Is It Blight?

[Daphne1411]

Potato Blight

I've searched the internet wide and far for information and pics on this dastardly disease (saw the pics posted on here too). My potato plants have what look like some scorch marks, small round brown spots. I've taken the offending leaves off but I am very paranoid its blight. This is my first time growing tatties and they all came up great, loads of them-in containers and the ground. My question is this; if its blight I know what to do but my plants have flowers about to open. Is there anything I can do to hurry up the tuber growing process in case I need to take all the leaves off in a hurry? I'd hate to lose everything.
Also, my tomatoes are ready to go out. What can I do about these? I don't want to risk losing these as well. I live in SE3 London in case its Blight and spreading.....
Growing veges is not as easy as it seems.......

[zazen999]

Hi Daphne. I've merged your query with our Blight thread. Have a look and see if your leaves match anything above.

[Daphne1411]

Thanks for the advice zazen999, my brownish spots resemble more like cigarette burns-no I don't smoke! I'm desperate to know how to get some tatties growing quick in case its the dreaded lergy.....

[SarzWix]

I don't think you can speed up the potatoes, they take how long they take. But you can remove the affected foliage and spray the plants with Bordeaux mixture (considered organic) or Dithane 945 (not) to try and hold the blight off for a little while. Make sure that if you have to water the potatoes, you don't get the foliage wet. And keep a really close eye on all the plants (twice daily inspections if you possibly can) & take off any more spotty leaves as soon as you see them. Keep spraying at the intervals recommended on the packaging.
Good luck!

[Storming Norman]

Hi Daphne,

I found these spots on my container pots recently and had a panic as well, but it was not blight - there was no progression, and so I just removed some leaves and gave them a feed.

It's watering in hot sun damage I think - my mistake. It's been so warm here I have had to water far more than usual and often find them flagging and water at the wrong time of day.

This is a great thread. I've not had blight before and the guys at the new allotment tell me they rarely see blight either, so I am a complete novice on this one - really helpful thanks Sarah.

Ann

[gardening in mind]

this might be of interest...Found this on test in which? gardening mag for june,its called blight pocket check £6.95 for two single use kits. Apparently you tear a small piece of leaf you think is infected add liquid stuff to it,shake then add drops to the kit, within minutes you get a pos/neg result.

[tattieman]

If you watch my video above you can see the kit in action.

[Duronal]

This site is very useful when trying to diagnose tomato problems.

Tomato leaf symptoms Diagnostic Key

[davefromthechipie]

We get blight here every bloody year only good thing its mostly at the end of the tom growing season. Oo Well i never ...a Blight checker kit Thanks for that

[SarzWix]

I got a shock when I was in the garden last night and came across this poorly looking plant. I quickly snapped the leaves off and rushed home to make a video on how to test for blight. I have put the video on youtube for you all. YouTube - How to test for BLIGHT

Glad yours turned out not to be blight tattieman. What do you reckon caused the spots then? Scorch?

[janeyo]

I don't think it's blight?

But not 100% sure.
Only one bucket looks like this. None of the others or the ones in the ground.
I have isolated this buc.ket til I know what it is.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

[davefromthechipie]

But not 100% sure.
Only one bucket looks like this. None of the others or the ones in the ground.
I have isolated this buc.ket til I know what it is.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

Im sure thats not blight I get it every year because of potato farms around here. The only way i find out 100% is if the stems get large black stops too

Have you been watering your toms day time ?

[tattieman]

SarzWix I am now sure it was a combination of wind burn and scorching from watering.
Janeyo that should not be blight.

[miffy]

Defintely blight on my spuds, appeared in a day, really bad so have chopped off affected foliage and will leave tatties in the ground for the skins to harden then dig up as i was advised.
Bit soul destroying but i guess you have to take the rough with the smooth with veggie groiwng lark, on the plus harvested my first strawberries so a bitter/sweet visit to the plot.

[janeyo]

It is actually a potato and not a tomaot and no I don't water in the day, only around 7 ish pm. Am glad it's not blight. Now I've just got to work out what it is!
I have since found one of my december tomatoes that has never been outside and which is not in any strong air currents in the greenhouse looks similar. It's the only one.

I don't think it's magnesium deficiency but googling now for what it might be.

Thanks