Gardeners please help

[tisme]

Hi
I had 20 tomato plants in my polly tunnel. I trimmed them very hard a couple of weeks ago. The stems and and tomatoes went brown, even the green tomatoes had brown patches on them.

Is this blight or could it be something else?

Ta

[MKG]

I think it's a virtual certainty that it's blight. I hope someone else knows a less harmful disease which produces those symptoms.

Mike

[Thomzo]

Brown patches at the bottom of the tomatoes could indicate blossom end rot - caused by erratic watering. But if you know that they were watered regularly, then I'm afraid it's blight.

Zoe

[grahamhobbs]

could be chocolate mould, dark brown patches, but usually only on the leaves I think not the tomatoes themselves.

[Helsbells]

I have the same problem, probably from erratic watering in my case.

[snapdragon]

sounds like mine when they were blighted

[tisme]

Thanks for the replys. I watered them the same time every evening. If it is blight will it go onto other plants and how long before I can grow toms again?

Ta

[MKG]

I think it's Thompson and Morgan who are selling blight-resistant tomatoes. How effective they are I couldn't tell you, but if they work then you needn't worry about growing toms in the same place.

Mike

EDIT: Blight is borne by spores - it spreads everywhere. But it affects only toms and potatoes. If you're unlucky enough to have got it in your plot and have been unlucky enough not to have caught it in time and burned all affected plants, then I think resorting to blight-resistant varieties is your only recourse. I may well be wrong. I do hope so.

Mike

[DrewShiel]

Thompson & Morgan's stuff is very good indeed, in my experience. I'd be sceptical about blight-resistant anything, but if they're saying it's so, I'm inclined to put a bit more trust in it.

And indeed, having had a look at the website, they're advertising these ones: http://www.thompson-morgan.com/vegetabl ... duo/4323TM

... which they're also "best grown outdoors", which interests me even more.

[Odsox]

I grew Legend a couple of years ago and they got blight very quickly, but this year I'm growing Ferline and they really seem to be blight tolerant at least, plus they taste very nice as well.
They are in the greenhouse right next to my potatoes which have a very bad dose of foliage blight this year, but as they too are blight resistant (Sarpo) the tubers are OK ... just a bit smaller than I would like.

[JessieMac]

You could try watering in the morning thats what I do as I think that at least the door is open and there is an airflow to stop any blight spreading,it's worked for me so far...................prob get wiped out with blight next year for tempting fate.

[Odsox]

I think that at least the door is open and there is an airflow to stop any blight spreading

Unfortunately it's the airflow that brings the blight spores INTO my greenhouse.

[tisme]

Thanks again for the info.
I have some more toms in a green house that 50yrds away and there fine, so I'm now not sure it is blight. I have dug them up and put them on the bonfire just in case.
I'l start watering in the morning as well (who wants to lay in bed )

Thompson & Morgan toms are they GM or modified somehow to make the blight resistant?

Next yr I'l try some in the poly tunnel but in a different place and see how they get on.

Ta

[Christine]

If you have any leaves left, turn them over and look at the backs. Blight usually has a rim of white around the brown patches. Alas, I've seen it often when growing outdoor toms!
Although people often spray the leaves of indoor tomatoes to help set the fruit, you're less likely to get blight if the plant tops are dry. Instead, water at the base and shake the plants gently (or tap the supporting sticks) to help them set.
Now if only I had a way to stop the pesky tomato moths...

[Potter's Farm]

There have been trials of not pinching out side shoots on indoor toms as this reduces the risk of the blight spores entering the plants through the cut surface. I've not tried this myself but might look into it next year.

All of my outdoor toms and a few indoor had blight this year, as did my potatoes. I removed and burnt all affected plants as soon as i noticed signs and will try to grow blight resistant varieties next season.