Fight The Blight...

Have you ever grown tomatoes that end up looking like this? 

Well, my friend, you may have had blight. 

Either early or late, blight is a highly contagious fungus; a strain of which caused the Irish potato famine. Spores are often present in soil, and it is believed that commercially-grown garden center plants have spread the fungus to our own backyards. Part of the problem is that big-box retailers do not have employees who are trained to spot plant diseases and pathogens.

What You Should Know

                                          Train yourself to spot unhealthy plants.

Signs of blight include: 

       - white, powdery spores

       - large, olive-green or brown lesions on the leaves

       - brown or open lesions on stems

**A single open lesion on one plant can produce hundreds of thousands of contagious spores. Fungicides can help protect unaffected plants, but nothing can cure blight once it breaks out except, perhaps, a hot, sunny day.**

What To Do With An Infected Plant

Pull the plant, seal it in a Ziplock style bag, and throw it away or burn it. Be careful! Remember, you do not want spores flying all over the place. Do not compost the plant, unless you want all your plants to become infected. 

How To Help Prevent Blight

• When purchasing plants, select wilt and nematode resistant varieties.

• Choose different varieties that mature at different times. A good thing to know is that the earlier the plant matures, the more susceptible it is to early blight.

• Do not plant tomatoes and potatoes close together.

• Rotate your planting spot on a yearly basis. 

• When watering, only water at the plant's base and do it early in the day so that any moisture that does get on the plant will be quickly dried by the sun.  

• Use a staking system. Staking encourages air movement, reducing moisture on the foliage and helps prevent root rot.

• Mulch

• Remove the bottom branches, especially if they touch the ground. Remember, the spores are in the soil. Cut them with a pair of scissors or garden shears. Trim right at the plant's stem. 

• Monitor the lower leaves for early blight and the top foliage for late blight. Late blight is fast and aggressive.

• Remove all plant debris from the garden in the fall. Blight can overwinter on plant tissue.

• Make sure to thoroughly wash your hands and/or gloves after touching infected plants.

Hopefully, with these tips, your next batch of tomatoes will be healthy, nutritious, and above all, delicious!