Quote:
Originally Posted by gunner
"rhino666" wrote in message
...
Hi
For the second year running my greenhouse tomatoes are struggling with
a vicious fungal infection. All the plants of different types seem to
be affected. The tomato flowers seem to be the problem. They go brown
and furry with spore ridden mildew like fungus, finally falling off and
infecting any leaf/stem they fall on. Quite often the healthy tomatoes
are not affected. Last year I ended up removing almost all the leaves
on the plants. This year I have been trying to remove the remains of
the flowers before they infect other parts of the plant.
I had hoped that last years problems were related to the really wet
weather but as this is happening again am at a loss as to the real
cause.
Without benefit of a visual, it certainly sounds like a fungal problem as
you guessed, most likely Gray Mold, and sounds like a carryover from last
year. As much as possible, keep stripping out the diseased parts as you
have to avoid spreading to the fruit. Try sulfur, powder( duster) or
wettable (spray). Neem oil can be effective, although usually not this
late in the game, some have not had much luck with Neem. There are many
other products that will also work well; Organic, Natural, as well as
Synthetic. Just make sure it is registered for tomatoes. I use both
Sulfur and Neem, starting with a sulfur for one applications x two weeks
and then Neem once every 7-10 days. I prefer not to burn Sulfur, but some
have good results with this method. BTW, spraying is not a evil thing. Do
you have fans? if not you should. Spread out your plants for good air
circulation . As much as possible, Avoid splashing the leaves and water
early to allow any wet leaves to dry out. At the end of this season it is
time to strip out the Greenhouse and disinfect EVERYTHING. A mild bleach
solution will work. Next year, use disease resistant plants, start a
preventive program early. One other thing, make sure you have a good pest
control, otherwise they will spread the mold around, Good luck. |
Hi gunner
Thank you very much for your kind reply.
I don't think this particular problem is gray mold as the fruit not affected unless in direct contact with the source of infection - the decaying flowers. These flowers in the worst case have a hairy brown fungus with powdery spores. Anything they land on, fruit, stems or most commonly leaves quickly become infected.
My greenhouse has no fans. It measures 6ft x 6ft and the tomato plants are way too close together which does not help matters. As you say I think it very likely that this same problem as last year is a hangover where the basic fungal spores were still active.
I can buy sulphur powder off ebay. What is the best method of application ? - can I dilute it with water and spray as not sure how to go about dusting the plants. I will definitely need to disinfect/bleach the greenhouse before next growing season. I guess diluted bleach could be sprayed over the greenhouse but how do I effectively treat the soil ?
Thank for your help
Rob