Late Tomato Blight

The main thing in preventing late blight in tomatoes is to keep the foliage dry. When you water it is best to water the plant at the bottom. If you feel that you need to use a mister or sprinkler it is best to water early in the morning so that the foliage has a chance to dry out. Also it is best to put your tomatoes where the foliage will dry out quickly after a rain.

If late blight becomes severe enough, the following chemicals can be used:

chlorothalonil, fixed copper, maneb or mancozeb.

Copper is the only one that can be used if you want to raise organic tomatoes. Delete Comment

Thank you Samantha,

If I have to use the chemicals I assume that I wait until there is evidence of the blight or should I start earlier. Where in Asheville can I buy the chemicals.

Again I hank you.

Jim C

If you want to make absolute sure you do not get late blight, I would treat them before it starts. You can buy the chemicals at Lowes or Jesse Isreal at the WNC Farmer's Market. I would go with Jesse Isreal because they are a local business and more helpful than Lowes usually.

Hi y'all,

I am trying this blight-buster recipe: Mix 1 cup of compost, 1/2 cup of dry milk powder, and 1/2 cup of epsom salts together. Use a generous handful in each tomato planting hole.

Also here is Chip Hope's ORGANIC recipe for blight free tomatoes:

As soon as you set the plants out begin this ORGANIC FOLIAR spray program ~
Week one - spray with Serenade ( an organic fungicige...it's a bacterium)
Week two - spray with Serenade
Week three - spray with copper

Coat all sides of leaves and repeat this regimen until frost.

Other Blight Thoughts...Blight cannot be treated after the fact, it's more of a preventitive approach (even if you are using chemicals). You need to start before signs of early blight to be effective for late blight.

Samantha is right on about keeping the leaves dry. Some people even build plastic tunnels to keep the rain off the plants and use drip irrigation.

Also it helps to mulch around your tomato plants because the blight cannot bounce off the ground and up on to the leaves.

Good luck!
Ruth

Thank you Ruth,
I will try all the suggestions for the blight. Up until about 5 years ago ( I have been growing tomatoes for at least 50 years) I had never had any problems with the blight. So I don't know what went wrong.
Jim C