I have a better bush tomato which has been the first of my plants to show signs of foliar disease (99% sure it's septoria). I began spraying with anti fungal spray when it first appeared, and the plant has been healthy-looking and productive. I bought it as a start from a respected local nursery. About 2 weeks ago, while spraying, I noticed a segment of greyish fuzz growing on the dying stub of a leaf branch I had trimmed off (due to some septoria-speckled leaflets). It was clearly a mold or fungus, so I gave it a good soaking with the chlorothalonil and verified days later that it was gone and not spreading.

Last night I was reading up on late blight, and now I am so worried that the stem lesion I saw was actually late blight! It looked exactly like photos I have seen of the disease. I know the time of the season is uncharacteristic,and I haven't heard of outbreaks in my area, but that two inch patch of brown and grey is now making me crazy.

Here's my quandary though: Late Blight doesn't just "go away," yet the plant has shown no further signs of disease. Fruit is untouched, leaves perfect save for the occasional light speckling of controlled septoria. I have inspected the stems and seen no recurrence of the brown lesion with grey fuzz that I previously noted. Finally, no other plants show any signs of disease spread. It has now been over 2 weeks...if that stem lesion really were late blight, wouldn't it have killed the plant and spread to others? Could my chlorothalonil routine be keeping it at bay? Is there anything else that causes stem lesions exactly like those of the dread disease?

Part of me says I'm crazy to worry about a plant that looks so healthy, but part of me is so sure that the patch I saw matches the symptoms of late blight.

Of all the pictures I have seen of late blight, I've never seen one with gray fuzz on the lesions. From what I have read, you are correct in assuming the progression is rapid. It may be posible that your spraying regimen is keeping somethingat bay.

Check out the link below, but be warned, it may make you crazy, you'll see so many things it "might" be. (When we go looking for trouble, we often see more there than really exists.)

I think as long as your plants stay healthy looking, just enjoy them. If you get anymore of that problem, you might want to take a sample in to your local extension office and see what they have to say about it.

Good luck.

Betsy

I have lost plants to disease before and just shrugged it off, but my little bedtime reading last night had me rattled.

At least not that I remember. I do have gray hair. LOL!

Betsy