One of the most common question we get every year is, "My tomato plants were doing great and then all of a sudden they turned yellow and started to wilt. What is happening?"
Chances are that Early Blight has started in. Blights are basically a fungal infection of your plants and tomatoes are a great place to notice it first. There are many reasons that cause blights which we will review in a minute. Let's first determine what Blight looks like. Blights will start as little brown and/or black spots on the leaves. Usually it effects the lower leaves first, or the most mature leaves. The spots will sometimes have a lighter center and will be slightly yellow in the middle. As the spots grow and the number of spots multiply the leaves will begin to turn yellow and wilt. The fungus will continue to move up the plant from the bottom to the top. The disease is easily spread. Blight as well as many fungus varieties are easily a result of weather conditions. A hazy, hot and humid spring and early summer is not a good thing for gardeners. Now that we have determined if we have blight, let's treat the problem. Unfortunately, gardeners have a tendency to wait to long to visit the garden center and get a treatment. Try to get a jump on the fungus when you first notice the problem with the spots. The first step in controlling the spread of blight is to remove all the damaged leaves. This is usually the bottom of the plant so this will be ok for the plant to continue producing the fruits. Remember the spread is from bottom up so this is an important control step. Do not put these leaves back into your garden or in your compost pile, this will only harm you in the years to come. The next step is to watch the watering process. NEVER WATER AT NIGHT!! This will keep moisture on the plants during the humid evenings. The moisture doesn't have a chance to dry off and the fungus will love to grow in moist, humid conditions. Always water in the morning. The next step is to treat the plant with an organic solution. We suggest Copper Fungicide. Copper is an element that helps control the spread of the fungus. Keep in mind that the fungicide will not bring back the parts of the plant that are severely effected. This product will only help slow the process down and control the spread of the fungus. Many times if the tomatoes are past the point of treatment, then we suggest picking the tomatoes and working on controlling the spread for next year. Now that we have determined we have the fungus and we have helped to slow the process down, let's now look to next year. To help with controlling for the following year, start first by removing the effected plants from the garden. Do not till in to the garden and do not place in your compost pile. Plant your tomatoes in a different area next year. Rotating your crops is very important anyways, but this will help with the blight. Try to put crops that are less succeptable to fungus. Place root crops or crops that are hardy to weather conditions. Another product that is good for fungus in the soils is "ACTINO-IRON". This is a biological fungicide with iron and Humic Acid. By adding Actino-Iron to the soil this will help control the spread of soil borne diseases. Actino-Iron can be used in vegetable and flower gardens, shrubs and trees, and the lawns. To learn more about actino-iron please visit the store. Now that we have determined with we have blight and how to control the disease, remember to act early. Early Summer is the best time to get ahead of the disease. For more information on fungus and blights including early and late blight, blossom end rot, soil rot, verticillium wilt and fusarium wilt, consult one of many knowledgable staff members. Remember best control is started early!
