Everyone knows how much work needs to be done in order to grow tomatoes. Late blight, as one of the most formidable nightshade diseases, can nullify all the effort spent. This dangerous infection causes a special kind of fungus - Phytophthora infestans, whose spores are distributed mainly by the wind and through rainwater.
The main signs of late blight are brown spots on the edges of leaves and fruits, stripes of the same color on the stems, and white plaque that appears on various parts of nightshade, in particular, such as potatoes, eggplant and tomatoes. Late blight significantly reduces the yield of these crops, and it is very difficult to deal with it. Infection of tomatoes usually occurs after infection of potatoes, which in this case is the primary source of infection. Therefore, in no case should you plant tomatoes next to it.
Most summer residents know that it is much easier to prevent than then treat such an unpleasant disease as late blight of tomatoes. Prevention consists, first of all, in burning tops in autumn and thorough digging of beds. In addition, it is necessary to carry out treatment with fungicides, Bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate (0.1% solution). The last two drugs (optional) are used a week before carrying seedlings to a permanent place.
Fungicides are used according to the instructions in the event that the first signs of a disease of a plant such as tomatoes appear. Blight affects them towards the end of summer, so it is advisable to use early ripe tomatoes for growing. In this case, the crop can be harvested before the plants are infected. Another good preventive measure can be considered spraying tomatoes with tincture of garlic. To prepare it, take 50 g of this burning vegetable per liter of water. Plants are treated every fifteen days, starting from the time the first ovaries appear.
The fight against late blight of tomatoes can be carried out by trimming infected stems and leaves. Strong plants are less susceptible to infection. Therefore, it is important to provide tomatoes with proper care.
In the process of growing, you must strictly observe all the necessary technologies - weed and feed plants on time, as well as conduct proper watering. In the event that the summer was rainy, you need to moisten the soil under the tomatoes as rarely as possible. The fact is that late blight most often affects plants in moist areas.
If the disease nevertheless massively affected tomatoes - late blight did not recede, one should try to save at least some share of the crop. To do this, remove green fruits from the bushes, under the skin of which there are no brown spots, and lower them into water heated to 60 degrees for two minutes. After that, the tomatoes are removed and transferred to a sufficiently warm place for ripening.
Thus, in order that late blight does not become a real problem on the site, it is imperative to take a number of measures - periodically treat the plants, choose the right place for planting, and take good care of them.