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Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
Hi,
Our new tomato plants are showing signs of dark brown and light purple patches on the leaves, obviously blight. We prefer an organic solution to the problem. Can someone recommend something please. Peter Peter Richards (but use hotmail to email) |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
"Peter Richards" wrote in message
... Hi, Our new tomato plants are showing signs of dark brown and light purple patches on the leaves, obviously blight. We prefer an organic solution to the problem. Can someone recommend something please. One is coming right now, its called 'Winter'. -- Tumbleweed Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to newsgroups) |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
|
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
The message
from "Tumbleweed" contains these words: "Peter Richards" wrote in message ... Hi, Our new tomato plants are showing signs of dark brown and light purple patches on the leaves, obviously blight. We prefer an organic solution to the problem. Can someone recommend something please. One is coming right now, its called 'Winter'. It's too late to treat blight by any means now. Just pick the toms ( they will ripen in a cool place indoors) and burn the plants if you can, to kill the blight spores. If you can't burn them, don't compost them. Janet. |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
Hi Janet,
On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 15:58:37 +0100, Janet Baraclough wrote: It's too late to treat blight by any means now. See my reply to Steve. :) Just pick the toms ( they will ripen in a cool place indoors) and burn the plants if you can, to kill the blight spores. If you can't burn them, don't compost them. I read on some discussions that as long as you bury the plants at least 2 fet below the surface, it's okay, but, yes, burning is better to completely destroy the disease. Thanks, Peter Peter Richards (but use hotmail to email) |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
The message
from "Tumbleweed" contains these words: Our new tomato plants are showing signs of dark brown and light purple patches on the leaves, obviously blight. We prefer an organic solution to the problem. Can someone recommend something please. Pull them up and burn them. -- Rusty Hinge horrid·squeak&zetnet·co·uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
"Peter Richards" wrote in message ... Hi Steve, On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 18:17 +0100 (BST), (Steve Harris) wrote: In article , (Peter Richards) wrote: Our new tomato plants are showing signs of dark brown and light purple patches on the leaves, obviously blight. This is a very silly time of year to be bothering about new tomato plants unless you are a long way from the UK. I forgot to mention that I live in Australia, and before I get flamed for posting on a UK newsgroup, here is my rationale: 1. I searched through the newsgroups for "organic", and this one certainly had the most postings, therefore this was the best NG to post my question. 2. Tomatoes are, .... well, tomatoes, it doesn't matter where they are grown (UK or Oz), and no doubt in the UK, tomato blight would be a problem also, therefore it was this NG I was seeking an answer. 3. Even if I lived in the UK, this would not be a 'silly' time of the year to plant tomatoes (i.e. I may have a hothouse). Your description matches tomato leaf mould. I had quite a bit of this for months but it didn't spread much and I had a superb crop without spraying. This is spreading, and yes, appears to be some sort of mould or fungal disease. As we saw a show on TV that recommended milk for fixing many tomato 'woes', we have sprayed the plants with milk. It will either kill them or cure them I guess. Hello Peter in Oz, Welcome to this newsgroup. Please don't be angry or run away or be apologetic. Maybe we can all talk sense if we always remember that our seasons are out of phase. Franz |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
"Peter Richards" wrote in message
... Hi Steve, On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 18:17 +0100 (BST), (Steve Harris) wrote: In article , (Peter Richards) wrote: Our new tomato plants are showing signs of dark brown and light purple patches on the leaves, obviously blight. This is a very silly time of year to be bothering about new tomato plants unless you are a long way from the UK. I forgot to mention that I live in Australia, and before I get flamed for posting on a UK newsgroup, here is my rationale: 1. I searched through the newsgroups for "organic", and this one certainly had the most postings, therefore this was the best NG to post my question. Once could apply the same reasoning to a problem with your palm trees or coffee crop! 2. Tomatoes are, .... well, tomatoes, it doesn't matter where they are grown (UK or Oz), and no doubt in the UK, tomato blight would be a problem also, therefore it was this NG I was seeking an answer. I've never experienced it, maybe others have, so AFAIK tomato blight isnt a problem in the UK. Its also a very imprecise term and could apply to hundreds of different actual diseases of fungal origin. And since the only way of killing some sort of fungus without harming the plants would be with a chemical of one derivation of another (shock horror!!), then for you, burning the affected plants seems to be the best (and organic) way, since you'll be hugely reducing the chances of the infection spreading, something you wouldnt get with any cure that isnt 100%. 3. Even if I lived in the UK, this would not be a 'silly' time of the year to plant tomatoes (i.e. I may have a hothouse). Incorrect, it would still be a silly time of year unless you also installed powerful lighting to compensate for the shortened day length, however hot your house (lets not even consider the economics of doing it either...£5 tomato anyone?) Your description matches tomato leaf mould. I had quite a bit of this for months but it didn't spread much and I had a superb crop without spraying. This is spreading, and yes, appears to be some sort of mould or fungal disease. As we saw a show on TV that recommended milk for fixing many tomato 'woes', we have sprayed the plants with milk. It will either kill them or cure them I guess. There are two chances it will work...fat, and slim. In the meantime, the infection is free to spread to the rest of your plants, and you are also losing time to grow tomatoes, since you could just burn them and plant some new ones immediately (in another spot obviously, or at least not in the same soil.) You have been given the organic remedy, its called "fire". -- Tumbleweed Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to newsgroups) |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
In article , Peter Richards
writes 3. Even if I lived in the UK, this would not be a 'silly' time of the year to plant tomatoes (i.e. I may have a hothouse). Hmm. I find it quite difficult (and expensive) to maintain my greenhouse above 40 deg F in winter. This is at least 20 deg F too low for tomatoes. What are the light requirements for tomatoes? Are they happy with only 7 hours of daylight? -- Kay Easton Edward's earthworm page: http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
"Peter wrote in message I forgot to mention that I live in Australia, Now we understand the problem, I thought your original post a bit strange for the UK, welcome. We get posts and replies from all over, it's just we need to know where you are outside the UK because of the season differences, otherwise growing is growing. What part of Oz are we talking about, there's a bit of climate difference between ,say, Adelaide and Port Douglas. :-) As others have said, if it is "Tomato Blight" (and that's the same disease as Potato Blight) then any Toms that have it already should be pulled up and burnt, there is no organic cure for that disease. However, and this is where I get flamed, you can prevent the infection of plants by spraying with "Bordeaux Mixture" which is a mixture of Copper sulphate and Lime. Whilst not used by strict organic purists it does appear in organic catalogues and is used by some, especially if they have to grow their crop outside. Just wash the fruit well before using. p.s. Coincidentally, I was up at 3.30am this morning to collect an Aussy relative from Heathrow. -- Regards Bob Use a useful Screen Saver... http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/ and find intelligent life amongst the stars, there's bugger all down here. |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
"Bob Hobden" wrote in message
... "Peter wrote in message I forgot to mention that I live in Australia, Now we understand the problem, I thought your original post a bit strange for the UK, welcome. We get posts and replies from all over, it's just we need to know where you are outside the UK because of the season differences, otherwise growing is growing. What part of Oz are we talking about, there's a bit of climate difference between ,say, Adelaide and Port Douglas. :-) As others have said, if it is "Tomato Blight" (and that's the same disease as Potato Blight) then any Toms that have it already should be pulled up and burnt, there is no organic cure for that disease. However, and this is where I get flamed, you can prevent the infection of plants by spraying with "Bordeaux Mixture" which is a mixture of Copper sulphate and Lime. Whilst not used by strict organic purists it does appear in organic catalogues and is used by some, especially if they have to grow their crop outside. Just wash the fruit well before using. LOL. Flame coming :-) I'd really like to understand on what basis anyone can call such a toxic mixture of chemicals 'organic'. Whats 'organic' about it, precisely, other than the bizzarre fact its in an 'organic' catalogue for historical resaons? Is that the definition of organic now? And ...'Just wash the fruit well before using'? What about all those ads decrying pesticides and complaining 'why should I have to wash chemicals off my food before I eat it'? -- Tumbleweed Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to newsgroups) |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these words: "Peter Richards" wrote in message ... 2. Tomatoes are, .... well, tomatoes, it doesn't matter where they are grown (UK or Oz), Tell that to Inverness, UK. 3. Even if I lived in the UK, this would not be a 'silly' time of the year to plant tomatoes (i.e. I may have a hothouse). Well, yes, it would. Scotland has already had snow, England has already had frost,and we're past the autumn equinox so daylight hours AND light levels are falling fast. Welcome to this newsgroup. Please don't be angry or run away or be apologetic. Maybe we can all talk sense if we always remember that our seasons are out of phase. We can talk better sense if we bear in mind the charter of this group, and the advice posted every week to newcomers; " Uk.rec.gardening is based in the British Isles for the discussion of gardening within those islands.(snip)Contributors from outside the British Isles are not discouraged but,because this newsgroup is intended to help gardeners in the British Isles, it should be remembered that all questions and answers should relate to a climate similar to that found in the British Isles." Janet. |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
Xref: kermit uk.rec.gardening:170534
The message from "Bob Hobden" contains these words: p.s. Coincidentally, I was up at 3.30am this morning to collect an Aussy relative from Heathrow. pedant Difficult to find a 3.30 am in any other part of the day...... -- Rusty Hinge horrid·squeak&zetnet·co·uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
The message
from "Tumbleweed" contains these words: LOL. Flame coming :-) I'd really like to understand on what basis anyone can call such a toxic mixture of chemicals 'organic'. Whats 'organic' about it, precisely, other than the bizzarre fact its in an 'organic' catalogue for historical resaons? Is that the definition of organic now? And ...'Just wash the fruit well before using'? What about all those ads decrying pesticides and complaining 'why should I have to wash chemicals off my food before I eat it'? It's there largely because no better remedy has been found. In any case, the word 'organic' has been hijacked to mean something else entirely. Any growing thing is organic, whatever nutrients or *icides have been used on it. It's about time we reclaimed it before it goes the way of 'nice' [1] And of 'sophisticated' [2] And 'Prevaricate' [3] [1] exact, precise, to the point. Often used to mean pleasant by those who are not nice. [2] Adulterated, deceitful [3] To lie, dissemble, evade by deceit (When 'procrastinate' is meant) -- Rusty Hinge horrid·squeak&zetnet·co·uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
"Tumbleweed" wrote in message after me ((snip)) As others have said, if it is "Tomato Blight" (and that's the same disease as Potato Blight) then any Toms that have it already should be pulled up and burnt, there is no organic cure for that disease. However, and this is where I get flamed, you can prevent the infection of plants by spraying with "Bordeaux Mixture" which is a mixture of Copper sulphate and Lime. Whilst not used by strict organic purists it does appear in organic catalogues and is used by some, especially if they have to grow their crop outside. Just wash the fruit well before using. LOL. Flame coming :-) I'd really like to understand on what basis anyone can call such a toxic mixture of chemicals 'organic'. Whats 'organic' about it, precisely, other than the bizzarre fact its in an 'organic' catalogue for historical resaons? Is that the definition of organic now? And ...'Just wash the fruit well before using'? What about all those ads decrying pesticides and complaining 'why should I have to wash chemicals off my food before I eat it'? Why did I have you in the frame for that flame? :-) My Oxford English says... Organic... produced without artificial fertilizers or pesticides. From that it appears to be the word artificial that is crucial. Well Lime isn't artificial really and nor is Copper sulphate so that's OK then? As for washing fruit and veg, well I personally don't like bird, caterpillar, greenfly or any other sh1t on my food either so I wash it as do most people. -- Regards Bob Use a useful Screen Saver... http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/ and find intelligent life amongst the stars, there's bugger all down here. |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
"Jaques d'Altrades" wrote in message ... The message from "Tumbleweed" contains these words: LOL. Flame coming :-) I'd really like to understand on what basis anyone can call such a toxic mixture of chemicals 'organic'. Whats 'organic' about it, precisely, other than the bizzarre fact its in an 'organic' catalogue for historical resaons? Is that the definition of organic now? And ...'Just wash the fruit well before using'? What about all those ads decrying pesticides and complaining 'why should I have to wash chemicals off my food before I eat it'? It's there largely because no better remedy has been found. In any case, the word 'organic' has been hijacked to mean something else entirely. Any growing thing is organic, whatever nutrients or *icides have been used on it. It's about time we reclaimed it before it goes the way of 'nice' [1] And of 'sophisticated' [2] And 'Prevaricate' [3] And 'gay' [4] And 'gender' [5] [1] exact, precise, to the point. Often used to mean pleasant by those who are not nice. [2] Adulterated, deceitful [3] To lie, dissemble, evade by deceit (When 'procrastinate' is meant) [4] Full of, or disposed to or indicating mirth [5] Grammatical classification of two (or three) classes of objects occasionally corresponding to the sexes and sexlessness To wit, in German, all girls are sexless. Franz |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
"Jaques d'Altrades" wrote in message ... The message from "Bob Hobden" contains these words: p.s. Coincidentally, I was up at 3.30am this morning to collect an Aussy relative from Heathrow. pedant Difficult to find a 3.30 am in any other part of the day...... It might have been 3.30 am on the day before. Franz |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 08:41:56 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote: "Jaques d'Altrades" wrote in message ... The message from "Tumbleweed" contains these words: LOL. Flame coming :-) I'd really like to understand on what basis anyone can call such a toxic mixture of chemicals 'organic'. Whats 'organic' about it, precisely, other than the bizzarre fact its in an 'organic' catalogue for historical resaons? Is that the definition of organic now? And ...'Just wash the fruit well before using'? What about all those ads decrying pesticides and complaining 'why should I have to wash chemicals off my food before I eat it'? It's there largely because no better remedy has been found. In any case, the word 'organic' has been hijacked to mean something else entirely. Any growing thing is organic, whatever nutrients or *icides have been used on it. It's about time we reclaimed it before it goes the way of 'nice' [1] And of 'sophisticated' [2] And 'Prevaricate' [3] And 'gay' [4] And 'gender' [5] [1] exact, precise, to the point. Often used to mean pleasant by those who are not nice. [2] Adulterated, deceitful [3] To lie, dissemble, evade by deceit (When 'procrastinate' is meant) [4] Full of, or disposed to or indicating mirth [5] Grammatical classification of two (or three) classes of objects occasionally corresponding to the sexes and sexlessness To wit, in German, all girls are sexless. To woo, they are not. -- Martin |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
"martin" wrote in message ... On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 08:41:56 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann" wrote: "Jaques d'Altrades" wrote in message ... The message from "Tumbleweed" contains these words: LOL. Flame coming :-) I'd really like to understand on what basis anyone can call such a toxic mixture of chemicals 'organic'. Whats 'organic' about it, precisely, other than the bizzarre fact its in an 'organic' catalogue for historical resaons? Is that the definition of organic now? And ...'Just wash the fruit well before using'? What about all those ads decrying pesticides and complaining 'why should I have to wash chemicals off my food before I eat it'? It's there largely because no better remedy has been found. In any case, the word 'organic' has been hijacked to mean something else entirely. Any growing thing is organic, whatever nutrients or *icides have been used on it. It's about time we reclaimed it before it goes the way of 'nice' [1] And of 'sophisticated' [2] And 'Prevaricate' [3] And 'gay' [4] And 'gender' [5] [1] exact, precise, to the point. Often used to mean pleasant by those who are not nice. [2] Adulterated, deceitful [3] To lie, dissemble, evade by deceit (When 'procrastinate' is meant) [4] Full of, or disposed to or indicating mirth [5] Grammatical classification of two (or three) classes of objects occasionally corresponding to the sexes and sexlessness To wit, in German, all girls are sexless. To woo, they are not. {:-)) Your best so far. Franz |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these words: To wit, in German, all girls are sexless. Tell that to the spammers.... -- Rusty Hinge horrid·squeak&zetnet·co·uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
The message
from martin contains these words: To wit, in German, all girls are sexless. To woo, they are not. You have the advantave over me there then. I've *FANCIED* one, but not wooed her. -- Rusty Hinge horrid·squeak&zetnet·co·uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these words: "Jaques d'Altrades" wrote in message ... The message from "Bob Hobden" contains these words: p.s. Coincidentally, I was up at 3.30am this morning to collect an Aussy relative from Heathrow. pedant Difficult to find a 3.30 am in any other part of the day...... It might have been 3.30 am on the day before. Troo. Shooting from the hip again.... I usually have a few hundred posts to look at in the Shed, after gardening. -- Rusty Hinge horrid·squeak&zetnet·co·uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
Hi Janet,
On Sat, 11 Oct 2003 17:00:12 +0100, Janet Baraclough wrote: 3. Even if I lived in the UK, this would not be a 'silly' time of the year to plant tomatoes (i.e. I may have a hothouse). Well, yes, it would. Scotland has already had snow, England has already had frost,and we're past the autumn equinox so daylight hours AND light levels are falling fast. If you had read all of what I had said, you would have noticed I mentioned a hothouse. Snow, frost, daylight hours, warmth, etc,etc are quite irrelevant in a hothouse with artificial light and heating. :) We can talk better sense if we bear in mind the charter of this group, and the advice posted every week to newcomers; " Uk.rec.gardening is based in the British Isles for the discussion of gardening within those islands.(snip)Contributors from outside the British Isles are not discouraged but,because this newsgroup is intended to help gardeners in the British Isles, it should be remembered that all questions and answers should relate to a climate similar to that found in the British Isles." rant on Having lived in the Philippines for a number of years, we lived on a compound with a number of people from the "British Isles". That included people from Wales, Scotland and England of course. We also worked with these people, and therefore came to know and understand what the "climate" is in those islands. We also, during those years, had numerous vistors from the British Isles, who further informed us of the waether/climate. Even living back here in Oz, we have friends either working or on holidays in various parts of the UK, who, of course, further inform us of the climate in that area. Hmm, ..... climate similar, yes, indeed. Where we live the climate is similar./rant off Thanks for your help lol Peter Peter Richards (but use hotmail to email) |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
Hi Bob,
On Sat, 11 Oct 2003 12:00:24 +0100, "Bob Hobden" wrote: "Peter wrote in message I forgot to mention that I live in Australia, Now we understand the problem, I thought your original post a bit strange for the UK, welcome. Thanks, Bob, one of the few friendly responses in this thread. Peter Peter Richards (but use hotmail to email) |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 20:03:53 +0100, Jaques d'Altrades
wrote: The message from martin contains these words: To wit, in German, all girls are sexless. To woo, they are not. You have the advantave over me there then. I've *FANCIED* one, but not wooed her. I've done both. -- Martin |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
in article , Peter Richards at
wrote on 10/10/03 2:39 am: Hi, Our new tomato plants are showing signs of dark brown and light purple patches on the leaves, obviously blight. We prefer an organic solution to the problem. Can someone recommend something please. Peter Peter, my husband used to grow tomatoes commercially for many, many years, as did his father before him. He says he knows of no organic method (and he's very expert on biological controls and uses them all the time in our glasshouses) He says that he knows of no truly effective inorganic control, either. In his opinion, the only answer is to pull them out and burn them. Don't plant new plants in the same area. Same goes for potatoes if they get blight - it's the very devil! Sorry not to be more encouraging but there seems little point in your wasting time, money and energy. -- Sacha www.hillhousenursery.co.uk (remove the 'x' to email me) |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
|
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
In article ,
(Sacha) wrote: He says that he knows of no truly effective inorganic control, either. In his opinion, the only answer is to pull them out and burn them. Don't plant new plants in the same area. So much varying advice! EG: HDRA says in http://www.hdra.org.uk/factsheets/dc17.htm "It is probably wise not to compost tomato fruits either. Infected potato and tomato haulms (foliage) may be composted in a good active heap. The likelihood of resistant spores being present is very slim. Infection is much more likely to come from external sources" RHA says in http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile...ato_blight.asp "The fungus can be seed-borne, so do not save seed from infected fruit. Destroy infected plants - do not compost them" Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
In article , Peter Richards
writes If you had read all of what I had said, you would have noticed I mentioned a hothouse. Snow, frost, daylight hours, warmth, etc,etc are quite irrelevant in a hothouse with artificial light and heating. :) Well, not quite irrelevant ;-) It costs me a lot more to maintain my greenhouse at a cactus-friendly temperature when there is snow and frost outside ;-) -- Kay Easton Edward's earthworm page: http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 11:39:38 +1000, Peter Richards
wrote: Our new tomato plants are showing signs of dark brown and light purple patches on the leaves, obviously blight. We prefer an organic solution to the problem. Can someone recommend something please. I tried the only suggested control this year for the first time. I sprayed the plants 3 times with Bordeaux mixture. Did it work? Not sure! A few plants got blight anyway at the end of August ( the worst time) but some didn't and went on cropping. The Bordeaux mixture leaves an awful white deposit on leaves and fruit and there was need to take all fruit home and wash it before eating. Pam in Bristol |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
The message
from Peter Richards contains these words: " Uk.rec.gardening is based in the British Isles for the discussion of gardening within those islands.(snip)Contributors from outside the British Isles are not discouraged but,because this newsgroup is intended to help gardeners in the British Isles, it should be remembered that all questions and answers should relate to a climate similar to that found in the British Isles." rant on Having lived in the Philippines for a number of years, we lived on a compound with a number of people from the "British Isles". That included people from Wales, Scotland and England of course. Thankyou for explaining that so clearly. We also worked with these people, and therefore came to know and understand what the "climate" is in those islands. We also, during those years, had numerous vistors from the British Isles, who further informed us of the waether/climate. Even living back here in Oz, we have friends either working or on holidays in various parts of the UK, who, of course, further inform us of the climate in that area. Hmm, ..... climate similar, yes, indeed. Where we live the climate is similar How interesting. Whereabouts in Australia are you living? Janet. |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
In message , Bob Hobden
writes "Tumbleweed" wrote in message after me ((snip)) As others have said, if it is "Tomato Blight" (and that's the same disease as Potato Blight) then any Toms that have it already should be pulled up and burnt, there is no organic cure for that disease. It's pretty difficult to control once it gets established even with no holds barred nasty chemicals. Preventative measured help a bit. plants by spraying with "Bordeaux Mixture" which is a mixture of Copper sulphate and Lime. Whilst not used by strict organic purists it does appear in organic catalogues and is used by some, especially if they have to grow their crop outside. Just wash the fruit well before using. LOL. Flame coming :-) I'd really like to understand on what basis anyone can call such a toxic mixture of chemicals 'organic'. Whats 'organic' about it, precisely, other than the bizzarre fact its in an 'organic' catalogue for historical resaons? Is that the definition of organic now? Organic(TM) means whatever its acolytes want it to mean. Mainly it is a slick marketing slogan to sell stuff for higher margins to the worried well. And ...'Just wash the fruit well before using'? What about all those ads decrying pesticides and complaining 'why should I have to wash chemicals off my food before I eat it'? Why did I have you in the frame for that flame? :-) My Oxford English says... Organic... produced without artificial fertilizers or pesticides. How about Rotenone or Nicotine then - both natural and deadly. But these days not considered to be Organic(TM) by the Soil Association. From that it appears to be the word artificial that is crucial. Well Lime isn't artificial really and nor is Copper sulphate so that's OK then? Copper sulphate is artificial and nothing like a natural product. It is every bit the result of modern industrial chemistry. Build up of copper from spraying in the soils of wine growing regions is a cause for concern too. Or how about naturally occurring arsenic and lead compounds do you really want them scattered around? There are incidentally plenty of places where lead levels far exceed safe concentrations - doesn't bother the plants all that much. One orchid reserve is on very toxic lead spoil heaps. Regards, -- Martin Brown |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
In message , Peter Richards
writes Hi Steve, On Fri, 10 Oct 2003 18:17 +0100 (BST), (Steve Harris) wrote: In article , (Peter Richards) wrote: Our new tomato plants are showing signs of dark brown and light purple patches on the leaves, obviously blight. This is a very silly time of year to be bothering about new tomato plants unless you are a long way from the UK. I forgot to mention that I live in Australia, and before I get flamed for posting on a UK newsgroup, here is my rationale: It might have been sensible to point this out earlier. 1. I searched through the newsgroups for "organic", and this one certainly had the most postings, therefore this was the best NG to post my question. 2. Tomatoes are, .... well, tomatoes, it doesn't matter where they are grown (UK or Oz), and no doubt in the UK, tomato blight would be a problem also, therefore it was this NG I was seeking an answer. Actually you only really have a serious problem with blight if you plant directly into the ground here. The UK is usually cold enough in summer that tomatoes grown outdoors do not crop very well* so grow bags in a greenhouse or ring culture in sterile soil are quite common. (* this year was an exception) 3. Even if I lived in the UK, this would not be a 'silly' time of the year to plant tomatoes (i.e. I may have a hothouse). At 50-55 degrees north you have to be kidding. An established tomato plant might just survive if you had money to burn heating the glasshouse, but a new seedling would be hard pressed to see enough daylight to stay alive. Artificial lighting would also be needed. Growing them in summer in a greenhouse isn't all that cost effective either. You get plenty of tomatoes, but at exactly the same time as the price falls through the floor. Unusual cultivars are worthwhile. Regards, -- Martin Brown |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
The message
from Martin Brown contains these words: /snip/ Growing them in summer in a greenhouse isn't all that cost effective either. You get plenty of tomatoes, but at exactly the same time as the price falls through the floor. Unusual cultivars are worthwhile. But you can grow some of the more usual ones which are difficult to find in shops, if not impossible. Customer: "What variety are they?" Greengrocer: "Dutch, luv." I used to grow Alicante, Shirley and Ailsa Craig on a small commercial scale. They didn't crop as heavily as Moneymaker, but they didn't taste of damp rags. I never had enough to keep the farm gate customers completely satisfied. -- Rusty Hinge horrid·squeak&zetnet·co·uk http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/tqt.htm |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
"Pam wrote in message I tried the only suggested control this year for the first time. I sprayed the plants 3 times with Bordeaux mixture. Did it work? Not sure! A few plants got blight anyway at the end of August ( the worst time) but some didn't and went on cropping. The Bordeaux mixture leaves an awful white deposit on leaves and fruit and there was need to take all fruit home and wash it before eating. I too normally use BM as we grow all our Toms outside on the allotments but this year as we got the French variety "Ferline" from the Kitchen Garden (Blight resistant) we grew without BM to test and had no problems with blight even on the normal varieties we grow (Vicki, Brigade, Panovy). Probably because we have had no rain at all, and we are still watering, in October! Might be worth you trying "Ferline" (very large but normal shape fruit) next year though, they are in the catalogues for 2004. There are also some other French varieties that are supposed to be resistant but I don't know the names. Anyone else know them for when we go to France? -- Regards Bob Use a useful Screen Saver... http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/ and find intelligent life amongst the stars, there's bugger all down here. |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
Hi Sacha,
On Mon, 13 Oct 2003 10:05:18 +0100, Sacha wrote: in article , Peter Richards at wrote on 10/10/03 2:39 am: Hi, Our new tomato plants are showing signs of dark brown and light purple patches on the leaves, obviously blight. We prefer an organic solution to the problem. Can someone recommend something please. Peter, my husband used to grow tomatoes commercially for many, many years, as did his father before him. He says he knows of no organic method (and he's very expert on biological controls and uses them all the time in our glasshouses) Okay, thanks. We did try the "milk solution" for a few days, and it did actually stop the spread of the blight. Plus I got my "LLM" (liquid leaf mulch) onto the plants, in the hope of getting some good natural 'food' into the plants. However, the original blight is still there, some of it slightly less than before though. So those methods did stop the spread, and reduce, to some degree, the original fungus/bacteria, etc. He says that he knows of no truly effective inorganic control, either. In his opinion, the only answer is to pull them out and burn them. Yes, after at least trying to fix it, we are going to pull them out and throw them in the rubbish bin (local council here won't let us burn anything without a permit). We were hoping to find some remedy and "fix" the blight completely, because the plants were a gift from my parents, and it was a case of, ..if all else fails, then destroy them. Don't plant new plants in the same area. I've been wondering it that is what caused it. When we got the plants, I don't _think_ there was any blight (not that I checked all the leaves though, hey, ... it was a present), and because the vegie garden is not _quite_ ready yet (it's spring here), the plants went into larger pots. I used soil for the pots, that came from an area that had tomato plants last season, and some of those had the same blight. That would seem to indicate the cause was a soil borne source, but nothing conclusive, just my naive understanding of this. :) Thanks, Peter Peter Richards (but use hotmail to email) |
Organic remedy for tomato blight ?
Yes but Kay, you probably don't need to worry about kangeroos crashing
through your greenhouse windows and trampling your crop, regards, ewald schroder Kay Easton wrote in message ... In article , Peter Richards writes If you had read all of what I had said, you would have noticed I mentioned a hothouse. Snow, frost, daylight hours, warmth, etc,etc are quite irrelevant in a hothouse with artificial light and heating. :) Well, not quite irrelevant ;-) It costs me a lot more to maintain my greenhouse at a cactus-friendly temperature when there is snow and frost outside ;-) |
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