Blight prevention.

michael johnson · February 19, 2007

In the same book that I was reading that gave BER info updated, I also discovered that it is best for blight resistance on those varieties that usually go down with it all too easy, - to let those tomatoes grow as if in their wild state with absolutlly no pruning or trimming and very little staking-so that they grow bushy and sprawling-and apparently this extra leaf and branch sheilding stops most of the blight-save for a few outside leaves, and you get a much more likely crop from them-rather than nothing.

But only for those varieties that easily go down with it, all other varieties can be treated as normal.

**carolyn137** · February 19, 2007

Blight is just a general term and can refer to either foliage diseases or systenic diseases.

And there are systemic diseases that have the word blight in their name and the same for foliage diseases.

But from what you've said you seem to be talking about the more common foliage diseases.

In the past I have sprawled ALL of my tomatoes, for years on end, up until the summer of 2004, between maybe 500-1000 plants/sason.

And I can tell you that sprawling does not prevent foliage diseases and those foliage diseases do not affect just the outer leaves.

Like anyone else, unless a good anti-fungal is used when such pathogens are in an area, I would have plants totally stripped of foliage at the end of the season.

The fungal foliage diseases Early Blight ( A, solani) and Septoria Leaf Spot tend to progress much faster than do the two most common bacterial foliage diseases of Bacterial Speck and Bacterial Spot.

So here's one person who says that sprawling with no pruning, etc., did not prevent foliage diseases, which is what you're referring to as "blight". And it wasn't just the outer leaves that were affected. Certainly removal of affected leaves early in the season can help, but sometimes those foliage infections progress so rapidly that it's impossible to contain them.

I suppose if I were growing less than about 10 plants i could have prevented some of the progression, but from 1982 when I moved back East from Denver until the summer of 2005, I always grew wayyyyyyy more than just a few plants.

michael johnson · February 20, 2007

I think the blight type they were refering to- was the one that usualy strikes during the first couple of weeks in july, when its usualy very humid and hot.

Not having used the method personaly- I couldnt really say one way or another, but I had my doubts-knowing blight as it is.
But I merely quoted what it said in this book-in the hope that it might be some use to someone.

February 19, 2007	#1
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	Blight prevention. In the same book that I was reading that gave BER info updated, I also discovered that it is best for blight resistance on those varieties that usually go down with it all too easy, - to let those tomatoes grow as if in their wild state with absolutlly no pruning or trimming and very little staking-so that they grow bushy and sprawling-and apparently this extra leaf and branch sheilding stops most of the blight-save for a few outside leaves, and you get a much more likely crop from them-rather than nothing. But only for those varieties that easily go down with it, all other varieties can be treated as normal.

February 19, 2007	#2
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Blight is just a general term and can refer to either foliage diseases or systenic diseases. And there are systemic diseases that have the word blight in their name and the same for foliage diseases. But from what you've said you seem to be talking about the more common foliage diseases. In the past I have sprawled ALL of my tomatoes, for years on end, up until the summer of 2004, between maybe 500-1000 plants/sason. And I can tell you that sprawling does not prevent foliage diseases and those foliage diseases do not affect just the outer leaves. Like anyone else, unless a good anti-fungal is used when such pathogens are in an area, I would have plants totally stripped of foliage at the end of the season. The fungal foliage diseases Early Blight ( A, solani) and Septoria Leaf Spot tend to progress much faster than do the two most common bacterial foliage diseases of Bacterial Speck and Bacterial Spot. So here's one person who says that sprawling with no pruning, etc., did not prevent foliage diseases, which is what you're referring to as "blight". And it wasn't just the outer leaves that were affected. Certainly removal of affected leaves early in the season can help, but sometimes those foliage infections progress so rapidly that it's impossible to contain them. I suppose if I were growing less than about 10 plants i could have prevented some of the progression, but from 1982 when I moved back East from Denver until the summer of 2005, I always grew wayyyyyyy more than just a few plants. __________________ Carolyn

February 20, 2007	#3
michael johnson Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK. Posts: 960	I think the blight type they were refering to- was the one that usualy strikes during the first couple of weeks in july, when its usualy very humid and hot. Not having used the method personaly- I couldnt really say one way or another, but I had my doubts-knowing blight as it is. But I merely quoted what it said in this book-in the hope that it might be some use to someone.