Prevention
A great treatment for Late Blight is
EXEL, a broad-spectrum bio-rational systemic fungicide for the use on
turf, fruit trees, ornamentals, flowers and
vegetables. Produced by
Organic Laboratories EXEL is an all natural product.
- Preventative and curative: EXEL cures and prevents a wide variety of
difficult to control diseases. Including Pythium and Phytophthora
(responsible for root rot), leaf and stem blights, leaf spots, rusts,
powdery mildew, downy mildew, sudden oak death and many others.
- Systemic: a foliar or root application will work through the entire
plant to prevent disease and attack any existing disease above and below
ground.
- Biostimulant: once inside the plant, EXEL increases plant metabolism
resulting in increased plant vigor, faster growth, more bloom, and
increased yield.
- Nutritional: EXEL also give a nutritional boost of potassium and
phosphorous - essential nutrients for quality plant growth.
- Safe: EXEL is an EPA registered fungicide with minimal impact on the
environment, re-entry time is as soon as sprays have dried upon the
leaves.
Serenade is a OMRI listed product that also controls late blight as well as
bacterial spots, powdery mildew, rust, gray mold, scab, and more. This
fungicide attacks harmful garden diseases on roses, vegetables, fruits,
flowering plants, trees, and shrubs. Unlike sulfur-based disease control
products, Serenade is non-irritating to skin and lungs. And, unlike neem
oil-based products that can injure plant foliage, there is no weather or
timing restrictions limiting its application. If is completely non-toxic to
bees and beneficial insects.
Late
blight won’t overwinter in Northeast!
Late
blight (Phytophthora infestans) has caused big headaches for vegetable
gardeners. But, some good news is: Late blight won’t overwinter in the area,
except in infected potato tubers according to UConn Home and Garden
Education Center.
Experts
say late blight won’t overwinter in the area, except in infected potato
tubers.
The pathogen, Phytophthora infestans,
survives in living tissue and will be killed by freezing temperatures.
Late
blight will not survive the winter on any part of the tomato plant, in the
soil, or on alternate weed hosts, such as nightshade.
Therefore,
you do not need to be concerned about your soil harboring this pathogen and
creating a source of infection for next year.
Tomato fields can
be harrowed or plowed down as usual at the end of the season before planting
a cover crop. For extra protection, tomato stakes can be stored under a tarp
in the sun for a week or two to help deactivate spores or dipped in a (10%)
chlorine bath in the spring.
Late blight will
only survive the winter in infected tubers. Potato growers must take great
care next year to manage volunteer plants that emerge from this year’s
fields or this whole late blight cycle can start all over again. Tubers can
be left on the surface and will be killed by freezing temperatures this
winter.
However, buried
tubers can produce infected plants next year that must be destroyed early
before the spores start to spread. Kill volunteer plants with
post-emergence herbicides or cultivation equipment.
