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How do you get rid of blight on tomatoes


Tomato Plant Diseases and How to Stop Them

Initiatives Research and Science

Feb 21, 2017

Written by Kayla Harless, People’s Garden Intern

Almost everyone who gardens grows tomato plants. We are passionate about our tomatoes and savor that ripe, fresh fruit. However, several diseases love our tomato plants just as much as we do. The People’s Garden Workshop topic this week was tomato blights and spots, and Dr. Martin Draper, a plant pathologist through the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, taught us how to identify them and what we can do to treat and prevent them.

He discussed in detail three pathogenic diseases: septoria leaf spot, early blight, and late blight. Don’t let the names early blight and late blight mislead you, they can appear at any time during the year. Septoria leaf spot is characterized by small, dark circular spots that often have yellow halos around them; they appear on the lower leaves of the plant first. Early blight can set in the stems and leaves, and is identified by legions with target-like rings. Late blight affects large portions of the leaves. It looks white and fuzzy on the underside of the leaf, and destroys crops quickly. Early and late blight affect potatoes as well, in fact, late blight caused the Irish potato famine.

These diseases can be spread many ways, and knowing what they are can supply simple solutions. Moisture, especially on the leaves, provides great conditions for the spores of these diseases to make themselves at home. Watering at the base of the plant can help prevent this; if you do use a sprinkler system or similar method to water your tomatoes, do so in the morning to allow the plant an opportunity to dry throughout the day. It is also recommended to stake your tomato plants instead of caging them, and space them appropriately. This way, the space will make it slightly more difficult for diseases to spread quickly, and the airflow will keep the plants dry. Keep a watch on your garden, and pluck any leaves that show signs of disease and take out infected plants.

Some fungicides can be very effective; however, it is important to follow the label. A fungicide intended for different plants, not vegetables, won’t make a difference and may cause problems. If you garden organically, adding compost extracts or teas can be a treatment. To create a solution that prevents and treats disease, add a heaping tablespoon of baking soda, a teaspoon of vegetable oil, and a small amount of mild soap to a gallon of water and spray the tomato plants with this solution. This needs to be reapplied regularly to maintain its efficiency. Garden clean-up is another preventative key, as the diseases’ spores can overwinter on plants left in the garden from the previous year.

There are many USDA extension offices throughout the country and research facilities on every land-grand university, so if you have further questions or concerns about tomato diseases feel free to contact one of these places.

Dr. Martin Draper looked at samples the workshop attendees brought from their gardens and gave suggestions as to what can be done to bring the plants back to health.

Category/Topic: Initiatives Research and Science

Tags: Dr. Martin Draper NIFA plant pathology

Natural Ways to Kill Blight on Tomatoes | Home Guides

By Renee Miller Updated December 10, 2018

Tomatoes often are included in summer gardens for their juicy, fresh fruits, and with proper care, tomatoes are relatively easy to grow. However, like other garden plants, tomatoes are not immune to diseases such as blight. Chemical treatments can harm pets and humans, but there are a couple of effective natural treatments for tomato blight. These treatments are most effective when combined with cultural controls.

Types of Blight

There are two types of blight that commonly affect garden tomatoes, early blight and late blight. Early tomato blight, caused by the fungus Alternaria solani, can cause a range of symptoms at all stages of plant growth and thrives in warm, humid conditions. Its most common symptoms include damping-off, stem cankers, crown rot, leaf blight, and fruit rot. Late blight is caused by the fungal-like pathogen Phytophthora infestans, which thrives in cool, wet conditions. Signs of infection include leaf lesions that start out as pale or olive green areas and rapidly change to brown-black. The lesions are water-soaked, appear oily and may produce whitish grey, fuzzy spores. The fruit shows few symptoms initially, but soon develops ringed, golden to chocolate brown lesions or spots that may appear sunken.

Compost Tea

Compost teas can be effective at fighting both early and late tomato blight. Compost tea is made by by mixing about one part well-aged compost that is at least 4 months old and 5 to 8 parts of water. The mixture is placed in a covered container and allowed to steep outside at temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit for about five days. The tea must be stirred daily. On the fifth day, the material is poured through a sieve or cheesecloth and the strained tea applied to plants as a foliar spray. Compost tea should not be sprayed on the fruit if you plan to harvest in the following 2 to 3 weeks.

Baking Soda

Baking soda has fungicidal properties that can stop or reduce the spread of early and late tomato blight. Baking soda sprays typically contain about 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved into 1 quart of warm water. Adding a drop of liquid dish soap or 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil helps the solution stick to your plant. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and shake thoroughly before applying to the entire plant. Baking soda fungicides should be applied out of direct sunlight to avoid burning your plant, and do not make it too strong. While baking soda helps fight fungus, too much can damage your plants.

Cultural Controls

Whether you use chemical or natural treatments to control tomato blight, proper cultural controls are also necessary to prevent or limit infection. Never work in your garden during wet conditions, when spores are most likely to be spread. Remove all dead or infected leaves and fruits to prevent the spread of spores to healthy plants. Space your tomato plants so that air can circulate and keep the foliage dry, and water your plants early in the day to encourage rapid drying of the foliage before cooler nighttime temperatures arrive. Control harmful insects in your garden to minimize plant injury and the spread of spores caused by their feeding.

References

Resources

Writer Bio

Renee Miller began writing professionally in 2008, contributing to websites and the "Community Press" newspaper. She is co-founder of On Fiction Writing, a website for writers. Miller holds a diploma in social services from Clarke College in Belleville, Ontario.

Blossom Rot on Tomatoes: Treatment

Blossom Rot or Blossom Rot on Tomatoes appears as dark spots on the tops of fruits

Blossom Rot on Tomatoes is a common problem faced by gardeners quite often. This disease is remarkable in that it does not affect the tops of the plant, but only the fruits - brown spots appear on them, which rot, and, accordingly, lead to damage to the crop.

What to do and how to deal with blossom end rot on tomatoes? The answer is simple: in order not to face significant damage from the disease, treatment should be started at the first signs of it. And even better - think in advance about preventive measures and cut down the vertex rot in the bud. nine0007

Content

  • 4 Treatment of blossom end rot on tomatoes with calcium preparations
  • 5 And if you use folk remedies?
  • 6 Improving plant immunity - additional help in the fight against blossom end rot

    • What is blossom end rot, its signs on tomatoes

    Blossom end rot, or "top rot", as gardeners call it, affects tomatoes grown both in open ground and in greenhouses.

    The classic symptom of the disease is the appearance of watery brown spots on the tops of tomato fruits. The spots quickly increase in size, blacken and become wrinkled (skinny). These areas will eventually rot, so diseased fruits should be picked up and discarded. nine0005 Blossom rot on tomatoes - close-up photo

    Attention!

    The tip of the tomato is the tip of the fruit, the “butt”, the place opposite the attachment of the stem.

    Blossom end rot of tomatoes is not a fungal and infectious disease (unlike the same phytophthora ). It refers to physiological disorders caused by an imbalance of calcium in the plant body. In addition to tomatoes, this trouble can happen with peppers, eggplants, zucchini, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins. nine0005

    Since blossom end rot is not fungal in origin, adjacent bushes are not affected. But saprophyte fungi intensively populate the damaged tissue, resulting in a black stain.

    Symptoms may occur at any stage of fetal development. But most often they appear for the first time when the fetus is one-third to one-half of its full size. That is, green, not yet fully grown, tomatoes are more often affected. They begin to quickly turn red and fall off. The tissue in the affected area softens and rots. nine0005

    Sometimes there are cases of damage to tomatoes from the inside. With this course of the disease, there are no visible signs. The fruits quickly turn red and fall off. Rot can only be detected when cutting the vegetable.

    This is how blossom end rot looks on tomato fruits

    Important!

    Diseased fruits are not used for seed collection. They are also not recyclable. However, you can eat such tomatoes - if you first cut off the areas affected by vertex rot.

    Causes of blossom end rot on tomatoes

    The main reason for the development of the disease is lack of calcium in the plant . At the same time, its content in the soil is often sufficient, but for some reason the culture cannot absorb the required amount of this important trace element.

    The following factors may interfere with the full absorption of calcium:

    Prevention of blossom end rot on tomatoes

    The most effective measures to combat blossom end rot of tomatoes are preventive measures. These include variety selection, seed and soil preparation, as well as specific growing practices and protective spraying. nine0005

    Choice of variety

    It has been noticed that tomatoes with elongated and creamy fruits, as well as large beef tomatoes, are most susceptible to blossom end rot. Therefore, when growing them, preventive measures should be taken especially seriously.

    Varieties resistant to blossom end rot require less attention. Among them: Rotor F1, Grand Canyon, Khokhloma, Pink Elephant, Chukhloma, Benito F1, Bolshevik F1, Pharaoh F1, Toch F1. Also, small-fruited tomatoes, such as Cherry, rarely get sick. nine0005 Baby Cherries rarely get blossom end rot

    Seed preparation

    Care should be taken to disinfect seeds before planting. They are pre-placed in a 2.5-3% solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. Then rinse well and dry.

    Copper sulphate has similar properties. Tomato seed material is disinfected according to the following scheme:

    Soil preparation

    Before planting, the area where the vegetable crop is planned to be planted must be treated. In autumn or spring, one of the ingredients is added for digging:

    They help reduce soil acidity and improve plant uptake of nutrients. When planting seedlings in each hole, it is useful to add wood ash (1/2 cup) and ground eggshells.

    Adding lime, chalk, dolomite flour to the soil contributes to soil deoxidation, which means it reduces the risk of tip rot

    Preventive care rules

    The following recommendations will also help prevent the development of tip rot:

    Mulching the soil under tomatoes helps to retain moisture in the soil longer, which means it serves as a prevention of blossom end rot

    When harvesting, the remains of diseased plants and fruits must be destroyed. When growing tomatoes, you should follow the crop rotation, alternating crops. If this is not possible in a greenhouse, green manure is sown in early spring before planting seedlings: mustard, oats, colza.

    Treatment of blossom end rot on tomatoes with calcium preparations

    But what to do and how to deal with the disease if you did not manage to prevent it and blossom end rot on tomatoes has already broken out? Of course, treat diseased plants. This is usually done by introducing additional top dressings with a high calcium content. nine0005

    Generally, blossom end rot on tomatoes is treated with calcium nitrate (calcium nitrate). The solution is prepared according to this recipe: 10-15 g of calcium nitrate is diluted in 10 liters of water. With the same composition, you can also water the plant under the root, using 2 liters per bush. A sufficient content of boron in the soil will help to improve the absorption of calcium, therefore, before processing with saltpeter, it is advisable to add boric mineral fertilizer (boric acid).

    Calcium nitrate can be used both for the treatment and prevention of blossom end rot on tomatoes

    What is tomato blossom rot and how to treat it with calcium nitrate will be discussed in the video:

    A good effect in the fight against the disease is given by a solution of calcium chloride, which is easy to purchase at a pharmacy. The drug is proven, cheap and available for use, diluted easily and quickly. For treatment, 1 ampoule of calcium chloride (10 ml) is dissolved in 6 liters of water and tomatoes are sprayed with this solution 2 times a week until the symptoms of the disease disappear.

    In order to save tomatoes from the top rot of tomatoes as quickly as possible, you can use the Brexil Ca industrial tool. It contains calcium, boron and a complex of other nutrients that are well and quickly absorbed by the plant. To prepare a solution, 25 g of the product is diluted in 10 liters of water. Process the stem, leaves and fruits of the plant.

    And if you use folk remedies?

    Top rot on tomatoes is treated with available folk remedies.

    Wood ash

    Ash is an effective folk remedy for blossom end rot

    To eliminate the lesion, an infusion of wood ash is made, for which 100 g of ash is taken for 1 bucket of boiling water.

    The agent is dissolved in boiling water and allowed to infuse for several hours. Then the resulting composition is filtered and poured into a spray dispenser, with which diseased bushes are treated.

    Wood ash can also be applied dry. 3 handfuls of the product are scattered around the root and water the soil well. nine0005

    Oak bark

    Oak bark contains calcium, iron and many other useful trace elements that help prevent blossom end rot.

    A decoction of oak bark also helps. 5 g of oak bark is poured with cold water and boiled for 15 minutes. Cool and filter. Additional water is added to make 10 liters of solution.

    The vegetable crop is sprayed with the prepared composition.

    Soda ash

    Soda ash is highly alkalizing and helps with topping on tomatoes

    Experienced gardeners often use soda ash. Prepare and use the composition according to this recipe: dissolve 2 tbsp in a bucket of water. l. funds, then carry out watering or spraying tomato bushes several times until the problem is completely eliminated.

    Egg shells

    Place the egg shells in the saucepan. Pour it with water and boil for several minutes. Cool to room temperature and infuse for about 12 hours. Then the solution is filtered and sprayed with tomato bushes. nine0005 Eggshell - a source of calcium, necessary for healthy tomato fruits

    Improving plant immunity - additional help in the fight against blossom end rot

    As an effective adjuvant therapy, in addition to direct medical preparations, agents to enhance plant immunity are often used.

    Their processing contributes to:

    They are in great demand:

    With proper preventive measures and timely treatment, blossom end rot will not damage your tomato crop. If you have to deal with this disease, then do not panic. Timely processing of folk and special industrial means will help to cope with the problem and save the crop.

    Blossom end rot of tomatoes - prevention and control methods. Photo - Botanichka

    Tomato is one of the most common vegetable crops on our plots. The crop is grown not only in open ground, it also works well in protected ground, so you can get an earlier harvest of tomatoes. And although plant care is not difficult, and yields are often high, gardeners often face such a problem as tomato blossom end rot. This disease can cause significant damage to crops. So let's talk about top rot today and talk.

    Blossom end rot of tomatoes - prevention and control. © Sao Mai Center

    Contents:

    Causes of blossom end rot of tomatoes

    The disease is very active both in greenhouses and in the open field, causing serious damage to the crop.

    The disease can affect the tomato due to incorrect agricultural practices. Most often, blossom end rot on tomatoes appears due to increased temperature outside the window or due to too hot air in the greenhouse. As a result of elevated temperature, tomato plants begin to evaporate moisture from the surface of the leaves, as well as plant trunks, as intensively as possible. If the gardener does not understand in a timely manner that the temperature is critical and the plants suffer from it, and does not begin to moisten the soil, supplying water through the root system to the plants, then they will begin to absorb moisture from the fruits that begin to actively form by that time. nine0005

    Such, in fact, unnatural processes will lead to the fact that the vast majority of tomato fruit cells will simply die and blossom-end rot of this plant will begin to actively develop. To cure it is quite problematic, but to prevent the occurrence of this disease is much easier.

    But these are not all the reasons for the development of tomato blossom end rot. This disease can develop very quickly and actively proceed due to an excess or lack of calcium in the earth, a large amount of nitrogen in the soil, and also if the soil has high acidity. nine0005 Blossom rot develops due to a lack of calcium in the ground, a large amount of nitrogen in the soil and its high acidity. © Stillwater News Press

    How do you know if a tomato is infested?

    To start treating tomatoes, you need to know the very first and often the most important signs of the development of blossom end rot. The unripe fruits of the third or second brush are most often subject to blossom end rot. Usually you can notice something wrong by paying attention to the very tops of the fruits, where you can even see with the naked eye completely flat or slightly depressed spots. nine0005

    At first, when the spots are not very large, they are dark greenish in color, and with a strong development of the disease, and accordingly, with the growth of the spots, their color becomes grayish-brown, and as soon as the spores ripen, ready to scatter over long distances, their color becomes black.

    As soon as the fruits are affected by blossom end rot, their growth is immediately inhibited and their deformation begins. It will take only a couple of days, and the skin of the fetus will begin to dry out, and then crack. It was then that a putrefactive infection penetrates into these cracks and begins to actively develop there. Mushrooms of the Alternaria genus usually settle in cracks, their vital activity leads to the fact that the pulp of tomatoes becomes literally black and begins to rot sharply. nine0005

    It is interesting that those fruits of tomatoes, which are affected by blossom end rot, are painted (ripen) in a color typical for the variety, usually much faster than their healthy counterparts, but immediately after ripening they crumble to the ground. Such fruits cannot be eaten fresh, they cannot be used for processed products, even if you cut off the affected area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe fruit, and of course, you should not choose seeds from them for further sowing next year.

    How to treat blossom end rot of tomatoes? nine0036

    If preventive measures have not helped and the tomatoes are infected with blossom end rot, the very first thing to do is to pick and burn all the affected tomatoes. Infected leaves and shoots should also go into the firebox.

    As for the treatment of blossom end rot of tomatoes in the greenhouse and in the open field, there are no fundamental differences. In most cases, as soon as the earth, and then the plant, is saturated with enough calcium, blossom end rot sharply slows down in its development, and then stops completely. nine0005

    It is possible to saturate tomato plants with calcium very quickly by applying foliar dressings, for which it is best to use calcium sulfate. This fertilizer does not contain harmful chlorine, it is highly soluble in water. Therefore, it is enough to pour a teaspoon of this fertilizer into a bucket of water, mix everything thoroughly, refill the spray gun and the plants can be processed, trying, of course, to get first of all on the affected fruits, but do not forget about the rest of the plant.

    By the way, such treatments should be carried out in the evening, and if it rains during the day, the treatments must be repeated the next evening.

    If you want to maximize the absorption of calcium into plants, then you can add a little ordinary boric acid to the solution, for example, only 9 grams of boric acid is needed per ten liters of solution.

    To completely get rid of blossom end rot on tomatoes, a single treatment is definitely not enough, they will need to be carried out every week, combining foliar top dressing with abundant watering of the earth, watering under the root. nine0005

    There are quite effective folk remedies to combat blossom end rot, for example, treating tomato plants with an extract of wood ash or soot. To do this, pour a full faceted glass of wood ash or soot into a larger container and pour a liter of boiling water, then let it brew for 24 hours, then strain and dilute ten times with water. It is desirable to add 15 g of soda to the solution and treat the plants with this composition every week.

    All affected fruit must be destroyed. © thegardentroubadour

    Prevention of blossom end rot

    Preventive measures apply to any disease, and tomato blossom end rot is no exception. Prevention is much better than medication. The complex of preventive measures is quite extensive, and it begins with the preparation of seed material for sowing in the ground, and ends with the harvesting of tomatoes.

    But before starting to process the seeds in the appropriate ways, we advise you to purchase new varieties that are resistant to diseases and pests, including drought and excess moisture. By purchasing a variety whose fruit ripens early and is large in size, with maximum growth energy, you risk the most, because such a plant requires more nutrients, and the surface of the fruit itself is larger and the likelihood that even a small crack will form on it - significantly higher. nine0005

    Now about the disinfection of seed material: usually tomato seeds are treated in a solution of "potassium permanganate" or iron sulfate.

    Potassium permanganate is better to cook stronger - it is advisable to make a 2.5-3% solution of this "preparation", then place the seeds there in a gauze bag and keep them in the solution for thirty minutes. After this time, the tomato seeds should be washed in running water for a couple of minutes and dried.

    If your choice fell on the composition of ferrous sulfate, then you need to dilute it in the following proportion: first, dilute a gram of the drug in a liter of water, then place the seeds in this composition in a gauze bag for a day, and then, without washing the seed material with water, bring it to a loose state (drying). nine0005

    Prophylaxis related to soil preparation

    To protect against possible attacks of rot, which will lead to the formation of blossom end rot of tomato fruits, it is necessary to lime the earth well with chalk or dolomite flour, or even slaked lime - the latter, as you know, perfectly reduces acidity soil. Per square meter you need 50 g of chalk, 300 g of dolomite flour or 200 grams of lime.

    Then, already when planting tomato seedlings in the ground, half a glass of wood ash or wood soot should be placed in each hole. nine0005 One of the methods to prevent blossom end rot is proper watering. © Nature Bring

    Moisture in the prevention of tomato blossom end rot?


    Prevention is not only the introduction of the necessary elements into the soil or the treatment of seeds, but also such a simple event as watering, however, timely and correct. The fact is that in a drought, the roots of a tomato plant cease to absorb calcium, its deficiency occurs, and hence all the troubles appear.

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