Is It Blight?

[BB48]

I could cry!!!!

Just got back from lottie and I have BLIGHT. I had to pull up 5 tom plants that I was hoping to ues for tom sauce. No sign of it on Monday night. Another lottieman tells me that my spuds are affected too - 6 rows!!

Can I save them if I cut off plant tops and leave spuds in the ground or would it be best to dig up the rest of them and store although not sure if you can store new spuds for long. I dont think the mains are affected (yet) - help! I seem to be surrounded as the plot and the end and next ot me are affected too.

BB

Thanks SarzWix, blight terrifies me after what everyone has said about last year. I've cut off and checked and couldn't see any white spores, though when looking intensely I swear you start seeing things. I couldn't really say if it's crispy or wet because it's raining, but I think if ot were dry the leaves would be crispy. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it's my negligence of not watering the other day!!!

Angela

[SarzWix]

GG if it's blight, you'll be able to see whitish spores on the brown bits, and I think they'll be sort of moist... If they're crispy, I don't think it's blight (not that I'm any sort of expert ) They look too damaged to be doing the plant any good in terms of photosynthesis, so you might as well cut them off. If the fruits show any signs of brown mushy patches (aside from any on the very bottom of the fruit which might be blossom-end-rot), then that would be conclusive of blight I think.

I'm now completely paranoid. My tumbling toms were fine yesterday morning but this evening they look like they are dying. Leaves are brown over about 2/3 of the plant. If this is blight I need to act now as this has happened really quickly. One thing though I did accidentally let them dry out a few days ago and they went all droopy, but with a good water they seemed to perk up quickly. Could this be the problem?

I've attached a couple of pics - help please tell me it isn't blight

Angela

[organic vic]

I signed up to blightwatch last week and on Wednesday I got a text from them saying that there was perfect weather for blight in the last 2 days! I looked on the email and the nearest confirmed case was in Perth. Can I cover the potatoes and outdoor toms with polythene sheeting to prevent the wind blown spores affecting my plants or would it not make any difference?

[snohare]

Just scrape the skin off, the scab goes no deeper than that. It is the tattie equivalent of dandruff ! (Except it isn't fungal.)

[Cosmo and Dibs]

Thanks, snohare.

The patches are dry, so they must be a scab.

I'll still cut those areas off before cooking, though.

[snohare]

If the brown patches are soft and squishy, that is blight; if dry and looking like a dried up scar, that is scab. There may be other diseases that cause brown marks, I don't know all the diseases.
If your tattie tubers are blighted, you certainly cannot store them. The ones you do store, you must check carefully and frequently - if any go wrong, you will usually smell it before you see it. Blight won't do you any harm, it is nonpathogenic to humans, but I wouldn't imagine it would taste fine, as you will guess when you first smell blight ! I have seen me cut the affected parts off potatoes and eat the rest, and it seems to have done me no harm. Whether or not I am now the tattie equivalent of Typhoid Mary is an open question...

[Cosmo and Dibs]

My Maris Peer plants are now dying back. I have eaten around 1/4 of them so far, and they've all been fine.

I have been unsure if I should eat a few of the spuds as some have had little brown patches on them. Should I be worroed about that?

[Beetroot Bob]

Thank StarWix. No it's not next to the door. It's in the corner but next to the louver (with auto opener). It does seem quite damp in there I'll try to keep the door open a bit to try and keep the air flowing.

Fingers crossed

[SarzWix]

Hmmmm... Tis a bit hard to tell, inconclusive I'd say. Possible it may be botrytis. Is the plant near the door?
For now, snip off any affected leaves and burn them or bin them, and see what else happens. If it's botrytis, it could have been caused by condensation dripping from the roof onto the plant, so try and keep the atmosphere a bit dryer if you can - that will also help if it is blight.
Good luck Bob.

[Beetroot Bob]

Help please.

I've looked at loads of pics and read loads of posts. Sorry the only way for me to be sure is to post some pics !!

It's my 1st year growing and until now I've been really proud of my nice new greenhouse full of toms and cucs.

Went to the plot tonight to water and check up and found one of my toms had yellow leafs with brown/black batches. They were mid way up the plant not low down as I had when I was over watering .

Is it blight and what is my best course of action to save what I can ??

Poorly toms

Poorly toms 2

[dinah gale]

Thanks to all of you who've given such good advice. This is is such a useful thread - the photos are particularly useful because potatoes leaves get so many peculiar spots and discolouration on them that are hard for the average gardener to identify.

I try to grow without any chemicals but MIGHT be tempted to get some bordeaux in just in case. I can't remember whether it has been said that it works equally well on tomatoes. In past blight years I've managed to get a crop of spuds by cutting the foliage right down at the first sign but have lost all the tomatoes on my allotment for the past two years. Call me a sucker but I've planted lots again this year in hopes.

The photos have certainly shown me that the soil if magnesium deficient is. Other crops, rhubarb particularly, has shown yellowing between the veins so something else to be added to the shopping list.

[SarzWix]

You could try only cutting off the bits of foliage that have the splotches on them, in an attempt to get the tubers a bit bigger, but you'd have to watch like a hawk for any new ones appearing.

[JenFeet]

Oh no... Not good - but thank you for your reply. I'll do what you say in the morning and keep my fingers crossed. I live in the middle of nowhere (literally) so how are the beasties finding my vegetables? I've lost one full bed of cauli, broccoli, sprouts to cabbage fly maggot and now this!! Aaaghhh.... Oh well. What joy it is bringing too!

Thanks again
Jen x