![]() ![]() RHS Botanical Art and Photography Show - TBC July 2024.RHS Flower Show Tatton Park - 17-21 July 2024.RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival - 2–7 July 2024.RHS Garden Wisley Flower Show - 5–10 September 2023.RHS Garden Rosemoor Flower Show - 18–20 August 2023.Typically, when this disease is nearby, extension specialists will alert growers and gardeners to start protecting their plants with fungicides.Ĭlick here for more information and pictures of these tomato diseases. For this disease, fungicides are the only control measure. The pathogen causes a larger water-soaked leafspot and can wipe out planting in about a week if the weather is cool and wet. The late blight pathogen starts in the upper part of the plant since the windblown spores rain down onto the upper leaves during storm events. ![]() If storms do not come up from the south during the growing season, we may not see the disease at all, which was the case in 20. ![]() Depending on weather patterns, the pathogen ‘leapfrogs’ its way up to the North Country on storm fronts. This fungal-like pathogen does not overwinter in upstate New York or Vermont but blows in from southern states. Because Late Blight comes from spores carried on the rain the upper leaves of tomato plants will be effected first This disease can kill back tomato plants rapidly and must be treated with fungicideĪ third tomato disease called late blight is very aggressive and was the cause of the great potato famine in Ireland in the 1840s. This provides a barrier that prevents the spore from gaining access but since tomatoes grow fast and the fungicides break down in sun and rain, the material would need to be applied every 7-10 days depending on the weather. The last resort is the use of a fungicide. Keeping up the fertility of the plants along with good regular watering allows the plant to better withstand the disease, sort of like us, and eating healthy foods and getting plenty of sleep! Cultivars may vary on their susceptibility to these leaf spots and there have been some developed in the last few years that are resistant to these leafspot diseases. Staking tomatoes improves air circulation and drying. Avoiding overhead watering in the garden will help reduce leaf wetness which reduces infection. Using mulch around the base of the plants can help provide a barrier to spores that could splash onto the lower leaves. Late blight blows in on the wind rain from warmer climates further south It can but doesnt always hit tomatoes in the North CountryĪn easy place to start is rotating tomato beds to new locations each year, keeping new plants away from infected tomato leaves from the previous year. Fortunately, there are some easy cultural practices we can do early in the season that will help minimize the damage from these diseases. With each rain event, the disease works its way up the plant. Leafspots develop, then produce more spores that are windblown and water splashed to the upper leaves of the plant. When the weather becomes warmer, the spores are splashed onto the lower tomato leaves. ![]() The fungus overwinters on diseased tomato leaves left in the garden from last year. The diseases look a little different (early blight leafspots have a bulls-eye appearance and septoria leafspots are usually smaller with gray centers) but basically both work the same way. We see these to some extent every year, usually near the end of June, with rainy years resulting in more disease. Fungal leafspots are the main problem in tomatoes with the two most common being early blight and septoria leaf spot. Tomatoes should be planted when soil temperatures become warmer and the danger of frost is over. Septoria Leaf Spot (shown here) and Early Blight strike lower leaves on tomato plants first, as they’re closer to the spores coming up from dead tomato leaves on the ground. Although it has been a cool spring and many of our warmer season vegetables are still waiting in the greenhouse, let’s review some common problems in tomatoes that we encounter in the King’s Garden. This summer, the farm-to-table garden within the King’s Garden will feature Brandywine and Purple Cherokee tomatoes. Rotating beds are the easiest way to prevent this fungal disease. Ann Hazlerigg The fungus that causes Early Blight overwinters in tomato leaves from the previous year. ![]()
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