Anyone got blight on their toms or spuds?

**pdblake** · 20-08-2010, 09:11 AM

I found signs of what might have been blight on a couple of greenhouse toms yesterday so I got rid quickly. There're no other signs anywhere else in the garden though.

**gojiberry** · 20-08-2010, 09:46 AM

Potatoes were lifted as soon as blight hit about 3 weeks ago. Tomatoes in greenhouse have blight but are fighting it and I am harvesting tomatoes. Tomatoes on lottie don't have blight which I find amazing (tigrella).

Ian

**crazii_c** · 20-08-2010, 12:35 PM

ive got first signs of blight on one of my tigerella toms outside. all the rest look fine atm, but after all this wet weather we'll just have to wait and see.

**Llamas** · 20-08-2010, 04:13 PM

Not yet, but I've been religiously removing any sickly looking pseudo-blightly spotted leaves after last years fiasco, which may be helping.

**vicky** · 20-08-2010, 07:31 PM

Yes, on both. Tamina toms got it first - I think they got it first last year too...

**binley100** · 20-08-2010, 07:41 PM

Sssssshhhhhhhh..........

**chris** · 21-08-2010, 05:53 AM

I've had various warnings, near misses and full smith periods (I'm near goji) but nothing visible yet.. Mind you, most of my spud leaves have been chomped by slugs, so they may have it

**Tomatoking** · 21-08-2010, 07:55 AM

I found my first blight today on some small outdoor bush tomatoes. It has been very damp of late and the the plants leaves are quite spread out close to the soil.
Luckily the cordon ones right next to them with no leaves touching the soil and the plant staked up and de-leafed have no signs at all.

I have not sprayed this year as I didnt want to use it unnecessarly, but I will give all my plants indoor and out a good spraying later today.

The polytunnel has been kept well ventilated, with plenty of air circulation around the well spaced plants, so fingers crossed they will be OK.

I have not grown potates this year, as that is where it spread from last year, but it just goes to show that if conditions are right, there is not much you can do about preventing it.

**StephenH** · 21-08-2010, 08:47 AM

Thanks for the replies.
I got blight last year (or rather my toms did), but this year I've been following the advice of Alys Fowler in her 'Guardian Weekend' column, and spraying weekly with a 50/50 mix of milk and water, for which there is "some anecdotal evidence" (her words) of effectiveness against blight. Whether that's helped is impossible to say, of course - maybe I wouldn't have got it anyway, and maybe I'm still going to get it, but we shall see.

**StephenH** · 22-08-2010, 01:05 PM

AAAAAAAARGH!
First signs of what may be blight - blackened leaf-tips - on some plants of 'Purple Ukraine' toms and 'Pink Fir Apple' spuds. Hoping it's a false alarm, and giving a few days to see what happens. I've sprayed Bordeaux mixture over all the toms and spuds. if it is blight, it'll be too late to save the already-affected plants, I suppose, but I might be able to stop its spread. The toms are all full-size, so if the worst comes to the worst, I spoze I can harvest them and try to ripen them on the windowsill - or will they still fall victim to the blight, even then? As for the spuds, John Seymour recommends removing all the haulm and leaving the spuds where they are for at least three weeks for the blight spores to disperse from the soil surface, then harvest.

**snohare** · 22-08-2010, 01:34 PM

I was at my wee plot in Aberdeen on Wednesday and spotted a couple of withered stems, with the remainder of the tatties sporting blotches on leaves, and even a lesion on the underside of one with a faint white fuzz around it. Went home and checked - yes, definitely blight. So went back on Friday, cut them down to the ground.

Beautiful plants the Lady Balfours were, knee high and flowering...but I'm only in town once a week usually so couldn't wait to see if removing affected leaves would work. I wonder what kind of a crop I will get in a couple of weeks ?
Blightwatch never gave any recent warnings of Smith periods in that postcode area, but on the bus home I noticed an awful lot of tattie stems cut down to the ground in gardens...

I think in future I will keep a better eye out, and trust Blightwatch less.
I am so glad Purple Top Milans and Salad Bowl are easy to grow as falling off a log, or this year I would be having a 100% failure rate !

**Dottie** · 22-08-2010, 01:43 PM

Warning: Full Smith Period

I've just received my first warning and it's gone straight to: Full Smith Period

**Brengirl** · 22-08-2010, 03:00 PM

Being a newbie to growing toms in gh I expected a high yield but was so disappointed I sort of gave them up. I continued the feed and water but am wondering if this is blight or a deficiency. The tomatoes have struggled to ripen and now have a lustre gold appearance.

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**Tomatoking** · 22-08-2010, 03:37 PM

I have some quite good pictures on a blight post on my blog to show how to spot it really early.
Although it is a bit of a pain for me, it might help those trying to spot the very early signs.

It also might help you avoid it! by stripping a few leaves off to keep the plants as dry as possible. Which is what I sould have done with my bush tomatoes, ah well we live and learn.

Mr TK

Mr Tomato King: Blight 2010

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Anyone got blight on their toms or spuds?

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