Tomatoes, like all vegetables that grow in our beds, are subject to a variety of diseases that are caused by fungi and bacteria. One of the most common among them is late blight. Although it will cause a lot of problems for tomatoes, it is still possible to fight with it and overcome it.
Methods of dealing with late blight on tomatoes
To combat late blight, a lot of both folk and chemical agents are used.
Chemicals for treatment and protection
Common chemicals include:
- Antibiotic Trichopol... 10 tablets of this agent are dissolved in 10 liters of water and sprayed with bushes. The first processing is done when the tomatoes are at the stage of ovary formation, and then the procedure is repeated 2 times a month.
- Iodine... It is an antimicrobial agent. Therefore, gardeners love to prepare a milk-iodine solution, which will easily help you get rid of late blight. To prepare it, take 10 liters of water, a liter of milk and 20 drops of iodine.
- Zelenka... Dissolve 40 drops of this agent in water and spray tomatoes with it.
- Potassium permanganate solution... This product is an excellent seed antiseptic. They are placed in a gauze bag and immersed in this solution for 40 minutes. After that, it is washed with water and dried thoroughly.
Traditional drugs
Effective folk methods include:
- Garlic infusion... For its preparation, take 200 g of chopped garlic and dissolve in a glass of warm water. After 24 hours, the substance is filtered and poured into 10 liters of water, adding there a gram of fermented milk potassium. For treatment, you need to sprinkle the tomatoes.
- Milk solution or whey... Any of these dairy products are diluted with water in a 1: 1 ratio and, starting in July, tomato bushes are regularly sprayed with this remedy.
- Salt solution... They need to process and protect still green tomatoes. Such a tool forms a kind of film that will prevent the penetration of infection. For its preparation, a glass of salt is dissolved in 10 liters of water.
Step-by-step processing of tomatoes from late blight
As for planting in a greenhouse, tomatoes must be planted alternating with cucumbers.
The soil in the greenhouse is a must in the fall disinfect with copper sulfate... If the plants have already been infected with late blight, then in the greenhouse, soil should be removed with a thickness of about 5 cm.
It should also be remembered that evaporation occurs in the greenhouse and stale air is present, and this has a beneficial effect on the development of bacteria. Therefore, it is imperative to regularly ventilate the greenhouse to protect the plants from disease.
Outdoor care
It is necessary to plant plants not too densely so that there is no rapid infection with late blight. But if there is not too much space in the greenhouse, then the tomato should definitely pick off old leaves, because they are the favorite habitat of this disease.
To avoid an outbreak of late blight, it is necessary, first of all, to follow the rules of watering. No need to pour water on the leaves. It is necessary to water the plants at the root.
If it has already happened that the tomatoes could not resist this disease, then processing in order to save them should be carried out provided that there was no rain for a day... Spray tomatoes in the evening or in cloudy but dry weather.
Seedling care
You should definitely strengthen the immunity of tomato seedlings before planting them in the ground. To do this, resort to the following measures:
- before planting, the plants are treated 5% Bordeaux liquid solution;
- after half a month with arcerid;
- after another half a month with foundation;
- after that, the last 2 remedies are alternated.
The best remedy for late blight
Very effective in the fight against late blight are:
- Ridomil gold... It protects the outside of tomatoes and prevents fungi from entering the tissues. To prepare this solution, you need to take 10 grams of the product and dilute it in 4 liters of water. They begin to process the plants with them during the growing season, and then repeat every half month.
- Thanos... This drug has many advantages, as it is resistant to washing off and has a therapeutic effect by killing mushrooms. For its preparation, take 12 g per 10 liters. Spraying is carried out in the same way as Ramidol Gold.
- Revus... It is also resistant to precipitation and has a healing effect. Dilute 6 ml in 5 liters of water and spray the plants starting from the growing season. Processing is carried out 3 times every 2 weeks.
How is prevention carried out in a greenhouse
Of course, as in the case of other diseases, it is easier to carry out prevention than to endlessly fight late blight.
The main preventive actions include the following:
- Avoid neighborhood tomatoes with potatoes.
- You should not plant these vegetables in the same place for several years in a row.
- Also, do not plant tomatoes in the place where where the eggplants, peppers and potatoes grew.
- Do not water the tomatoes too often and abundantly.
- Necessarily necessary remove bottom leaves tomato so that they touch the ground as little as possible.
- Pull up weeds as they retain moisture.
- The soil should not be oversaturated with nitrogen fertilizing.
- When the soil retains moisture for a very long time, it is imperative to weed.
- After harvesting, do not leave the tops for the winter in the garden bed, they must be burned.
How does the disease manifest
It is not at all difficult to detect signs of late blight on tomatoes:
- spots appear on the underside, after which the leaves turn brown and fall;
- the shoots of the plant and its fruits also turn black;
- at first the vegetables become hard, and then they get softer and softer until they start to rot. So all the fruit may be lost.
When to process for the first time
The first time tomatoes are processed 1 or 2 days before planting seedlings in open ground.
After planting, the plants are sprayed again after 12 days.
Is it possible to take seeds from diseased tomatoes
Studies have shown that oospores die at 50-degree heat, because if you keep the seeds about 2 hours at this temperature, they will be disinfected.
Remember that for planting it is better to use seeds that have been collected about 3 years ago... During this period, all viruses will die, and you will receive clean material.
Conditions for the development of the disease
Tomatoes are easily infected with late blight. from potatoes, and also there are many conditions for the development of this disease.
The most common of them include:
- flood rains that last about 3 days;
- sudden changes in temperature day and night with a difference of 8 to 12 degrees;
- dew that appears from these temperature changes;
- fog;
- lack of sunlight and heat;
- thickened plantings;
- excess nitrogen.
Phytophthora does not develop in dry weather.
How to cultivate the land after a disease
In the spring, before planting, it is imperative to treat the land from late blight. For this they take 3% copper sulfate and pour it on the ground.
Then you should thoroughly loosen the soil. To do this, use a special device that will help to mix the top cover 25 cm thick. In this, one of the best helpers will be the Tornado. It has an unusual shape and is very effective and easy to use.
And the final stage is watering the soil phytosporin... To do this, 1 tbsp. the funds are dissolved in 10 liters of water. This dose is calculated for 1 sq.m.
Be sure to remember that substances that contain copper can get into food, therefore they should be used only in early spring.
Is it possible to eat sick fruits
Do not be afraid to eat tomatoes affected by late blight. The disease is not transmitted to humans. However, black spots spoil the appearance of tomatoes, and it is very unpleasant to eat them.
As for preservation, it is not recommended to cover these tomatoes.
Their acidity may increase, and a variety of microorganisms will multiply, due to which the taste of tomatoes will be completely spoiled.
Infestation resistant varieties
Resistant varieties before late blight include: Brother's Gift, De-Barao, Vilina, Lyana, Roton.
As you can see, coping with late blight is easy. You just have to choose the tool you like and get to work. However, you should also adhere to the dosage, because exceeding the norm will harm the tomatoes themselves.