Tomato blight, how I deal with it.

[womble]

Yet another year when all seems to be going to plan.

I've had blight on several plants, yet all are still there, admittedly one with only 1 tiny leaf left

I check round them, at least once a day, twice if possible, any dodgy looking leaves, fruit or stems get removed and composted (yeah, I know, you aren't supposed to, not doing it never stopped me getting blight and doing it hasn't increased the amount of blight I get either).

Doing this has meant all of my outside tom plants have had blight, all are still there and all seem to have shrugged off the disease for the moment. A couple of greenhouse tom plants have had it and are looking a bit bare atm. I think one is about gone, but it only has 3 fruit left on it anyway.

On the whole though, this works really really well, allows me normally a virtually full harvest, sometimes at the end of the season whole plants have to go, or if I miss a blighted leaf, sometimes it takes hold too quick.

Anyway, if some of you don't want to spray, as I don't, then this is a system which I find works well, I have proved it works and you don't have to spray.

It does however mean you have to look at your plants everyday, so not right for everyone.

[Alison]

I find that often blight does tend to be a lot slower on toms than pots and have left fruits onto well cut back plants in the past and managed to get them to ripen. Noticed a bit on my outdoor toms today, cut back to below the damage, removed the unblemished toms (they're hopefully fully ripening on the window ledge now!) but left the rest. Will keep checking and fingers crossed will be OK (ish!). Funnily enough, was getting loads of blight warnings during July but nothing was hit (despite the fact I don't spray on principle), not had any warnings now since about 20 July but yet I get the blight now! What's all that about?

[solway cropper]

I've just cut off quite a few blighted leaves from my outdoor toms and put them in the green recycling bin. Not sure what the council does with it but I'm not going to risk putting it in the compost. I'm a bit further north than Alison and this is the first appearance of blight this year. It seems to have hit very quickly but we've had some really damp muggy weather which is perfect conditions for it.

[zazen999]

I find that often blight does tend to be a lot slower on toms than pots and have left fruits onto well cut back plants in the past and managed to get them to ripen. Noticed a bit on my outdoor toms today, cut back to below the damage, removed the unblemished toms (they're hopefully fully ripening on the window ledge now!) but left the rest. Will keep checking and fingers crossed will be OK (ish!). Funnily enough, was getting loads of blight warnings during July but nothing was hit (despite the fact I don't spray on principle), not had any warnings now since about 20 July but yet I get the blight now! What's all that about?

i looked on the blight map 2 days ago and you'd swear there was none in and around the east midlands.......perhaps people just don't report it after a certain date?

[scarey55]

I have had blight for the past 3 years and I have tried all sorts.

This year, I did exactly as you have and pulled off any diseased leaves or fruit as I found it. I lost all the tomatoes in open ground because I planted them too close together and they became so overgrown that I couldn't inspect each one enough but, I also planted some along a wall and they were easier to get to and inspect. So far I have managed to get 3 ripe tomatoes with more still on the plant waiting to ripen *touches every bit of wood I can find.

I don't compost the leaves though, still too paranoid about blight to be doing that just yet.

[gojiberry]

Just cut the whole plants down and am awaiting next season to start again. The green house tomatoes are Ok though so I am not tomatoless.

Ian

[HayleyB]

Next year Legend and Ferline

[ckfe]

think i've got blight too

lots of dodgy looking leaves and a whole truss of tiny brown squashy tomatoes

[dandamegs]

I have got blight on my outdoor toms, first time I think it has ever occured.

Dodgy looking plant in the greenhouse as well now

Quite shocked how devastating this is

[Polly Fouracre]

Spray with one pint of milk to one gallon of water.

[ckfe]

Spray with one pint of milk to one gallon of water.

will that cure it?

[womble]

I have had blight for the past 3 years and I have tried all sorts.

This year, I did exactly as you have and pulled off any diseased leaves or fruit as I found it. I lost all the tomatoes in open ground because I planted them too close together and they became so overgrown that I couldn't inspect each one enough but, I also planted some along a wall and they were easier to get to and inspect.

I put my outside toms all around the garden in pots, so they aren't close together if one does get blight.
Last year I lost some outside ones too, as I didn't check them often enough.

I can't stress enough how important it is to catch blight as early as possible, you need to be looking every single day. Also when the blight season is approaching, clear all the plants of old leaves and enough new ones to be able to see the whole plant clearly.

[Stew]

Spray with Diathane or loose the lot!

[womble]

Spray with Diathane or loose the lot!

I think you mean lose. If you read the OP, you will see I don't lose anything most of the time, that's the point of the post.

[shoreham_steve]

I very unwisely went on holiday for two weeks - came back last weekend to find my outside toms massively overgrown and showing signs of blight. I cut everything back but have lost a lot of fruit. Serves me right for holidaying in August, I guess.
Is it best to cut green toms off the blighted plants to ripen on the windowsill ?
Also, will 'drowning' the plants before composting, as I do with weeds, make them
safe(r) to add to my pile?