How do you get rid of blight on tomato plants

There are two kinds of blight commonly around Early Blight (Alternaria Solani) and Late Blight (Phytophthora Infestans). Most blights are caused by bacterial or fungal infestations, which usually attack the shoots and other young rapidly growing tissues of the plant.

Table of Contents Show

Natural Treatment
Can tomatoes recover from blight?
What is a natural remedy for tomato blight?
What kills early blight on tomatoes?
How do you prevent blight on tomato plants?

Blight diseases primarily affect Tomatoes and Potatoes. With early blight, several treatment options are available, while with Late Blight it’s best to pull your potatoes or tomatoes out and dispose of the plant material (don’t put it in your compost). Early and late refers to when they are more likely to appear, however the two can appear at the same time.

Early Blight can cause leaves to distort and often have dark brown or black spots with a circular ring around them, eventually the lower leaves wither, turn crisp and die. Long thin or spot like markings can be seen on the trunk which have a yellow halo.

Prevention

Rotate your crops. Plant potatoes and tomatoes in different beds to avoid increased risk of getting blight and other problems.

This fungal disease thrives in wet conditions, so it’s important to keep foliage dry. Try to prevent the leaves from being wet for too long. Water at the base of the plant when possible.

Healthy plants are less likely to be affected, so feed and water plants regularly to avoid them becoming stressed.

Reduce the humidity around the plant by watering in the morning and ensuring that there is good air flow around each plant.

Improve air flow around the plant by leaving sufficient space between each plant, removing laterals on tomatoes, and keeping beds weeded.

Natural Treatment

Early intervention is critical, so act quickly as soon as there are signs of Blight.

Remove and destroy any infected parts of the plant, do not place into your compost.

Spray with Grosafe FreeFlo Copper Fruit & Vegies. Apply at 7 – 10 day intervals depending on weather conditions. Increase volume as crop matures: Ensure coverage of upper and lower leaf surfaces. Repeat spray after 13mm of rain or irrigation has fallen.

When using sprays and chemicals always read the label and follow instructions carefully.

Treatment

Early intervention is critical, so act quickly as soon as there are signs of Blight.

Remove and destroy any infected parts of the plant, do not place into your compost.

Spray with Yates liquid Copper as soon as symptoms appear. Apply every 10-14 days, good coverage is essential.

Feb 21, 2017

Written by Kayla Harless, People’s Garden Intern

Almost everyone who gardens grows tomato plants. We are passionate about our tomatoes and savor that ripe, fresh fruit. However, several diseases love our tomato plants just as much as we do. The People’s Garden Workshop topic this week was tomato blights and spots, and Dr. Martin Draper, a plant pathologist through the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, taught us how to identify them and what we can do to treat and prevent them.

He discussed in detail three pathogenic diseases: septoria leaf spot, early blight, and late blight. Don’t let the names early blight and late blight mislead you, they can appear at any time during the year. Septoria leaf spot is characterized by small, dark circular spots that often have yellow halos around them; they appear on the lower leaves of the plant first. Early blight can set in the stems and leaves, and is identified by legions with target-like rings. Late blight affects large portions of the leaves. It looks white and fuzzy on the underside of the leaf, and destroys crops quickly. Early and late blight affect potatoes as well, in fact, late blight caused the Irish potato famine.

These diseases can be spread many ways, and knowing what they are can supply simple solutions. Moisture, especially on the leaves, provides great conditions for the spores of these diseases to make themselves at home. Watering at the base of the plant can help prevent this; if you do use a sprinkler system or similar method to water your tomatoes, do so in the morning to allow the plant an opportunity to dry throughout the day. It is also recommended to stake your tomato plants instead of caging them, and space them appropriately. This way, the space will make it slightly more difficult for diseases to spread quickly, and the airflow will keep the plants dry. Keep a watch on your garden, and pluck any leaves that show signs of disease and take out infected plants.

Some fungicides can be very effective; however, it is important to follow the label. A fungicide intended for different plants, not vegetables, won’t make a difference and may cause problems. If you garden organically, adding compost extracts or teas can be a treatment. To create a solution that prevents and treats disease, add a heaping tablespoon of baking soda, a teaspoon of vegetable oil, and a small amount of mild soap to a gallon of water and spray the tomato plants with this solution. This needs to be reapplied regularly to maintain its efficiency. Garden clean-up is another preventative key, as the diseases’ spores can overwinter on plants left in the garden from the previous year.

There are many USDA extension offices throughout the country and research facilities on every land-grand university, so if you have further questions or concerns about tomato diseases feel free to contact one of these places.

Dr. Martin Draper looked at samples the workshop attendees brought from their gardens and gave suggestions as to what can be done to bring the plants back to health.

Can tomatoes recover from blight?

Mature fruit will rot more quickly if infected. Can tomato plants recover from blight? You may still get edible fruit from a plant that has blight, just make sure any fruit you eat has no signs of the disease. However, an infected plant will not fully recover.

What is a natural remedy for tomato blight?

To create a solution that prevents and treats disease, add a heaping tablespoon of baking soda, a teaspoon of vegetable oil, and a small amount of mild soap to a gallon of water and spray the tomato plants with this solution.

What kills early blight on tomatoes?

Fungicides. A variety of fungicides are effective against early blight, but the fungi that cause this infection are becoming resistant in some areas. You need to find a fungicide that acts on multiple targets in the fungus at the same time, so resistance is less likely to develop.