Help with tomato plant

[Magiccat1978]

Hi

My mum has gone on holiday and left me looking after her greenhouse ( last week I was working nights and a neighbour looked after it ). She has a bush tomato plant - the label says totom. It was fine on Sunday and as my brother was home on monday I didnt go over. Went over yeserday and found it looking very sick.




Any ideas whats happened to it and what I should do?

I have cut off as much as I can and I have moved it out of the greenhouse and in to the potting shed away from the others incase it spreads.

This is my 1st year growing and i havent got a clue what to do with it.
Is it able to be saved ? Any advice greatfully recieved

[rob the roller]

It looks like it could be blight.

Is the rest of the plant, in particular the main stem, discoloured? Blight tends to cause darkened or blackened patches to appear on the stem. The infection then spreads until the whole of the plant, including the fruit, is spoiled.

IF IT IS BLIGHT:

You must ensure that none of the other plants beomes infected. Isolating the plant is a good first step. The affected plant should be removed as far as possible from the garden or anyone else's garden if there are tomatoes or potatoes planted. Burn it if you can.

It may be possible to avoid infection in the remaining plants but you will have to work hard. Move the plants as far away from each other as possible Avoid any cross contact with between plants, e.g. if you touch one plant wash your hands before moving on to the next. Avoid placing tomatoes near any potatoes.

If there are potatoes in the garden you might be able to save the tubers by harvesting them immediately and removing them as far as possible from the garden. Any infected tuber that finds its way into the harvested potatoes will infect the whole store, so take care not to include anything suspect.

You might be able to salvage any tomatoes that have started to change colour but again, you will have to vigilant to ensure that no infected fruit is included.

[janeyo]

My lower tomato leaves do this and I thought it was a sign that you could cut them off as they had done their job and other leaves were taking over? It would be unlucky to get blight in the greenhouse.

If the rest of the plant upwards looks healthy I wouldn't worry too much.

Most of mine in the greenhouse loo like this and I've still had loads of toms!

[rob the roller]

Hope you are right Janeyo.

I have already stripped all of the leaves from my tomato plants, so don't have anything to compare. However don't remember seeing anything like Magiccat's photos on healthy plants.

I haven't found growing in the greenhouse makes much difference so far as blight is concerned, although greenhouse plants do seem to take longer to become infected.

One thing against it being blight is the absence of any warning on the website. Magiccat is about 50 miles from the nearest outbreak.

Magiccat, you can also look at the "Is it blight" thread, which is about 5 or 6 from the top of the Vegging Out section. There are many photographs of blight infected plants that you can reference.

Rob

[vicky]

It looks to me like grey mould which is caused by damp and humid conditions (I could be wrong as blight looks very similar!)
I would
cut off at least 50% of the leaves to increase air flow around the plants
not water the leaves - straight onto the soil
and water a bit more spareingly
keep the greenhouse door open

If it's mould it should dry up in a few days, if it gets worse then you'll be looking at blight. Fingers crossed!

[Flobalob]

I also think its grey mould. Either way, wether its grey mould or blight, the advice from Rob is relevant to both.

[Magiccat1978]

Thankyou everyone for your help, its in the potting shed and I've left the door open, I've cut loads off it so hopefully it is just grey mould and not blight (fingers crossed ) off to have a look at the "Is it blight" thread now. thanks again for all the advice

[Two_Sheds]

another vote for mould here.

The greenhouse needs to be ventilated, and as peeps have said already,water the roots not the leaves.

[SMS6]

any suggestions for dealing with grey mould on the main stem of cordon tomatoes? Is it going to be a case of losing everything above the mould?

I noticed it the other day on an Amish Gold plant so I put that one outside and I'm hoping the few tomatoes on it will ripen before the plant succumbs altogether but this morning I noticed it on a black cherry plant. The fruits down low are just beginning to ripen but there are loads up above the mouldy stem area and top leaves were very droopy this morning.

Is it likely to spread through the greenhouse?