Is there anything practical that can be done? My couple of container-grown
'Patio' tomato plants produce loads of tomatoes, more than I can use
actually, but they all invariably develop the typical sunken then darkened
spots of anthracnose at about the time they ripen properly. Even those that
look OK quickly turn when brought into the kitchen. I use fresh commercial
planting mix every year so the disease should not be from that source. All
I can figure is that it is 'in the air' since we have had a large
percentage of our native dogwoods succumb to anthracnose in recent decades.
Every year is seems that some plague or another attacks my tomatoes -- I'm
about ready to give up on fresh tomatoes.

On 7/18/2016 8:56 AM, John McGaw wrote:
Is there anything practical that can be done? My couple of
container-grown 'Patio' tomato plants produce loads of tomatoes, more
than I can use actually, but they all invariably develop the typical
sunken then darkened spots of anthracnose at about the time they ripen
properly. Even those that look OK quickly turn when brought into the
kitchen. I use fresh commercial planting mix every year so the disease
should not be from that source. All I can figure is that it is 'in the
air' since we have had a large percentage of our native dogwoods
succumb to anthracnose in recent decades. Every year is seems that
some plague or another attacks my tomatoes -- I'm about ready to give
up on fresh tomatoes.

You can apply a preventative fungicide application at regular
intervals to prevent it from happening next year.

http://soilplantlab.missouri.edu/pla...fungicide.aspx

On 7/18/2016 9:56 AM, John McGaw wrote:
Is there anything practical that can be done? My couple of
container-grown 'Patio' tomato plants produce loads of tomatoes, more
than I can use actually, but they all invariably develop the typical
sunken then darkened spots of anthracnose at about the time they ripen
properly. Even those that look OK quickly turn when brought into the
kitchen. I use fresh commercial planting mix every year so the disease
should not be from that source. All I can figure is that it is 'in the
air' since we have had a large percentage of our native dogwoods succumb
to anthracnose in recent decades. Every year is seems that some plague
or another attacks my tomatoes -- I'm about ready to give up on fresh
tomatoes.

I'm having the same problem. Maybe spraying in advance next year might
prevent it but I hear once in the soil there is nothing to do except
replace the soil. I replaced all of mine on deck 10 ft above ground
level but it appears to be back. Often wonder if source might be nursery
supplying seedlings. If you are having same problem maybe it is the plants.

I usually grow full size plants but nursery talked me into buying patio
tomatoes and watering less. Yield this year will hardly make it worth it.

There is a guy on a main road only a mile away that plants heirlooms and
sells tomatoes with no problem. I had talked to him about this and the
University of Delaware had told him once the fungus was there only
solution was to completely replace the soil. I've been through spraying
and once started seems to never stop. I cloned a couple of his
heirlooms but still got some fungus.

On 7/18/2016 1:14 PM, Frank wrote:

I'm having the same problem. Maybe spraying in advance next year
might prevent it but I hear once in the soil there is nothing to do
except replace the soil.

Fungus spores can be spread by wind, rain, creatures. It most commonly
is found in the soil, and gets splashed up onto the plant leaves with
rain or watering, so mulching helps minimize it. Also space the plants
widely to minimize transmission between plants.

There used to be a soil fumigant available for retail sale that
completely killed everything in the soil. It was useful in the last
resort and would provide fungus-free gardening for several years
before the spore counts invariably increased again. But it was taken
off the market, as it was quite hazardous to handle.

On 7/18/2016 2:40 PM, Moe DeLoughan wrote:
On 7/18/2016 1:14 PM, Frank wrote:

I'm having the same problem. Maybe spraying in advance next year
might prevent it but I hear once in the soil there is nothing to do
except replace the soil.

Fungus spores can be spread by wind, rain, creatures. It most commonly
is found in the soil, and gets splashed up onto the plant leaves with
rain or watering, so mulching helps minimize it. Also space the plants
widely to minimize transmission between plants.

There used to be a soil fumigant available for retail sale that
completely killed everything in the soil. It was useful in the last
resort and would provide fungus-free gardening for several years before
the spore counts invariably increased again. But it was taken off the
market, as it was quite hazardous to handle.


I do toss waste from plants off the deck near the house to just mulch
down with the tree bark near the house. Maybe not far enough. Also
used old dirt from pots on the lawn so maybe have contaminated the whole
area. Figured 10 ft up in the air was far enough.

I've got 0.8 acre lot but over the years shade and deer have chased me
into gardening on the deck so maybe I'll just quit.

John McGaw wrote:

Is there anything practical that can be done? My couple of container-grown
'Patio' tomato plants produce loads of tomatoes, more than I can use
actually, but they all invariably develop the typical sunken then darkened
spots of anthracnose at about the time they ripen properly. Even those that
look OK quickly turn when brought into the kitchen. I use fresh commercial
planting mix every year so the disease should not be from that source. All
I can figure is that it is 'in the air' since we have had a large
percentage of our native dogwoods succumb to anthracnose in recent decades.
Every year is seems that some plague or another attacks my tomatoes -- I'm
about ready to give up on fresh tomatoes.

hmm, we get some disease and i've never
bothered to spray because it is just a
natural part of things. i'm not sure what
disease it is. i just call it late blight
because it happens after mid-summer. we
plant in rotation each year for tomatoes,
doesn't matter if i mulch or not, or if i
water the leaves or not, eventually it happens.

this year, no fungi showing up yet, but will
be along sooner or later.

open up the air flow, remove leaves affected
as soon as you see them and hope that's it.

if you do not get full sun that is the
most likely problem for a lack of production
aside from the other common factors.

most years 20-30lbs of tomatoes per plant.
beefsteaks. by the time the disease has
affected the plant enough to stop production
we're done anyways harvesting and processing
the tomatoes that make it.

the lack of rains this year is about all
that is affecting things. a lot of flowers
on the plants now. i ring their chimes when
i water.

the cherry tomato plant is not putting on
many flowers. i can't eat them anyways so
i'm not too concerned.

we did have buckeye rot a few years ago.
lost a lot of fruit but we still had some
harvest. i'm pretty sure that was the time
that the disease came in with the plants.
we've not seen it before or since.

our nighttime humidity gets high enough
for dew fall most summer nights, sometimes
later in the season we'll have fogs settling
in our area.


songbird

On 7/18/2016 9:56 AM, John McGaw wrote:
Is there anything practical that can be done? My couple of container-grown
'Patio' tomato plants produce loads of tomatoes, more than I can use
actually, but they all invariably develop the typical sunken then darkened
spots of anthracnose at about the time they ripen properly. Even those that
look OK quickly turn when brought into the kitchen. I use fresh commercial
planting mix every year so the disease should not be from that source. All
I can figure is that it is 'in the air' since we have had a large
percentage of our native dogwoods succumb to anthracnose in recent decades.
Every year is seems that some plague or another attacks my tomatoes -- I'm
about ready to give up on fresh tomatoes.

I thought that I had it bad until the hornworms showed up a couple of days
ago. The first sign was grooves eaten into the surface of first one tomato
then a couple more. I found a couple of the nasty little things (well not
so little actually -- one was the size of my index finger) and killed those
manually and then I broke out the dusting gun and treated the plants. I
dislike using insecticides but if the tomatoes are going to last long
enough to be ruined by anthracnose I had to do something...

John McGaw wrote:
....
I thought that I had it bad until the hornworms showed up a couple of days
ago. The first sign was grooves eaten into the surface of first one tomato
then a couple more. I found a couple of the nasty little things (well not
so little actually -- one was the size of my index finger) and killed those
manually and then I broke out the dusting gun and treated the plants. I
dislike using insecticides but if the tomatoes are going to last long
enough to be ruined by anthracnose I had to do something...

we go out and pick them off in morning before they
hide for the day. often they can be found by looking
on the ground for fresh droppings.

none have shown up yet this year, but usually it is
about this time we'll see damage from them.


songbird

On Fri, 22 Jul 2016 15:08:07 -0400
songbird wrote:

John McGaw wrote:
...
I thought that I had it bad until the hornworms showed up a couple of days
ago. The first sign was grooves eaten into the surface of first one tomato
then a couple more. I found a couple of the nasty little things (well not
so little actually -- one was the size of my index finger) and killed those
manually and then I broke out the dusting gun and treated the plants. I
dislike using insecticides but if the tomatoes are going to last long
enough to be ruined by anthracnose I had to do something...

we go out and pick them off in morning before they
hide for the day. often they can be found by looking
on the ground for fresh droppings.

I pick them off when ever I find them Morning and evening seem to
be the best times though...

I can't bring myself to put anything like that on stuff I'm going to
eat. The weeds in the driveway cracks, poison ivy along my trails...
that's fair game for nuking.

none have shown up yet this year, but usually it is
about this time we'll see damage from them.

A bit farther north, none here yet either...

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

On 7/22/2016 3:08 PM, songbird wrote:
John McGaw wrote:
...
I thought that I had it bad until the hornworms showed up a couple of days
ago. The first sign was grooves eaten into the surface of first one tomato
then a couple more. I found a couple of the nasty little things (well not
so little actually -- one was the size of my index finger) and killed those
manually and then I broke out the dusting gun and treated the plants. I
dislike using insecticides but if the tomatoes are going to last long
enough to be ruined by anthracnose I had to do something...

we go out and pick them off in morning before they
hide for the day. often they can be found by looking
on the ground for fresh droppings.

none have shown up yet this year, but usually it is
about this time we'll see damage from them.


songbird


I spray with a safe insecticide whenever they appear. They can strip a
plant fast and their green color makes them very hard to see. When you
see one there are probably more. I hear their moth resembles a
hummingbird in flight.