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Old July 30, 2018   #328
bower
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Newfoundland, Canada
Posts: 6,793
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Two weeks ago I thought I was seeing this dread disease for the first time. Black spots on some upper leaves (but not the very newest ones), purpling edges etc. I was not ready to give up on the plants, and I knew they were bothered by pests as well as some nutritional and pH issues and a shrinking volume of soil in a small pot. So I pruned off the spotty leaves and I put a couple of inches of fresh compost on top of the soil. Their condition improved immediately, and since then they also put on new flowers and fruit, as well as ripening fruit with quality #1 the best. Only one had some scarring on early fruit from insect damage, but no sign of the 'circles' as with the virus.

I did see one more leaf with the spots on it, so I left it to see how it developed. In fact some purpling of the spots and yellowing around them, typical of the effects of certain mildews we do get here when it gets hot and humid. I've never seen them start black before, usually it's purple. But in the beginning it sure looked like the TSWV. The spores blow in the windows if weeds outside are not controlled, and I guess I missed a few.
Very relieved not to have it, since tiny pests this year have been a constant battle.
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