Name this malady - tomato leaf diagnostics needed

[b54red]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Bill, with all due respect, and having tried your bleach spray, I went back to the copper spray, which works the best on mildew, and Septoria. The bleach spray was just too destructive in my garden, and my plants suffered greatly, never fully recovered. I wish to re emphasize that I respect you very much, but I personally will never use the diluted bleach spray again. To everyone reading this, this is only my personal choice.

If you use it improperly it will not be effective and will damage plants. I have been using it very effectively on mildews for years now. The secret is to start using the spray early in the season before the mildew gets a good hold on the leaves. I first tried it on squash 7 or 8 years ago when none of the fungicides was stopping it and almost all my large leaves were covered with large mildew spots. The result was all of those leaves died after spraying but most of the younger leaves which had little mildew present did fine and the plants eventually recovered. I learned my lesson from that as well as from waiting til a disease was too far along on a tomato plant. The trick is to use it in a fine misting spray as soon as diseases first show up so that leaf damage is minimized. Every time I spray my tomatoes or peppers with the spray I also hit the cucumbers, squash and onions. I have found that by doing this and keeping a little Sevin dust on the stems I can grow squash until I am sick of eating them without problems from either SVBs or mildew.

With all due respect to copper as a fungicide it does not control gray mold very well once it gets started on a tomato plant. It does however slow it down some and is better than most other fungicides as a preventative measure. That is why I use Daconil, copper and diluted bleach sprays all season long. After killing back the gray mold I wait a day or two then apply the copper spray at the recommended dose. I grow a lot of black tomatoes and they are especially susceptible to GM so I keep a close watch for the first sign of it which always shows up despite using copper fungicide weekly. I used the copper spray more this year than ever and found it is not so good at preventing Early Blight which is prevented much better by Daconil. Since I grow a lot of plants close together I am usually hit by EB, GM and Septoria at different times almost every year and sometimes all of them at once. I try to alternate spraying Daconil and copper as preventatives and use the bleach spray when diseases show up to stop them if possible. Sometimes I wait too long on some plants and I usually end up with a plant with lots of dead leaves as a result. I now use the bleach spray during long rainy spells a couple of times a week so the diseases don't get ahead of me while the fungicides are washed off.

I'm sorry it didn't work for you but I haven't found a foliage disease that it wasn't helpful in controlling other than systemic ones like TSWV if used promptly and correctly.

Bill

[Labradors2]

It's my understanding that Septoria doesn't live in the soil (here in the north), but blows in on the wind and rain. We are very rural and have lots of wild trees and bushes that always get infected, so I am doomed to get Septoria on my tomatoes every year. There's no need to get rid of the plants now, just pick off the infected leaves and spray (if that's what you do). I normally don't spray, but am about to do the bleach spray again.

Linda

Originally Posted by Salaam

I think this is what my Asian pear has, and has spread to its neighbour Carolina Gold. I'll post pictures when I get home. Both are in fabric pots about two feet apart. The in ground tomatoes are about three yards away. I hope it doesn't spread to them.

Both plants, especially the Carolina Gold, are still productive. Can I let them go till the end of the season? Is it enough to get rid of the soil in the fabric pots at the end of the season to ensure the Septoria doesn't come back?

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

It's my understanding that Septoria doesn't live in the soil (here in the north), but blows in on the wind and rain. We are very rural and have lots of wild trees and bushes that always get infected, so I am doomed to get Septoria on my tomatoes every year. There's no need to get rid of the plants now, just pick off the infected leaves and spray (if that's what you do). I normally don't spray, but am about to do the bleach spray again.

Linda

Why not use a copper spray the next day as a preventative? It is a fairly cheap and an organic spray that can help. Since I am such an enthusiastic fan of the bleach spray and use it regularly I know it has no preventive use other than slowing or stopping already present disease. If you want to use it for that you have to use it frequently whereas a fungicide like copper should be fairly effective for a week or so if no heavy rains hit you. During periods of frequent rain when no fungicide can remain on the plants I go out and spray between showers with the bleach spray every 3 days and have found it very effective but it is a lot of work but far less than trying to fix the mess left by extended rainfall.

Bill

[Labradors2]

You're right Bill. I should use a preventative.

I try to garden organically and have just been removing the bad leaves to try to slow down the spread of Septoria. Since our season is relatively short, I usually just take the tomatoes and run!

Right now, my tomatoes look pretty sick with Septoria and something else that causes dead leaves, yet they will not pull easily off the vine. Probably Early Blight.

I'm thinking of getting some Actinovate next time I'm in the US. Will look into copper spray as well to use next year.

Thanks,
Linda

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

You're right Bill. I should use a preventative.

I try to garden organically and have just been removing the bad leaves to try to slow down the spread of Septoria. Since our season is relatively short, I usually just take the tomatoes and run!

Right now, my tomatoes look pretty sick with Septoria and something else that causes dead leaves, yet they will not pull easily off the vine. Probably Early Blight.

I'm thinking of getting some Actinovate next time I'm in the US. Will look into copper spray as well to use next year.

Thanks,
Linda

Linda, the good thing about a copper fungicide is it is cheap and organic. It sticks a little better during a light rain than some of the other fungicides like Daconil which is my preferred fungicide for preventing Early Blight.

I hate Septoria because it is one of the more difficult to control diseases once it gets started on the plants. It can be especially troublesome if you are having frequent rains that keep the fungicides washed off the plants and that is one of the main reasons I started using the bleach spray every few days during times of frequent rains and the other was gray mold. Waiting to treat either one til the rains stop can be disastrous.

Bill

[Reelcharacter]

Well I finally gave up on the zucchini plants. Just when some new growth started to look promising I found an infestation of old and young squash bugs in a couple of the plants. To save a few other squash on the other end of the raised bed I pulled the Zukes and will wage war with any remaining pests I see.

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by Reelcharacter

Well I finally gave up on the zucchini plants. Just when some new growth started to look promising I found an infestation of old and young squash bugs in a couple of the plants. To save a few other squash on the other end of the raised bed I pulled the Zukes and will wage war with any remaining pests I see.

Last year I gave up on my Pattypans, I feel your pain. It seems everything goes after them first.

Good luck saving the other end. Attack, attack, attack!

[rick9748]

I think Ginger might have it with the copper fungicide, it won't hurt the plant,so give it a try.I use it every year to fight blight.I use it every 7-10 days.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by b54red

Linda, the good thing about a copper fungicide is it is cheap and organic. It sticks a little better during a light rain than some of the other fungicides like Daconil which is my preferred fungicide for preventing Early Blight.

I hate Septoria because it is one of the more difficult to control diseases once it gets started on the plants. It can be especially troublesome if you are having frequent rains that keep the fungicides washed off the plants and that is one of the main reasons I started using the bleach spray every few days during times of frequent rains and the other was gray mold. Waiting to treat either one til the rains stop can be disastrous.

Bill

It sticks fairly well if you put a very small squeeze of liquid soap into the sprayer. I suggest doing it at the end, when the sprayer is full, so that you don't get a lot of foam from filling with the soap in. Than just shake the sprayer to disperse.

" Waiting to treat either one til the rains stop can be disastrous" TRUE DAT!!!!!

[b54red]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

It sticks fairly well if you put a very small squeeze of liquid soap into the sprayer. I suggest doing it at the end, when the sprayer is full, so that you don't get a lot of foam from filling with the soap in. Than just shake the sprayer to disperse.

" Waiting to treat either one til the rains stop can be disastrous" TRUE DAT!!!!!

I add a little soap to every fungicide or pesticide spray I use because of better coverage due to better wetting caused by the soap. It takes less volume of spray to get good coverage with less runoff if you have a mix that readily wets the vegetation. Anytime I am fighting insects I add more than a little soap.

Bill

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by b54red

I add a little soap to every fungicide or pesticide spray I use because of better coverage due to better wetting caused by the soap. It takes less volume of spray to get good coverage with less runoff if you have a mix that readily wets the vegetation. Anytime I am fighting insects I add more than a little soap.

Bill

Yes, I do too.

[namwah]

Thanks for the bleach formula. Use it all the time here in my hot humid climate. Kills the damage but healthy leaves are ok.