# Early blight in tomatoes



## mtfallsmikey (Nov 10, 2015)

I let my big garden go fallow this year due to blight in the tomatoes, and potatoes, it is in the soil now, any suggestions as to how to get rid of it?


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## farmer steve (Nov 12, 2015)

hope this helps. seems like early blight is an ongoing battle. blight tolerant or resistant varieties seem to help.
https://guilford.ces.ncsu.edu/2014/...oes-what-is-it-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/


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## mtfallsmikey (Nov 12, 2015)

Good article, thanks!


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## chuckwood (Jan 10, 2016)

mtfallsmikey said:


> I let my big garden go fallow this year due to blight in the tomatoes, and potatoes, it is in the soil now, any suggestions as to how to get rid of it?



I've got a big problem with tomato blight. I've just learned that if you space the tomato plants at 4 feet apart or more, that will help. To get any crop at all in the past, what I've been doing is planting three times as much as I should need if I had healthy plants to begin with. This year I'll try something different. Spacing four feet instead of three. Pruning my plants better. Mulching with straw to prevent spores splashing up on leaves. Spraying fungicide before the blight appears. In the past, I've always started spraying after the blight shows up, and now I read that's not nearly as effective. I've been using Daconil sometimes and an organic copper spray the rest of the time. I'd prefer to use the much safer copper based fungicide, but I'm concerned that year after year of spraying copper will result in a toxic build up of copper in the soil. Daconil, as bad as it is, will at least eventually decompose into less toxic substances. Copper can't decompose, it's a mineral and will stay around for a lot longer before it gradually washes out deeper into the ground.


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## 066blaster (Jan 10, 2016)

We grow 200 plants in a large hoop house. It's hard to control fungus if you grow them outside. Anytime it rains the disease takes hold. Trim the lower leaves and branches off so they never touch the ground. Water them at ground level to keep the leaves dry. If you are gonna use a fungicide, spray before the rain comes to really keep the spore numbers down. Before and after is best. Move your garden to a new area, that alone can make a huge difference. If you grow annuals in the same place year after year you are wasting your time.


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## kantuckid (Jan 14, 2016)

mtfallsmikey said:


> I let my big garden go fallow this year due to blight in the tomatoes, and potatoes, it is in the soil now, any suggestions as to how to get rid of it?


We got it like 5 years ago and I have read extensively on the subject. I've talked to ag people too , not a good discussion.Once you have it, you have it! I've considered moving my garden as we own land but spent many years building soil in this old location. Various copper treatments help as does a season without the rains we had last year where our tomatoes drowned and died w/o any fruit at all!


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