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Every gardener dreams of getting a rich harvest. But it often happens that within a few days the planting of tomatoes becomes covered with spots, the leaves turn brown and curl. All the work is in vain. The reason lies in late blight. This problem can threaten plantings not only in a greenhouse, but also in open ground.
The disease spores themselves can overwinter in the ground. It turns out that the fight must begin with soil disinfection. The question is what to treat the soil after an outbreak late blight tomatoes are of interest to many gardeners. What is better to take, chemicals or biological agents or resort to traditional methods. Let's try to figure out how to properly and competently cultivate the soil in order to preserve the tomato harvest. from late blight.
What is late blight
In order for the fight against the enemy to have an effective result, you need to know him by sight. Therefore, it is important to have at least a superficial knowledge of late blight. Not so long ago, this disease was classified as fungal. But scientists have found that this is a special group of mycelial parasitic microorganisms. Their habitat is nightshade crops, so the places where they are grown have to be processed from time to time.
Oomycetes are mainly in the spore phase. They parasitize on diseased plants and soil.As soon as the air temperature rises above + 25 degrees, they begin active life. They can leave their offspring even in a drop of water. Moreover, spores can be carried through the air by wind and precipitation. Therefore, it is quite difficult to avoid the presence of late blight on tomatoes.
As a rule, late blight of tomatoes is activated in July and August, when daily temperature changes are most pronounced. If the weather is dry, late blight activity slows down.
Late blight affects not only tomatoes and other nightshade crops. Its spores fall into the ground, where they can lie for a long time until favorable conditions arise. Frosts are not able to destroy microspores either on plant remains or in the soil.
Known methods
Since it is almost impossible to completely get rid of late blight in tomatoes, you will have to think about preventive measures. First of all, remove plant residues, and secondly, disinfect and improve the soil on the site.
There are three main methods of soil treatment that gardeners use:
- agrotechnical;
- biological;
- chemical.
Let's look at how they work and what tools are required.
Compliance with agricultural technology
Since late blight spores can live for several years in the soil, when planting tomatoes you need to:
- Maintain crop rotation.
- Do not plant tomatoes next to potatoes.
- Tomatoes need to be planted at a distance so that air can circulate freely. Watering tomatoes should be plentiful, but it is impossible to bring the soil to a swampy state - these are ideal conditions for late blight spores.Preventive agrotechnical measures should be taken in the fall after the tomato harvest.
- In the fall, you need to dig up the ridges where tomatoes were grown using the moldboard method. A lump of earth with spores will appear at the top. You need to dig, deepening the shovel to the full bayonet. Even if not completely, but partially, the spores may die.
- In the spring, before planting tomatoes, the soil can be scalded with boiling water by adding potassium permanganate to the water. If the soil is cultivated in a greenhouse, then all the windows and doors are closed. A bed in open ground is covered with film on top.
Traditional methods
Late blight is not a new disease; our ancestors knew about it. There was no chemistry in those days. Our grandparents invented their own methods of combating tomato late blight, which gardeners still use today. If the disease is not very aggressive in the area, then they will be effective. You can use traditional methods as a preventive measure - there will be no harm, since the products are fertilizers.
- One liter of fermented kefir is poured into a bucket of water. They spray tomatoes and the soil underneath them.
- Whey helps in the fight against late blight of tomatoes. Take an equal amount of serum and water to spray the soil and plants. You can add a few drops of an antiseptic such as iodine.
- Rotten straw or hay should be filled with a bucket of water, adding a little urea. The infusion is kept for up to 5 days. Water the soil under the tomatoes every 10 days.
- Our grandmothers used wood ash for dry or wet treatment against late blight. To prepare the solution, 500 grams of ash, 40 grams of laundry soap (grate) are placed in a three-liter jar and filled with water. After the soap has dissolved, spray the tomatoes and the garden bed.The row spacing between tomato plantings can be sprinkled with a layer of ash on pre-moistened soil.
- It is good to use a solution of skim milk (skimmed milk) for treating soil and tomatoes. One liter of skim milk is poured into a ten-liter watering can and iodine (15 drops) is added. Bring it up to 10 liters and water the soil under two tomatoes.
- Sow green manure in the beds.
Why are folk methods interesting? It is not necessary to wait any time between treatments. Such means can be combined, alternated tomato processing and soil from late blight.
Biological methods
If late blight is not too rampant in the area, you can get by with biological preparations. They are safe for cultivated land, animals and humans. Among the most effective drugs used to treat soil against late blight are:
- Baikal EM-1;
- Baikal EM-5.
They must be added to the soil two weeks before the onset of frost before digging the soil.
Gardeners consider biologically active fungicides no less valuable for cultivating land against late blight:
- Baktofit and Trichodermin;
- Planzir and Alirin B;
- Fitosporin, Phytocide M and a number of others.
These preparations are applied according to the instructions in the autumn after the soil has been dug up. In early spring, immediately after the snow melts, the treatment must be repeated.
How to treat the soil with fungicides: dissolve the required amount of the substance in water and spill the soil to a depth of 10 cm.
Let's consider working with some drugs:
- Phytosporin is used for autumn and spring treatment of the area against late blight. Add 6 ml of substance to 10 liters of water. This solution is enough for one square. Watering can be repeated during plant growth.
- Trichodermin contains active spores and mycelium of the fungus Trichoderma lignorum. Thanks to it, late blight spores die. To water plants and soil, 100 ml per ten-liter bucket of water is enough.
Chemistry in the arsenal of gardeners
In the case where agrotechnical methods folk remedies and biological preparations did not help get rid of late blight, you will have to use chemistry. For this purpose, drugs with hazard class 3 or 4 are suitable. Before treating tomatoes with chemicals, you need to carefully read the instructions.
After digging the soil in the fall of the harvest, the soil is treated with Bordeaux mixture. This procedure is repeated in the spring.
The liquid contains copper sulfate, it disinfects the soil and replenishes the need for sulfur and copper. Bordeaux mixture You can spray tomatoes and treat the soil. If plants can be sprayed annually, then the soil can be sprayed only once every 5 years.
You can also use a 4% solution of copper oxychloride, or a 2% solution of Oksikhom.
When planting tomatoes, each hole is watered with Quadris, Bravo, Homom. Any chemical must be used strictly according to the instructions.
Only comprehensive measures can rid the soil of late blight. Remember that soil cultivation must be done systematically every autumn and spring.
It is in this layer that late blight spores parasitize.
How to treat soil against late blight:
Let's sum it up
Phytophthora annoys not only beginners, but also experienced gardeners. This disease is not so easy to get rid of: the spores are very tenacious. In addition, they have the ability to be transported through the air from neighboring areas. As smart people say, the main thing is not to fight the disease, but to prevent it.
We hope that our advice will be useful:
- When planting plants, try to maintain a distance sufficient for air circulation.
- The lower leaves should not come into contact with the ground.
- If tomatoes are planted in a greenhouse, ventilate it constantly and avoid high humidity. Tomatoes need to be watered in the morning.
- To strengthen the immune system of plants, use phosphorus and potassium fertilizers.
- In addition to treating the soil, disinfect tools, bed walls and greenhouses. Treat pegs or ropes for tying tomatoes in a solution of Bordeaux mixture.
Comprehensive measures for treating the soil with various means will help grow a crop of tasty and healthy tomatoes.
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