hi. i am new to organic gardening, i usually go for the easy fix, but after listening to discussions re: pesticides and fungacides i am definately leaning towards the organic world. my tomatoes have early blight, and while i was going to go to the store this morning and buy some ortho disease control i was wondering if there wasn't a more organic way of treating this. i have heard that milk is a natural antifungal, and that baking soda and water works on some things.... anything that will work for my tomatoes? and is ortho disease control safe to use if needed? thanks for all your help. sarah
Although i havent tried it yet myself, a product called "Serenade" is suppposed to help with all types of conditions,including Early and Late Blight, I have seen it for sale at ( Forgive me) Wal Mart, iam not sure where else it would be available. it is a pre mixed spray, that is supposed to be safe to use right up to harvest. It is available mail order from several on line retailer as well. here is the link to the "Serenade" site. www.agraquest.com
i picked that stuff up today, before i read your post. thanks though. the main ingredient is bacillius.... (sp.) which is a beneficial fungus that fights many common garden diseases. it kinda smells when i put it on, but we'll see how it works. thanks. sarah
also note that tomato blight likes plants that are wet or in high humidity conditions, and it's a soil borne problem that gets splashed up on the plants - DO NOT water the plant, water the soil, and keep the bottom leaves cut off so there's good air circulation under the plants
Some people have success controlling tomato diseases with cornmeal or cornmeal tea. A gardenweb or google search will come up with some interesting info. Also see link to another site's forum.
thick mulch also helps minimize soil splash as well as helps regulate soil temp to a balmy 70F; many wilt microbes wont thrive until higher soil temps. Something to keep in mind.
