BSMGA
  • HOME
    • PROJECTS >
      • BOYS & GIRLS CLUB GARDEN
      • NEW HOPE CEMETERY
      • NETREC-HOMESTEAD GARDEN
    • PICS >
      • PLANT SWAP
  • ASK US!!!
  • BACK TO BASICS
  • MONDAY MUSINGS
  • GRAFTING WORKSHOP
  • JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST SERV!
  • SMALL FRUIT & HOME ORCHARD SERIES
  • HOME GARDEN VEGGIE TRIALS
  • TN SMART YARDS
  • BEEKEEPING
  • MEET THE MASTERS
  • UPCOMING EVENTS
  • GARDEN RESOURCES
    • TEMG'S
    • UT HORT
    • SOIL TEST
    • COMPOSTING
    • UT EXTENSION
    • FRUIT SUPPLIER RESOURCE LIST
  • BSMGA MEMBERS PAGE
    • BSMGA SCHEDULE of EVENTS
    • SOWING THE SEEDS OF SUCCESS
    • GOOGLE DRIVES >
      • INTERN DRIVE
      • BSMGA DRIVE
      • LEADERSHIP DRIVE
      • HOME GARDENERS DRIVE
    • ENTER HOURS HERE

The "Goins-On" in the Garden, Part II

7/8/2016

Comments

 
Well, the rain finally arrived and with it brought a multitude of new problems in the garden!  We have gone from dry to wet in just a matter of days and vegetable plants are showing us the signs...

Here are few things happening in Greene County gardens this week!

TOMATOES

​Two major fungal blights that regularly wreak havoc on tomatoes are Septoria leaf spot and early blight, caused by the fungus Alternaria solani. Both of these fungal diseases are present this year throughout the state. A third disease, Late Blight, is caused by the fungal-like organism, Phytophthora infestans. These three tomato diseases are spread by spores that require dew or rain to infect the plant and thus they are most severe under wet conditions.
Septoria Leaf Spot
Picture
Picture
​Septoria leaf spot is caused by the fungus Septoria lycopersici and usually appears on the lower leaves after the first fruits set. Initially the fungus causes numerous, small, roughly circular spots, scattered randomly over the leaf. Spots enlarge to a size of approximately 1/16 to 1/4 inch in diameter with dark brown borders and tan or light colored centers. Septoria leaf spot is sometimes confused with bacterial spot of tomato. The presence of fruiting bodies of the fungus, visible as tiny black specks in the centers of the spots, confirms Septoria leaf spot. The fungus is spread by splashing water and by working among the plants when they are wet. Heavily infected leaves will turn yellow, dry up, and drop off. Fruits are rarely infected however, defoliation due to infection by Septoria leaf spot may result in sunscalded fruit. This fungal disease overwinters on diseased leaf material.
Early Blight
Picture
Picture
Early blight, caused by the fungus Alternaria solani, also appears on the lower leaves, usually after fruit set. The spots are dark brown to black and distinguished from Septoria by their larger size and concentric rings that develop in the spot forming a bull’s eye. The leaf area around each target spot turns yellow, and soon the entire leaf turns yellow and drops. Early blight fungus also infects stems and may produce stem cankers. It occasionally attacks the fruit, producing large sunken black target spots on the stem end of the fruit. Infected fruits often drop before they mature. This disease is most common late in the growing season. The fungus overwinters on old tomato vines.
Late Blight
Picture
Picture
​Late blight, caused by the fungal-like organism Phytophthora infestans, occurs in moist weather with cool nights and moderately warm days. Dark-green to nearly black wet-looking areas develop on leaf margins, spreading in from the leaf edge. In wet weather, the spots produce a downy, white growth of mycelia and spores on the lower leaf surface. Fruits also become blighted. Late blight is usually seen first on shoulders of tomato fruit as gray-green and water-soaked lesions that enlarge and turn dark brown and firm, with a rough surface. When conditions are favorable, the disease may progress very rapidly. 
Management Options
​Management of these tomato blights includes both cultural as well as chemical measures:
  • Reduce the severity of these diseases by using healthy transplants and rotating crop placement in the garden.
  • Plant tomatoes in the same place only once every two or three years.
  • Space plants and use cages to provide maximum air circulation in order to reduce leaf wetness.
  • Remove infected lower leaves and discard to help reduce the amount of disease present.
  • Water at the base of the plants to avoid splashing of water that will spread spores.
  • Avoid watering with overhead sprinklers in late afternoon or evening to prevent excessive moisture retention on foliage. If the plants stay wet all night, leaf spot infections are more likely to occur.
  • Remove and destroy infected tomato vines in the fall.
  • Plow or till to bury the remaining crop refuse.
  • Clean up tomato cages in the fall before storing for the winter to avoid reintroducing infected plant tissue into the garden next spring.
  • Use fungicides when needed. These diseases spread rapidly and are difficult to control once established. Fungicides must be applied BEFORE disease becomes widespread on leaves and reapplied throughout the growing season. Retail products containing the active ingredient chlorothalonil or manzate help reduce the spread of these foliar blights if applied on a regular basis. Be sure to follow all label directions.

Click HERE for more info!

Comments

    Authors

    Melody Rose

    Categories

    All
    Fruits
    Garden
    Landscape
    Lawn
    Master Gardener

    Archives

    July 2020
    May 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    July 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    RSS Feed

Big Spring Master Gardener Association, The University of Tennessee Extension, Greene County 37745
  • HOME
    • PROJECTS >
      • BOYS & GIRLS CLUB GARDEN
      • NEW HOPE CEMETERY
      • NETREC-HOMESTEAD GARDEN
    • PICS >
      • PLANT SWAP
  • ASK US!!!
  • BACK TO BASICS
  • MONDAY MUSINGS
  • GRAFTING WORKSHOP
  • JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST SERV!
  • SMALL FRUIT & HOME ORCHARD SERIES
  • HOME GARDEN VEGGIE TRIALS
  • TN SMART YARDS
  • BEEKEEPING
  • MEET THE MASTERS
  • UPCOMING EVENTS
  • GARDEN RESOURCES
    • TEMG'S
    • UT HORT
    • SOIL TEST
    • COMPOSTING
    • UT EXTENSION
    • FRUIT SUPPLIER RESOURCE LIST
  • BSMGA MEMBERS PAGE
    • BSMGA SCHEDULE of EVENTS
    • SOWING THE SEEDS OF SUCCESS
    • GOOGLE DRIVES >
      • INTERN DRIVE
      • BSMGA DRIVE
      • LEADERSHIP DRIVE
      • HOME GARDENERS DRIVE
    • ENTER HOURS HERE