strange because when I checked at around 6.30 this morning there were no more patches but 10 minutes ago there they were, and that has been the pattern over the last week or so.  Nothing early on then lataer in the day these patches that look exactly like blight appear then after I've removed them nothing more most days.

When we had blight in the last garden, as you've said, the plants collapsed within 3 or 4 days.  

I'm beginning to wonder if it's Early Blight and I might be able to keep it under control.  What do you think?

Italophile wrote (see)

Leggi wrote (see)

I think the yellowing is from a magnesium deficiency, I was about to feed them just before I noticed the stem (that blackened part happened over the course of two days), I haven't needed to water them at all really so didn't get round to feeding.

I don't know whether it's a magnesium deficiency, Leggi, or just the beginning of the end for the foliage. Here's LB on a young plant with failing foliage:

 

It could well be as the majority of the plant looked normal. Do you have any advice on how to grow toms in gardens that have had LB or should I give up trying on my patch?

 Not terribly clear I'm afraid, but another blotch on a leaf this afternoon - the blotches on the stems haven't changed in two days.

Leggi, the problem isn't your patch. Unless you have spuds infected with LB lying around the place! The spores travel on the breeze, they can come from anywhere, and revel in mild to warm, damp conditions. In a hot, dry summer you rarely see LB. In fact, you don't see many fungal problems in hot, dry conditions. I don't see many here.

All you can do is plant, do your utmost in terms of plant housekeeping, and cross your fingers. You can also spray preventively against many of the fungal problems, but the traditional fungicides - the copper based ones - are much less effective against LB.

Dove, even madly out of focus, that leaf looks very very suspicious.

Yep, I know - I'm off work with a slipped disc so getting down anywhere near enough to use macro isn't possible - but I agree - it looks like blight, it must be blight, but it's the slowest blight I've ever come across.  I'm going to just keep snipping the leaves/leaflets off (or getting my OH to do it for me) and keep my fingers crossed. 

Trying to get a better pic - new strategy  - fingers crossed 

 There you are one leaf from one plant, one from another - with the leaf I took off this morning that's all the suspect leaves for today from 3 marmandes.  Neither of those leaves showed any signs of anything this morning.

I've been clipping off about this quantity of leaves/leaflets most days for more than a week now.  What do you think?

Italophile wrote (see)

Leggi, the problem isn't your patch. Unless you have spuds infected with LB lying around the place! The spores travel on the breeze, they can come from anywhere, and revel in mild to warm, damp conditions. In a hot, dry summer you rarely see LB. In fact, you don't see many fungal problems in hot, dry conditions. I don't see many here.

All you can do is plant, do your utmost in terms of plant housekeeping, and cross your fingers. You can also spray preventively against many of the fungal problems, but the traditional fungicides - the copper based ones - are much less effective against LB.

Thanks, it's good to know all is not lost and I can try again next year.

I will grow a healthy tomato crop if it's the last thing I do!

Good stuff, Leggi. Indomitable is the way to go!

Dove, that's Late Blight. Like this is:

See the similarity? The only difference is that yours hasn't developed quite as much as in the photo because it's off the plant. Gradually, a white fuzz develops on the patch before the whole thing turns black and gooey and ... pretty bleah, basically.

I'd call it quits.

Yes, I think so too, but it is slower than any Late Blight I've ever seen - I've counted up and it was 12 days ago that I first noticed patches on leaves, and the plants still look really healthy - this is the worse affected plant.

Maybe you've developed your own strain of LB. Dove Late Blight. DLB. You could be famous.

I think you're minimising things to an extent by removing foliage the second the symptom appears.