Can I re-use the soaker hose from last season? I figure the spores are in the hose and I should at the very least clean it somehow. I'd hate to have to buy more of them as they aren't the cheapest things in the world. Would a diluted solution of bleach/water rid them of their spores?

Dave

Dave

But if you are using regular tap water for your garden (and I don't know that you are), shouldn't that kill the general viruses? It's supposed to be safe enough for US.

Should I sterilize the cages I used last year in the same manner? Or since it's steel will they not carry the virus/bacteria/etc?

But do not assume that doing either will somehow prevent the disease from developing and so neglect the proven effective methods of control.

I would also suggest you do some research into the various tomato diseases, how they work, how they are transmitted, and how they do and don't survive for your future peace of mind.

Dave

I suspect you have been going by some manufacturer's marketing info rather than any of the scientific research infosites.

Early Blight is an airborne fungus spore. It is cause by the fungus Alternaria solani. The Actino-iron label published on the manufacturers website does not even list a. solani as a controlled fungus for their product unless it is one of "the others".

Actino-Iron is a biological fungicide that contains iron and humic acid. This unique product is intended for use as a soil additive for preventative suppression/control of root rot and dampening off fungi such as Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Pythophthora, Fusarium and many others. The active ingredient in Actino-Iron is Streptomyces lydicus strain WYEC 108, a naturally occurring beneficial soil bacterium.

It may be a "biological fungicide" as they claim (although it is mostly a fertilizer with iron and humic acid) but it is the same "biological fungicide" found in most compost which is much cheaper and which also provides humic acid. Such natural "fungicides" can be beneficial to the soil for many reasons. The same is true for Actinovate.

So while both products may have a beneficial role in soil and seed borne diseases (just like compost does) preventing Early Blight, which again is airborne, is not one of them.

Early Blight, along with Septoria Leaf Spot (Septoria lycopersici), is the most common tomato disease worldwide and suffered to some degree by most all gardeners simply because it is so common and because the spores can drift so far on the wind.

If you browse through the 100's of discussions here about it you'll discover that the only proven way of actually preventing it is an active spraying program from first day of plant out and weekly thereafter with Chlorothalonil (Daconil) and even that is not 100% effective. Otherwise the best we can hope for is to slow it's development.

Dave

http://www.naturalindustries.com/retail/Documents/earlylateblighttipsheet.pdf

That document at least implies their products are somewhat effective for early blight. I have read forum posts where users have had a moderate to a high degree of success with actinovate.

I am a beginner in all of this and I came here for help. So while there are other fungicides on the market, would you say daconil is the only one useful in preventing/slowing early blight?

But it is a control, not a preventative. Pathogens exist in soil. There's no getting rid of them. But you can keep the harmful microbes that cause soil borne diseases from multiplying and causing severe damage with things like it. Similar levels of control are achieved with regular additions of fresh quality compost which contains the same ingredients.

But you specified Early Blight so this discussion is based on that info. EB is air borne. The only way to prevent it is by applying a coating to the leaf surfaces so the fungus can't take hold. That is how Daconil works and it is widely recognized as the only effective preventative and even then only if it is applied from the first day of exposure outside. If the spores contact the leaf surfaces before it is applied then even Daconil becomes nothing more than a control.

Bottom line - Early Blight is a fact of life in outdoor tomato growing worldwide. Commercial growers and home gardeners have been trying to prevent it for many decades without success so control is the realistic goal.

But the answer to your original question, since it requires living tissue to survive, is no. If it makes you feel better to disinfect your hose and cages, great. But it won't prevent Early Blight in your garden.

Dave

I can only think that the fungus came in with my plant (from a famous west coast traveling tomato road show, which I would have thought unlikely) or from my borrowed cages.

Of course, if these fungi exist in California coastal wetlands, I'm surrounded ...