There is nothing more frustrating than having your tomato plants succumb to blight right before they produce tomatoes. Here is how I have naturally controlled tomato blight in my garden.
It is really important to diagnose your plants to know if they actually have tomato blight. Here is what tomato blight is and what it can look like.
What is tomato blight
Tomato blight is a fungal disease that attacks the tomato plant usually starting from the lower leaves and working it's way up the plant.
Blight on tomatoes often causes the leaves to curl producing blotches of brown on the leaves, stems, and tomatoes. The leaves will often yellow before they brown and completely die.
When tomato fruits get infected with blight they will turn brown and they often rot while still attached to the plant.
Preventing tomato blight
Preventing tomato blight is the best way to keep it out of your garden. Here are some natural ways to prevent blight.
Mulch
Tomato blight is a soil borne disease which is why it works its way up the plant from the ground. When it rains the soil will get splashed on the tomato leaves which causes a blight infection.
To prevent this I like to put a layer of mulch around my tomato plants. You can use straw, dead leaves, or grass clippings for a natural mulch.
This layer of mulch prevents the soil from splashing on the plants.
Pruning
Another way to prevent blight is to prune the lower leaves off your tomato plants. These lower leaves will touch the soil and cause the blight to get on the tomato.
I prune off all the lower leaves of my tomato plants to keep them off the ground.
Biofumigation
Biofumigation is a method that most gardeners don't know about. While it is used on larger farms, gardeners usually don't use it.
Biofumigation is simply applying a solution of water and brassicas to your plants and soil to kill off bad soil life. You can read more about using biofumigation in your garden here.
Crop Rotation
Rotating where you plant your vegetables every year is a great practice to grow healthy plants and keep diseases and fungal issues at bay.
If you have issues with blight don't grow the next year's tomatoes in the same spot.
Airflow
Blight can also be caused by a lack of airflow around your plants. If you have had issues with blight make sure to plant your tomato plants farther apart in the garden.
Disease Resistant Varieties
If you are having issues with tomato blight in your garden consider growing disease resistant varieties. Most people think that the only disease resistant tomato plants are hybrids, but this is not true.
Here are some heirloom tomato varieties that are blight resistant.
Peron Tomato
The Peron Tomato is a slicing and canning tomato that was bred to be disease resistant.
Martino's Roma Tomato
This roma tomato is perfect for salsas and pastes because of it's meaty texture. This variety is especially resistant to early blight.
Grow healthy plants
Plants that are already unhealthy are more susceptible to blight. Growing healthy plants can help prevent blight in your tomatoes.
I like to give my tomato plants compost, compost tea, fish emulsions, and other organic fertilizers to keep them healthy.
If you have extremely dry weather you can also water your plants to keep them healthy.
Treating blight
If you already have blight on your tomato plants here are some natural ways to cure your plants.
Milk
Did you know that milk has antibacterial and antifungal properties? To treat blight on your plants you can mix a solution of 40% milk and 60% water.
I drench the plants with this solution a few times a week to slow the blight.
Pruning
Cut off all the infected leaves and fruit and get them out of your garden. Don't compost these scraps as they may spread blight.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide can also help kill blight on your tomatoes. Mix 7 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide with a gallon of water.
Spray your plants with this solution till the leaves drip. You can continue spraying the plants once a week until you notice the blight has stopped spreading.
Compost Tea
Make your own compost tea, and water your plants with this solution. Compost tea is full of beneficial organisms that can protect and strengthen your tomato plants.
Biofumigation
Biofumigation can be both a preventative and a treatment for tomato blight. Here is how you can biofumigate your tomato plants.
Can My Plants Recover From Blight
It is possible to slow and even stop blight from taking over your tomato plants, however they will still be affected. After a tomato plant gets blight it may grow less vigorously and produce less fruit.
The best thing to do is prevent tomato blight altogether.
Does Tomato Blight Spread
Yes, tomato blight can spread from tomato plant to tomato plant. This is why taking care of blight early on is so important.
If you notice blight on your tomato plants use one of the above natural tactics to cure it before it spreads to all of your plants.
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