Who does not love a homegrown tomato? For many of us, it is the most important garden vegetable that we grow each year. But growing tomatoes means keeping an eye on your tomato (and potato) plants.
Diseases are common, and late blight has appeared in Western New York State this season. The rainy weather we have been having makes it easy for late blight spores to develop and spread. Late blight is fatal and spreads rapidly, so the doomed plants must be removed and bagged for disposal as soon as the diagnosis is made.
If your tomato plant starts looking poorly, it is important to bring in a sample so we can diagnose the problem. Early action is important for late blight management.
Other diseases, early blight and septoria reduce yield, but can be controlled by good sanitation, removing the infected leaves. So the first step is for you to keep an eye on your plants and let us know if you are having problems. You might also like to check our website often, as we have a late blight page that we update at least weekly. Or, if you do Facebook, consider following Tioga County Master Gardeners – we will keep you up to date.
There are treatments for late blight, but you have to know when to spray, and if you have late blight, you have to know how to dispose of the infected plants so you limit the damage to other people’s crops.
Call the CCE Tioga Grow Line at 687-4020 for more information and advice
