16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Yes, Early Blight ( A. solani) can be seedborne but as long as you process the seeds by fermentation, that removes most of the possible spores that are on the seed coat.
And I say fermentation and no doubt someone will come along and suggest using one of the oxidative methods such as Oxiclean or Comet, bleach is not commonly used for a first treatment, but if you do a search here I think you'll find that there is no data for what is removed from the seed coat using the oxidative methods for tomato seeds.
In any case, we do have the research of Dr. Helene Dillard who had grants from Campbells or Heinz, I can't remember which, that shows that fermentation is effective.
Does it mean that ALL of the primarily fungal pathogens are removed, no it doesn't for that seldom happens but infection of plants is quantitative, so it lessens the probability that treated seeds will transmit disease.
Of those bacterial and vial pathogens that have been checked, they are in the endosperm of the seed so no surface treatment can eliminate them.
Carolyn
I live in region 9. I live in Houston, TX. When the first set of flowers started to grow on the plant a couple of months ago the temperature was in the 80s. It's usually always humid here. The flowers die or fall off but more always grow back but then do the same. The last week of June was very hot (in the 100s) to the point were all my plants were wilting. This past week it has rained every single day to were it I know it has been way too much rain for my Roma tomatoes because they are starting to crack. The weather will probably go back to the 100's soon after this rain stops.
It looks as though my toms are coming back to life,lost a few leafs and stems, but I feel they are on the road to recovery.They have the worst case of blossom drop you have ever seen though.I have shoulder high, 2 month old plant with one green tomato and three without any. My celebrity plants are the only ones that are putting on tomatoes.Don't know if the rotten blossoms will stop and they will come back and grow new ones that produce or not.
We already have a thread from you about the same topic, and it's still on this first page so I linked to it below.
Hope that helps, b'c maybe you didn't scroll down enough to find your original thread on the same subject.
Carolyn
Here is a link that might be useful: Same Thread here already
Here's a shot of the chaotic garden. Beans, squash and cukes are at the far end of the trelli. The low fence and the electric strand I have going around it has been successful so far. Right after I put the fence up a curious deer came and leaned against it and put a perfect imprint of his face and knees into the wire.
I have raised rows that are 10 feet long and about 2.5 feet wide with paths covered in straw. I did some early fertilizing but haven't done anything in a couple months. I'll probably side-fertilize again in a couple weeks when it's not so hot.
Thats a plate full of beauty! I am an hour east of you and planted out maybe a week later, but so far I have picked one Early Girl which is finishing ripening on my counter right now. I have been eating plenty of other things from the garden, but still waiting on that first bite of fresh tomato.
Please do post an end season re-cap. I am interested to hear what types do well for you. I have Prudens Purple, Purple Russian, Stump of the World, Sabre, Rinaldo, Genovese Roma, and the Early Girls. Its my second year with tomatoes from seed too, third year with a garden. That learning curve is pretty steep - but fun to climb.
Thanks for the reply. We did in fact have a hot spell here in Sacramento, CA. a couple of weeks of 100+ degree weather.
I use about 1.5 GPH worth of emitters per plant, and currently water every other day for 25 minutes. prior to the hot spell I was watering every 3 days for 30 minutes.
I have clay soil that I have amended with mushroom compost, and I have placed mulch around the plants.
should increase the watering? I have lost a lot of lower leaves from most of the tomatoes.
A great low tech way to discourage rabbits is to tie a Jewel or Dominick's plastic bag to a stake, fence, or tomato cage near your plants. The slightest breeze makes it rustle and scares them away. It works for me every year! (Saw it in Italy and copied them:)
jessica_ I am sure some experts will be along shortly. Spraying with Daconil is an appropriate response to leaf / fungal disease. I am not surprised your Early Girl is also showing symtoms. The disease resistance many hybrids have is to soil born rather than leaf disease.
Fruit can be blotchy for several reasons but one of them is not enough ferts during the ripening stage I would agree that a dose of MG would be good. YOur tomatoes are fine to eat.
Thanks for your insight, Linda. Fertilizer it is and hopefully the weekly Daconil will head off any trouble with new leaves. I was just unsure as to whether the more infected plants would give me problem tomatoes or if I should just leave them there, ugly plant and all.
Well I won the plumbing battle, I can be a bit stubborn sometimes, and after we had done the hard part, I was NOT going to call in a plumber for the 'easy part'. In theory.
They are right back in the yard, but not the garden, but I have had it. They have NO fear of me, my cats (both elderly) or my hens (well they are mini velocoraptors) it's too hot for my dog visit, and they have just got to get gone.
Me, Miss Daisy, and a cup of coffee each morning ought to do it. I am shooting from 20-30 ft, so Miss Daisy does just fine, and is a lot more subtle first thing in the morning. Thanks for the moral support, and suggestions, and just letting me vent.
Thanks Jean and Carolyn.
We have not used any sort of herbicide or pesticide (well except a minor sprinkling of DE before flowering- we also have bees). Someone else mentioned that the curl could be from pesticides. But, I've asked my neighbors and they haven't sprayed either.
Other tomatoes also had some curliness but they grew out of it. This black cherry grew out of the first bout and has started all over again. It's not flowering much so I'm wondering if I should give it extra fertilizer? I gave it 2 tbls side dressing of 4-6-2 fox farm as I did all my tomatoes.
Juane with the black spots also has the yellowing leaves on the bottom of the plant- black spots on top and the top foliage is always wilted. I'm waiting for it not to rain at night so I can sprinkle some copper on it- amazing. No rain for weeks then sudden downpours in the evenings.
What's really amazing is I found another volunteer tomato plant- the 3rd one. 2 of which are on the other side of the yard and no where near where we planted last year. They are all flowering- though smaller than my others, and seem healthy. Crazy.
Oh- I'm assuming the copper is like anything else and has to be applied at night. Does anyone know how this affects bees?
Thanks,
Leslie
What a delightful read ! This tome takes anthropormorphism to a new level.
Coincidentally, I live (and grow a small tomato garden) just down the I-5 in Orange County and had missed the article. It's a keeper.
Now if only we could get Ms. Koss to write a whole book on the subject. Subjectively, it sure would beat some of the fantasy drivel that's currently on the market ;-)
Again, thx much for posting !
Will and the Furry Ones in the OC
Sometimes the Brandywines take a while to set fruit.....lots of blossom drop first. Probably also the heat. They will probably catch on soon along with a break in the heat.