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greengrass12

actinovate/seranade

greengrass12
12 years ago

I have been resisting the fungacide even though approved for org gardening. However, I am just sick and tired of late blight doing in my toms.

Newste's last post just reminded me of act/ser. Would appreciate hearing any experiences with these products or any other nat product especially as it relates to blight on toms.

Comments (4)

  • Ohiofem 6a/5b Southwest Ohio
    12 years ago

    You don't say where you live or how you know that you have experienced late blight. There was a devastating outbreak in the northeast in 2009 and another on Long Island last summer, but generally, LB is not widespread every year in the US. Other fungal diseases, like septoria and early blight are much more common and less devastating. In all cases, it is far more effective to prevent disease by following good gardening practices and applying fungicides regularly after planting out. In my research, I found that daconil is generally considered the most effective fungicide for nonorganic growers and copper is the best choice for organic growing. Personally, I prefer to use more benign organic products. Actinovate looks promising, and I plan to use it along with Serenade and Neem this summer. I also recommend getting in touch with a nearby county extension agency to find out what diseases are likely in your area. A great source of info on tomato pests and disease is Cornell University's website.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Lots of late blight info from Cornell

  • greengrass12
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I'm here in the NE.

    To tell you the truth I am just assuming that it is late blight. I tried to tell from pictures but one day it seems to be one disease and the next day another.

    last yr I thought my plants were looking great in july. Thought maybe that I beat the disease and then there it was.

    Anyway since it happened well into july last yr I thought that it might be late blight. The disease seems to get worse each yr. Actinovate sounds promising.

  • Ohiofem 6a/5b Southwest Ohio
    12 years ago

    A lot of disease is spread by insects. I found this on the University of Nebraska extension agency website:

    "Tomato spotted wilt virus is a disease of major concern in Nebraska. The diseases caused by this virus are widespread and have been devastating. Tomato spotted wilt virus is spread by thrips as they move from infected to healthy plants during feeding. The infected plants usually show some type of malformation that ranges from wrinkled leaves to mottled leaf patterns to severe stunting. Infected plants give little if any tomato production.

    There are no chemical treatments for plant virus diseases. To help prevent virus diseases, maintain good insect control in the garden. Also, do not use tobacco products when handling tomatoes. Tobacco mosaic virus is not a common problem but can be spread from tobacco products to tomatoes. Remove and discard infected plants as soon as they are identified. Tomato spotted wilt virus also affects many types of ornamental plants and weeds. Keep areas around the vegetable garden free of weeds, and also remove infected ornamental plants as quickly as possible."

  • greengrass12
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I spent some time combing the net for info on actinovte and found a couple positive testimonials on its behalf regarding tom blight. Looking forward to trying it. Someone even said tht it got rid of grubs in his garden. Now that would be a huge bonus for me and reason to buy it in its own right.

    I've read over and over again that it is very expensive. I don't like to spend extra money but it is no more expensive than a good organic fertilizer. I can buy enough to do over 200 plants for $13 incl ship. If I can get thru the season with 80% green plant then I will buy it every yr from here on out.

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