Blight Research - June 18, 2021

 

I was so disheartened to find what I believe to be blight on the tomato plants.  I mean, I've done almost everything humanly possible to prevent it:  landscape fabric and pine straw mulch to prevent back-splash, a hog-wire fence for staking them so that the limbs are spread out for the best air flow, cut off anything touching the ground.  I would sprayed fungicide sooner - preventatively, you know - except that it rained and rained and rained, which would have washed off whatever I sprayed on it.  But I was ON IT as soon as we got a break in the rain.  Of course, by that time I was seeing signs of blight.

So I cut off everything that looked faintly yellow.  Some of what I cut off may have been yellowed from too much rain, and not from blight.  In any case, I hauled the debris safely away from the garden.  Probably should have burned it instead of pitching it down the gulley.  Will do that in the future.

As for spraying, because I don't like scary chemicals, I tried what seemed a more natural remedy for blight:  baking soda, cooking oil, and dish detergent.  I hosed the plants well.  Couple of days later, more yellowing of the leaves, some with definite blighty spots.  I cut off the blighted leaves, hauled the debris away, and hosed the plants with baking soda again, and a couple of days later, more of the same yellowing/spotting.  

Time to pull out the "big guns": liquid copper fungicide.  Mixed a mild pesticide with it to kill off some little mite-y things I thought I was seeing (didn't have my glasses on).  

This evening, I saw a couple more yellowing leaves. 

Shit.

So I came home and did more searching.  Found a guy that advocates using a mixture of 8-12 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide (the 3% stuff you buy at the store) with a gallon of water.  The peroxide is supposed to KILL the fungus.  Two days later (like a Monday-Wednesday-Friday thing), follow up with something like the baking soda spray, which makes the environment too acidic for the fungus to grow.  

I shall try this peroxide thing.

First, I have to figure out why my sprayer is acting like a turd.  I watched videos of people spraying their plants with little 1-gallon sprayers that DRENCHED the plants.  Now, I have bought loads of sprayers, most of which lie abandoned in the garden shed (the rest went in the garbage can).  Tired of wasting money on the cheap plastic things, last year, I paid $80 for a metal 2-gallon sprayer, thinking it would never, ever fail.  Instead of a nice mist, though, I'm getting dribbles.  I've cleaned out the nozzle; it sprays like mad in all four directions when the tip (which I've also cleaned) is off.  The dribbling seems to be coming from between the nozzle and the hose.  There are little felt o-rings between all the parts, and they seem worn.  Can these things be bought at the hardware store?  Are they brand-specific?  Can I just cut replacement circles of felt from my craft stash?  

Burning questions for tomorrow.  :-/