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Septoria?

Jennie Sims
10 years ago

All of my heirlooms and dwarfs have this same disease. It has been useless spraying with Daconil as we have been getting rain literally every day. This is the first summer we have ever had to drain our small swimming pool. This month we have had to drain it three times! It starts out as small dark spots all over the leaves. But not on the lower older leaves. From about half way up to the top. Looks all the world like pictures of septoria leaf spot. Then the yellow starts to spread on the leaves as the spots get bigger. But here's why I don't think it is: my two hybrids, sun gold and super sonic are thriving. And I don't think hybrids have resistance to septoria leaf spot. The heirlooms and dwarfs are so far gone I don't think they can be saved. Plus we'll be gone for a week or two and I won't be able to keep up the fungicide spraying. But I would really like to know what this is and maybe what I can do next year to prevent it. I grow in containers and will definitely be tossing the recycled nursery pots and scrubbing my nice pots I use for the dwarfs. Would appreciate your opinions of what disease this is.
Thanks, Jennie

Comments (11)

  • 73dave
    10 years ago

    Mine look the same way. I think it is Septoria. I have been removing the affected leaves and spraying with garden sulfur.
    It helps a little and I've been able to get some ripe tomatoes.

    I've tried a lot of the prevention methods each year and I still
    have problems if the weather conditions are bad.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Septoria Information

  • Jennie Sims
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Dave, are yours hybrids or heirlooms? I didn't think hybrids had a resistance to septoria, yet my hybrids in close proximity and even touching the diseased plants are thriving. That is why I question septoria.
    Jennie

  • carolyn137
    10 years ago

    Jennie, I know of no varieties, hybrid or OP that have any significant tolerance, there is no resistance, to Septoria Leaf Spot.

    Your picture is a bit blurryso I'm not going to guess,

    Can you describe the spots you see on the leaves as to shape and size and color and whether they have any areas of yellow around them? And are there any lesions on the stems?

    Carolyn

  • Jennie Sims
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Carolyn, the spots are small, but not symmetrical when they start, like the branch on the right. As they progress the leaves get more spots and blotches and yellowing like the dwarf leaves on the left. I looked at all the stems and of the 9 plants affected only one has what looks like a dark streak on the stem. The Cherokee purples are the worst hit. They have whole branches of dead brown leaves. I would take it to the extension agent but ours here is not really knowledgable about tomatoes. Funny thing is one of my sungold has grown over the top of the dwarf in front of it and the sungold is totally thriving. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this.
    Thanks, Jennie

  • Jennie Sims
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here is a closer look at how this disease starts. The other thing that stumps me is it does not start on the lower older leaves. For the most part all the plants still have healthy lower older leaves. Thanks for any opinions.
    Jennie

  • Jennie Sims
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Took samples of a number of branches to extension agency. They said "blight". Guess my hybrids must have a resistance to that! :-)

  • carolyn137
    10 years ago

    Jennie, if the lesions are really black, as they appear to me, then you might want to consider Bacterial Spot.

    I don't want to believe that the extension service diagnosed it as "blight", which is a non-diagnosis, ( smile)

    Only if it was splashback reinfection would the lower leaves be infected first. All NEW foliage infections are acquired via air and embedded in raindrops.

    Carolyn

    This post was edited by carolyn137 on Sat, Aug 24, 13 at 8:49

  • Jennie Sims
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks, Carolyn. It could very well be bacterial spot. The leaves look like the ones in pictures of it. I have had two fruit go rotten before ripe, and no spotting of the fruit yet. I am away for a week so I will report on how the disease has progressed when I get back. Here again, hybrids don't have resistance to Bacterial Spot? And they are thriving. Perhaps they are just stronger fighting against it ans will succumb by the time I get back.

    And honest to gosh Carolyn, that is what the extension agent said!!!
    Jennie

  • joeorganictomatoes
    10 years ago

    I had this same problem with my plants and tried many ways to eliminate what appears to me to be a bacterial blight issue. The 1st thing I had been doing was immediately pruning off the infected branches. Then recently after doing some research I came across a report that stated that spraying the plants with a milk solution was good for giving them a dose of calcium and a way of controlling blight issues. Three days ago ( Aug 22, 2013) I first pruned off all infected branches and then I sprayed them with a solution of 60% water and 40% powered milk. As of today after a close inspection of my 16 tomato plants (all different varieties, heirloom and hybrid mix)I can find no signs of the blight. We are expecting rain on Tuesday (Aug 27). I will re-spray them again. I hope this works for everyone with this issue. (Maybe wishful thinking but I am an optimistic tomato gardener) Please keep me posted if you can and I will do the same. GOOD LUCK!

  • Jennie Sims
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Joe, mine are pretty much goners as we had so much rain in the last month it was impossible to keep up with spraying. And now we are away for a week. Would like to hear how this milk treatment does for you. I had not heard of spraying with a milk solution.
    Jennie

  • Jennie Sims
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Update: Returned home today. I am almost positive this is Septoria Leaf Spot as the dark spots have grey centers and the fruit are unaffected. If it were bacterial Spot the fruit would be affected. And the hybrids finally succumbed to it also. I have quit spraying as it is too far gone, but I am not pulling the plants yet hoping some of the green tomatoes start to blush. I can't complain, I have had the best year in five years! We froze, ate, gave away and still couldn't keep up with the production. First year doing containers and I am a convert!
    Jennie