tomato fungus?

18 years ago

I planted my first garden last year and my tomatoes looked great until fruit set, and then the leaves turned spotted and yellow at the bottom of the plants and continued upwards. This year I decided to use containers to get them out of my garden plot. I used some of my neighbor's compost in addition to peat moss and potting soil. She swore she didn't put any of last year's tomato detritus in her compost (her plants had it too), but now my maters are again fungal. I tried spraying with Daconil, but either that doesn't help or I didn't do it right (not an easy spray to use b/c the stuff has a thick consistency). I've removed all the yellow leaves, only to find the new ones succumb almost as soon as they appear. Is there anything I can do?

I don't know how to insert photos, so here's a link:

http://share.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=EekOGblw0aMRQ

Thank you!

Comments (6)

penserosa
Original Author
18 years ago
After reading online and then looking at the problem solver link, I think it's probably early blight. Is there some secret to getting the daconil to come out of the sprayer nicely? It doesn't even really spray, just squirts in thick streams, so it's hard to disperse over the leaves.
carolyn137
18 years ago
Are you using an Ortho dial type sprayer?

The instructions are on the Daconil for how to dilute it in the reservior with how much water. Do you have those instructions anmd are you using Ortho Garden Disease Control ( Daconil)?

If not I know that info is here in a thread or two and perhaps if you don't have it someone here can help.

I did look at the photo and the spots weren't that easy to see but they did look large enough to be fungal rather than bacterial.

Carolyn
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carolyn137
18 years ago
Whoops.

Look a few threads down and you'll see one of those threads about the Ortho Dial and Spray and the dilution required.

Carolyn
penserosa
Original Author
18 years ago
The label says:

GardenTech
Daconil Fungicide
Ready-to-Use

For tomatoes it says to use 2.16 lbs of active ingredient per acre. What the heck does that mean for me, with my 3 plants?

Maybe I should just go buy the Ortho brand with a decent sprayer?

Thanks for your replies!
carolyn137
18 years ago
For tomatoes it says to use 2.16 lbs of active ingredient per acre. What the heck does that mean for me, with my 3 plants?

I looked up that Garden Tech product and it's supposed to be a liquid concentrate and the active ingredient is supposed to be there in a concentration about about 29% chlorothalonil, which is Daconil/

if that's the case you can just use one tbs/gallon of water in a watering can.

I can't believe that there are no dilution instructions in what should be a very extensive little pamphlet or bottle label that should have come with the product.

The Ortho product is also 29% active ingredient which is what is recommended for home gardens and the dilution I gave is known for that Ortho product at 29% liquid concentrate.

Carolyn
penserosa
Original Author
18 years ago
Carolyn, thanks for all of your help. This stuff says ready-to-use, not concentrate, and the chlorothalonil is 0.087%. There aren't any dilution instructions - I'm sure of that after having read the entire label twice.

They just put it in a useless bottle, I think. I'll try putting it in a better sprayer.

Thanks again!