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Offline Barngodess

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What are your thoughts ...
« on: July 20, 2007, 06:55:00 am »
I have only had my bees for about a week now. And they ARE near my veggie garden. We have had so much rain and clouds, that my tomatoes are suffering I believe from a blight. Is there anything I could do, and not be jeopardizing the bees ?  I have never had to use any pesticides on my garden, and never had a problem like this before..... the weather has been really crappy here..... not even summer in my opinion.

Melissa
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Offline reinbeau

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Re: What are your thoughts ...
« Reply #1 on: July 20, 2007, 07:23:56 am »
Tomatoes don't need insects to pollinate them.  Give the plants a good shake every once in awhile and you'll get tomatoes.

Now, blight, that's not good.  Are the leaves yellowing and getting brown blotches on them?  Early blight lives in the soil, if it's been raining alot as you said  the dirt splashing up from the ground is spreading the disease.  I usually get blight every year (rotation doesn't help, it seems to be everywhere) but this year I've used that red plastic mulch and so far so good. 

What you can do is pull every blighted leaf and destroy them, then mulch with anything that'll keep the splashing down.  There's still a chance you'll get tomatoes, even from blighted plants.

Offline Mici

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Re: What are your thoughts ...
« Reply #2 on: July 20, 2007, 07:31:05 am »
like reinbau said, just destroy the attacked leaves, and for future reference, any leaves touching the soil should be removed.

Offline Robo

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Re: What are your thoughts ...
« Reply #3 on: July 20, 2007, 07:42:56 am »
I've used Garden Alive's soap shield near my bees without any issue.  I didn't use it for tomato blight, but it says it can be.

http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=8066

I would think most fungicides are an issue, but check the label and try to apply when the bees aren't too active.
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Offline Barngodess

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Re: What are your thoughts ...
« Reply #4 on: July 20, 2007, 07:57:22 am »
thanks for the quick replies..... I have removed the leaves,and yes they are turning yellow with brown spots, and even curling up and just dieing after that. I had removed the leaves but there are more out there. Guess I need to go out and completely get them all off..... and think of what to do about mulching....... how about some old hay, would that be a good mulch under the plants ?

Melissa
 ;)
Never say never......

Offline randydrivesabus

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Re: What are your thoughts ...
« Reply #5 on: July 20, 2007, 08:14:54 am »
its been my experience that blighted tomatoes are history. if the plants are defoliated extensively then your maters will sun scald. just touching the leaves will spread the blight. to prevent blight its important to keep the foliage as dry as possible. cool wet weather is blight's friend. this happened to my early tomatoes last year...250 plants. i must have lost $1500 of sales because of this.

Offline Scadsobees

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Re: What are your thoughts ...
« Reply #6 on: July 20, 2007, 09:43:54 am »
Rain? hmmmm isn't that water that falls from the sky?  Seems like I remember something like that happening here a long time ago.......

Mulch is good, that will keep the splashback to a minimum. Hay will work, but thick enough.

It probably won't do much good anymore this year but won't hurt to try.  I have a problem with it, but now I always put down black plastic sheeting under them, and that helps incredibly.  I still get some blight but it is minimal.  $7 well spent.  I actually make mounds, and plant in the valleys so all of the water goes to the plants.

Rick
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Offline reinbeau

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Re: What are your thoughts ...
« Reply #7 on: July 20, 2007, 10:03:35 am »
thanks for the quick replies..... I have removed the leaves,and yes they are turning yellow with brown spots, and even curling up and just dieing after that. I had removed the leaves but there are more out there. Guess I need to go out and completely get them all off..... and think of what to do about mulching....... how about some old hay, would that be a good mulch under the plants ?

Melissa
 ;)
Anything that will keep the splash down will help.  If you have a good fruit set, and green growth still, you'll get a crop, but the season will be shortened.  Some of the plants may not make it at all.  It's a nasty thing, but over the years here I've found if the plants are healthy to begin with and have a good headstart I'd get more tomatoes than I could use even with the shortened season.

That's a good idea about the mounds, Scadsobees, I'll do that next year.  I cut slits in the red mulch wherever there was a puddle, the plants do seem to be doing extremely well, much better than usual for this time of year - maybe there's something to this red mulch stuff. 

The cheapest I found it was at Park Seed, 18" by 25' for 5.95 ea, four for $19.95, so I bought four.

Offline Barngodess

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Re: What are your thoughts ...
« Reply #8 on: July 20, 2007, 02:31:30 pm »
Yes, RAIN.,,,, I know, some parts of the country have a bad drought going on..... so far in July, we have had only 4 days that it hasn't rained..... and we have had full day downpours ! You should see my driveway. So my plants were very healthy, so tall, and lush and green, way ahead of themselves compared to previous dry years. They have quite a bit of fruit in good shape too.

I was just out putting up fence around the hive, and it rained hard so we had to come in. When I go out to finish, I'll go through the plants and make sure I have all affected leaves cut off and I'll put down some hay...... I love tomatoes...... I sure hope I can save them, but I'll take precautions next spring. Oh, and that is how I planted them, with the mound all around the plant, so the water had to stay inside that and went to the plant instead of running off and all over.....

thanks for the great response.

Melissa
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Offline Cindi

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Re: What are your thoughts ...
« Reply #9 on: July 21, 2007, 11:37:57 am »
Melissa, our problems around here are generally not with the early blight.  It is the late blight, which usually appears around the end of August to the beginning of September.  The crop is devastated if it comes, and it does come.  No questions, ifs, ands, or buts.

This year my husband built me a greenhouse of a massive size.  I have 75 tomato plants in it and I know that it will not get blight.  That is the only way that we can grow tomatoes in our wet Lower Mainland.  I have tried and tried for years to even plant them on the south side of my house, under the overhand of the eaves.  Nope, can't do that either, every year it is total deadout.  The bacteria is held within the soil, which does not help, if blight is once present, it is there, period.

My tomatoes are growing like made demons.  I wish you well with this blight, maybe you can still save the plants, give it a whirl, maybe chance will be on your side.  Have a wonderful day.  Cindi
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