Is this late blight?

[Christa B.]

What do you guys think? Is this late blight or something else? I pulled the plant out and threw it in the trash, hopefully I didn't overreact. Whatever it is, it spread very fast because two days before, this plant looked fine. The main stem has multiple dark lesions. A couple of branches have wilted dark soggy looking leaves and blackening on the branches themselves.

[brownrexx]

That looks serious but it's not Late Blight. I don't know what it might be. Sorry.

[PaulF]

A late blight photo:

[nctomatoman]

Check this out - it is a good resource, but not fool proof - tomato diseases can show themselves in different ways. Any doubts, report to the local ag extension agent - better, have some plant matter tested. Late blight is very serious and is tracked in terms of where it is hitting.

http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.corne...ys/TomKey.html

[bbjm]

I can see why you think it might be. Particularly the very dark lesions on the stems. But I'm no expert. The good news is that there are no reports in Ohio. It looks like the only outbreak so far is in a small area of Florida -- if this website is accurate.

https://usablight.org/

[TomNJ]

This is late blight! Green to dead in 10 days!

[taboule]

What an ugly sight, I remember years back we got hit with it around Boston. Total devastation.

[ginger2778]

That would make me cry.

Originally Posted by bbjm

I can see why you think it might be. Particularly the very dark lesions on the stems. But I'm no expert. The good news is that there are no reports in Ohio. It looks like the only outbreak so far is in a small area of Florida -- if this website is accurate.

https://usablight.org/

OMG that outbreak is almost on top of me.

[Christa B.]

Thank everyone! Not sure what it was but my other plants seem fine for now. My plants get early blight and septoria every year but it is mostly manageable. I feel for anyone who's plants get late blight....all of that work and then dead plants.

[edweather]

Fortunately it was only one plant. Late blight usually attacks in mass. At least it did with me about 10 years ago. One day crop was fine. Three days later, about 75% gone.

[arnorrian]

After late blight last year I gave up any idea of organic growing. I was devastated, bu managed to save most of my tomatoes. I can't imagine what would happen if I lost them all. It's a good thing there are special fungicides specifically for late blight, like BASF's Orvego.

I was also surprised that late blight is not a fungus at all, but a parasitic alga.

[b54red]

I watch for it every year since the one summer long ago when I didn't have a clue what destroyed my tomatoes till they were all gone. I have stopped it before with the bleach spray but only when I recognized it very early. Just a days delay can mean the difference between having a somewhat successful season and disaster. When I see a couple of tomatoes showing LB signs I spray them immediately with the bleach spray and all the nearby plants. In the evening of the day I see it I spray the whole garden with the bleach spray and all the mulch and between the beds also. I repeat this two days later and again a few more days later. Usually the first plants I see with the problem will die but most of the others have come out okay other than a little leaf burn from so much bleach spray.

Bill