Tomato Blight
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Fruit | 150 comments
We have blight. When we were rushing out yesterday evening I spotted it on three tomato plants. Large blackish brownish splodges and a generally wilty look. It is unmistakeable. We had it five years ago and it devastated our tomato crop within days.
At the time we were creating a website for an expert on plant diseases. The fee was to be paid in whisky. Danny must have negotiated this deal.
The expert arrived with a rather good bottle of Isla whisky under his arm. He was immediately shepherded out to examine the tomatoes.
“Its blight. Just like potato blight. They’re the same family.”
It was hard to discuss his website. We were mourning the loss of a summer plucking sun warmed fruit from the plant and a long winter savouring our intense tomato sauce base. A good harvest makes enough sauce to last us through the winter until June.
We lost our entire crop that year. Now I grow tomatoes in at least two places. The blight has affected the plants at the front on a sunny south west facing wall. Usually the warmth of the wall nurtures the plants but warm and extended wet weather conditions are perfect for the development of tomato blight. I have hoiked out the plants and am hoping the blight spores will not have spread onto the other 12 plants. The blight affected the weakest plants, the others all look strong and healthy. If the wet weather continues for much longer I am afraid that they all will succumb.
The remaining plants could be treated with Bordeaux Mixture which was developed in France to treat fungal disease in vines. A lot of people spray their potatoes with this potion to protect against blight. It is a copper and lime mixture that is not environmentally friendly, so I am loathe to use it on our tomato plants.
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Blight leading the blind I’m afraid:
Can I confirm that my tomatoes have blight – as a novice along with my three children (5,4 and 1 yr olds) we were tremendously excited about our bumper crop – having returned from holiday, each of our numerous large plants have rapidly blackening fruit but a number of healthy looking fruit clusters as well. Can I salvage the healthy looking green fruits/leave them on the plant or destroy the lot?
The cherry tomatos I picked from blighted plants on 23 July- a tea tray full- are now down to about 20 that haven’t gone brown and are ripening properly, not good, but better than none at all. The plants they came from got blight very badly almost overnight. On Sunday I had to take out 5 of the 8 greenhouse tomato plants as the stems showed black patches at the base, the plants weren’t as badly affected as the outdoor ones, but as the crop wasn’t as large as usual (first trusses very high up the plants due to rubbish weather) I decided to harvest quickly before the lot got more blighted: so far all the tomatoes (now ripening in a large tray) look fine, so I would advise, if you think your tomatoes have blight whip them out fast as it would seem the sooner you get to them the more tomatoes ripen cleanly- don’t hang on hoping they will get better ( easily done…).Everyone I know who grows tomatos here has blight-not sure what we’ll have for the village show in three weeks!
Hi Jenny. fn’s comment is worth following up.Having cut out infected parts I treated blighted tomato plants with Dithane 945 protective fungicide made by Bayer. This appears to be providing some protection but I caught the infection fairly early.This will also protect against rose blackspot, downy mildew and other similar problems.
Hi Jenny,
Thanks for drooping by and leaving a comment.
If you find blight early enough you can treat it with Diathane. Most people that use these compounds spray the young plants to protect them from blight. So it useful to know that you have had success with Diathane later in the year.
If you had dark blackish areas on the stalks as per the picture you had blight.
Hi Sue,
I am no expert but blight spores overwinter in the soil and are only killed off by freezing conditions. Remove or sterilise the soil. We might have a mild winter again.
Hi Katie,
Ditto. It is very disappointing. We still have some tom plants, battling on. Our harvest will be small, not enough to share. And there™s the rub.
Hi Caroline,
What a shame that your toms (and mystery pots ) have got the blight. Chocolate spot is a horror as well. I am well versed on fungus on courgettes. Glad that the rest of your veg are doing well.
Hi Rob,
Personally I would ditch the soil as spores can live on the soil. If we don™t have a freezing patch next winter the spores will multiply and attack again.
Keep your green toms and check. If they are infected they will go black in a few days. Any that are left can be used for chutney etc.
Hi like everyone I have had blight in my toms for the first time ever this year!
Can someone help answer my questions?
I had some bush toms in massive containers that got blight I have destroyed the toms, but can the soil/compost still be used or does it have to go as well?
I sprayed all my toms but the ones outdoors still got blight, can I salvage any of the green toms and ripen them artificially or do they have to be got rid of as well?
Rob
Gosh, I found this site whilst looking for a treatment for tomato blight. Well now I know it is complete distruction but I’m not the only one going through it. We’ve just moved and built a fabulous veg plot, which looked text book in late June – now it has suffered from chocolate rust on the broadies; mildew and dropping of fruit on the courgettes (although we have had a fair few courgettes a couple of weeks back)and squash; and blight on the tomatoes. I ‘think’ the blight has spread to the test potatoes we had i.e. the ones my boyfriend planted after finding them in the cupboard with huge sprouty bits BUT the desiree potatoes seem clean so they are being dug this week. Incidentally my salad leaves, climbing french beans, runners, beat and kale are fabulous.
Hi, I have been visited by the tomato blight as well. I usually have so many toms that I give them to my elderly neighbours, as well as making tom soup and sauces, but not this year. This is the first year I have not grown toms both inside and out. I foolishly decided to grow outside only but what a disaster, not being able to salvage any. I have read the above comments and now feel much better informed and now know I am not alone with this problem this year. Thanks.
Had blight inside and outside my greenhouse for the first time this year. Do I change the soil in my greenhouse will this help I do not want it next year.
I have been reading all of the discussions re blight as I have had problems with my greenhouse toms. Thought it was blight and stripped all brown leaves and sprayed twice with dithane. Kept removing leaves as they became infected, some fruit went wrotten and removed this as well. Most of the tomatoes are starting to ripen and seem to be surviving, am I just lucky?. I am thinking now that it wasnt blight but some kind of wilt. Any comments?
Hi Emma,
Thanks for popping back to give us an update. So pleased that you managed to salvage some toms for chutney.