![]() ![]() Spores are carried long distances in the wind and the disease can spread rapidly. It can quickly defoliate plants and cause fruit rot in tomato and tuber rot in potato. ![]() Late blight is caused by a fungus-like pathogen ( Phytophthora infestans) and is a serious disease of both potato and tomato, and is infamous as the cause of the Irish potato famine. (The photo above and the text below are from the Cornell Resource Guide) Every new disease, pest, or adverse problem that comes into your garden is an opportunity to become a better gardener. In the meantime, I've created this list of articles, both from Cornell and other sources, so we can all be better educated about Late Blight and learn preventative, management, and aftermath best practices. I see sun today and sun in the forecast for the weekend. Avoid saving seeds from the unhealthiest plants, just like you would with any of the plants in your garden. You can still save seeds from tomato plants with mild blight. How does this affect saving seeds? Luckily, blight is not a seed-borne disease. We are currently doing careful pruning, not touching the plants when they are wet, and hoping for some dry days. Our blight seems to be mild, not widespread, and our tomatoes and potatoes are staked, hilled-up, well spaced and planted in separate areas. Alternatively, you can build any type of temporary roofing which keeps the rain off the plants and water the soil by hand or with drip tape. However, if you are desperate, copper sprays or a spray called "Serenade" can be used on non-infected plants (however, these can create imbalances in your soil if used too much). ![]() In fact, in most years, even infected plants produce plenty of good tomatoes. You do not need to run out and buy chemical sprays. Cornell University has recently put out some good info on the disease but their articles are not organically focused. You should, however, know what to look for, keep an eye out, and act accordingly. Don't freak out and pull up all your plants this is not quite the Irish Potato Famine. Late blight is here, every year, but this year the blight has come on early and strong. ![]()
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