Quote:
Originally Posted by Katydid
Thanks, Bill. You gave me good advice regarding gray mold a number of years ago, and I have since had relatively good success using your bleach treatment spray. I think this year I just didn't take action soon enough. Ironically, I started spraying periodically with copper early this year for a change, but the gray mold still got a foothold nonetheless. And yes, I agree with you that the "black" tomatoes seem to be much more heavily prone to gray mold. At any rate, at least gray mold is a known entity I've had experience dealing with. Not so the bacterial wilt...
Anyway, after I dug out the wilting plant today, I poured about a half a gallon of bleach solution (I didn't measure precisely, but it was probably about a 10:1 dilution) in and around the hole. Do you suggest I follow up with more tomorrow?
Thanks for your advice.
-Barbara
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Unless your ground is very wet then a half gallon may not disperse into enough soil to get most or all of the Bacterial Wilt. I would use more today and then wait about two weeks to replant in that spot.
Gray mold can get a hold of a plant before you know it. I still find myself missing the first signs sometimes because I am not checking as carefully as I should. Sporadically spraying with copper is not sufficient if conditions are right for gray mold. It is better to spray regularly with the copper unless you are having some really dry low humidity conditions. I rarely see it pop up when that happens but then those conditions rarely happen down here.
Bacterial wilt can be a real nightmare if that is what you had to go along with the gray mold. I have been lucky enough not to have a case for the last 3 years. I'm pretty sure it is a bit of luck and also using the RST-04-106-T root stock for the past few years. Before that I would lose a few or a lot of plants to it almost every year. What made it so bad was that it seemed to only hit healthy plants loaded with fruit. It is a real sickening feeling to walk out into the garden and see a once vigorous green plant looking like a wilted, yet still green, mess in just a few hours.
Bill
Bill