Comments on: Organic deterrent to potato and tomato blight?

By: Sunflower

Sunflower — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 03:07:58 +0000

agree about planting Sarpo potatoes and Ferline tomatoes, to help with prevention. Also, if you can cover the tomatoes by making a sort of roof and sides from enviromesh supported on bamboo poles, I’ve found that helps to shield them from blight spores, also try to keep the foliage as dry as possible and water only the compost at the base, not the leaves.

By: daylily

daylily — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 03:07:58 +0000

I can’t help with the potato, but there are varieties of tomato that are resistant to it, and I’d just plant those.

By: Tony S dandlyon

Tony S dandlyon — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 03:07:58 +0000

The real answer is to grow potatoes from the Sarpo range they are blight resistant,and they really are.,other wise you have to use Dithane .It has to be sprayed before the blight arrives as it’s a prevention not a cure.Another down side is the fact it has to be used every two weeks.As for tomatoes I gave up trying to grow them out doors years ago,now they are grown under cover.

By: Ohiorganic

Ohiorganic — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 03:07:58 +0000

mulching tomatoes goes a long way as blights are soil born diseases.

I have not done this but was reading a conversation on a market farming list serve and one person said they had decent success (i.e. they got an unblighted crop) by using an OMRI approved copper spray weekly on the tomatoes. they started spraying as soon as they saw the first signs of blight. they said if they waited even a week the crop would die.

Potatoes may also respond to this treatment.