Content
One of the most dangerous diseases for tomatoes is late blight. The lesion covers the above-ground parts of plants: stems, foliage, fruits. If you do not take timely measures, you can lose the bushes themselves and the entire harvest. Remedies from late blight on tomatoes include special preparations and folk recipes.
Signs of late blight
Late blight reproduces by spores that persist in the soil, on garden tools, plant debris, and the surface of greenhouses.
Initially, late blight appears as a coating on the lower parts of tomatoes, which is not easy to notice. However, the disease spreads quickly and causes significant crop damage within three days.
Late blight is determined by the following characteristics:
- spots appear on the back of the leaves;
- over time, the foliage turns brown and falls off;
- tomato shoots darken and then turn black;
- Black areas appear on the fruits.
Causes of late blight
For the development of late blight on tomatoes, a certain environment is required. The spread of the disease begins when the following conditions are present:
- increased lime content;
- dense plantings;
- high humidity in the greenhouse;
- temperature fluctuations causing dew;
- weakened immunity of tomatoes.
The best ways to fight
Various methods are used to get rid of late blight. When the first signs of the disease appear, the affected areas are removed and burned. Tomatoes are treated with solutions prepared based on copper sulfate or iodine. You can also purchase special means to combat late blight on tomatoes, which are available in the form of powder, tablets or liquid.
Special preparations
To get rid of late blight, special means have been developed that can effectively combat its pathogens.
The best drugs for late blight are:
- Fitosporin-M has a systemic effect and can be used at any stage of tomato development. It is recommended to carry out the treatment on a cloudy day or at night.
- Antrakol is a contact drug that does not have a toxic effect. Provides protection for up to 14 days.
- Quadris is a product for spraying tomatoes growing in open or protected ground. For treatment, 2 procedures with an interval of 10 days are enough.
- Baikal EM - contains more than a billion microorganisms that help fight late blight. Suitable for watering and spraying.
- Trichodermin is an organic fungicide that protects the root system of tomatoes from fungal infections. An additional effect is the improvement of the soil.
Bordeaux mixture
For the treatment of tomatoes affected by late blight, it is used Bordeaux mixture. It is obtained from quicklime and copper sulfate. Plants are treated during the growing season.
A 1% solution is used for spraying. First, copper sulfate in the amount of 0.1 kg is placed in 1 liter of water. To do this, take warm water, in which the crystals of the substance dissolve much faster. Then the volume of the solution is increased to 5 liters by adding water.
In another container, 0.1 kg of lime is filled with 5 liters of water. The vitriol solution is carefully added to the milk of lime.
When spraying, the liquid should cover the leaves of the tomatoes. The product is sprayed through a spray bottle.
Copper sulfate
Copper sulfate solution is an effective remedy for the prevention of late blight. Before planting tomatoes processing the soil is exposed. To do this, prepare a 3% solution of copper sulfate.
After the final transplantation of plants, the soil is treated with copper sulfate of 1% concentration. Tomato leaves are sprayed with a similar solution.
When using copper sulfate, the specified concentrations must be observed. Otherwise, the tomatoes will get burned on the leaves or root system.
Spraying with iodine
Iodine is a universal means of combating many fungal diseases of tomatoes. This element participates in biological processes and improves nitrogen metabolism in plants.
Iodine treat tomato seeds before planting to destroy harmful spores. Before planting, it is recommended to water the soil with the addition of this element. When the first symptoms of late blight appear, the tomatoes are sprayed with an iodine-based solution.
For prevention, iodine-based treatment can be carried out every 10 days. Thus, the immunity of tomatoes increases and the process of fruit set improves.
Folk remedies
Traditional methods involve the use of improvised means to get rid of late blight. This treatment is good because all the components are completely safe. The solutions themselves are easy to use and can be combined with other remedies for late blight.
Milk serum
Sour milk contains beneficial bacteria that can resist late blight spores. Treatment is carried out by spraying tomato leaves.
For spraying, use clean water at room temperature. After contact with the leaves, the serum creates a protective film on their surface. This serves as an obstacle to harmful microorganisms from penetrating the stems, leaves and fruits of tomatoes.
The resulting solution can be used to treat tomatoes from the beginning of July. The procedure can be carried out daily.
Adding ash
Ash is a universal fertilizer for tomatoes because it contains phosphorus, potassium and calcium. Fertilizing plants with ash has a positive effect on fruiting and productivity of tomatoes.
An additional effect from the use of ash is protection against late blight. The combustion products of wood and plant residues are added to the soil before planting tomatoes. Then the tomato seedlings transferred to a permanent place are treated with ash. The following procedures are performed before flowering and the appearance of the first ovaries.
The resulting mixture should infuse for three days. Then the sediment is drained, another 20 liters of water are added and used for watering or spraying. To keep the solution on the leaves longer, add 30 g of soap to it.
Garlic sprays
Among the natural remedies for late blight, garlic stands out. Its composition includes phytoncides that can resist late blight spores and other diseases.
To prepare the solution, take 100 g of garlic (leaves, heads, arrows), which are crushed and filled with a glass of water. The product will infuse for a day, after which you need to strain it.
Treatment is carried out by spraying the bush, including the ovaries and soil. Liquid should not get on the inflorescences. For prevention, you can use garlic sprays up to 2 times per season.
Salt
Table salt has disinfectant properties and can fight fungal diseases of tomatoes.
Treatment is carried out by spraying green fruits and leaves. For prevention, the procedure is carried out monthly.
Herbal infusions
To prepare the solution, 1 kg of rotten straw is required, which is filled with 10 liters of water. Additionally, you can add a handful of urea to it. The product should sit for 3 days, after which you can spray.
Another method is to use nettle or wormwood. 1 kg of fresh chopped herb is poured with water (10 l) and left for a day. After filtering, a ready-made product for spraying is obtained.
Instead of grass, you can use pine or spruce needles.Then a liter jar of pine needles requires 0.5 liters of water, after which the product is boiled for 5 minutes. The finished solution is prepared by diluting the decoction with water in a ratio of 1:5.
Yeast solution
Yeast bacteria are able to suppress late blight in the early stages of its development. For this, a special watering solution is prepared.
First, the yeast is poured with a small amount of warm water and left in a warm place. After a few days, the resulting remedy for late blight on tomatoes is diluted with water and used for feeding.
Watering is carried out between the rows of tomatoes. An additional effect from such treatment will be an improvement in the composition of the soil, the appearance of new shoots and ovaries in tomatoes.
Copper wire
Ordinary copper can be an effective protection against late blight. wire. To do this, it is calcined over a fire and cleaned with sandpaper.
Then the wire is cut into pieces up to 5 cm long. Each piece is placed in a tomato stem at a height of up to 10 cm from the ground. The ends of the wire are bent down.
You can also place the wire in the root system of tomatoes before planting them. Due to copper, oxidation processes are accelerated, which has a positive effect on oxygen metabolism and the production of chlorophyll by tomatoes. As a result, plant immunity and resistance to late blight increases.
Prevention measures
Late blight can be avoided by taking the following measures:
- restore the natural balance of the soil by adding peat or sand;
- change places for planting;
- plant tomatoes after beets, zucchini, herbs, corn, cucumbers, onions;
- adhere to the planting pattern;
- water the plants in the morning so that moisture is absorbed into the soil;
- regularly ventilate the greenhouse;
- in cloudy weather, do not water, but loosen the top layer of soil;
- carry out fertilizing based on potassium and phosphorus;
- choose varieties that are resistant to diseases.
Additionally, greenhouses and hotbeds are treated: contaminants and plant residues are removed. Fumigation of greenhouses helps get rid of harmful spores. To do this, place a piece of wool in a bucket of smoldering coal. After fumigation, leave the greenhouse closed for a day.
Conclusion
Late blight has characteristic manifestations and can cause irreparable harm to tomatoes. To protect tomatoes, chemicals and traditional methods are used. All of them are aimed at destroying pathogens. Tomatoes are additionally processed for preventive purposes. Compliance with planting rules, creating conditions with low humidity, and regular feeding of tomatoes helps prevent the development of late blight. To achieve the best results, you can use several remedies for late blight.
