blight

Hi to you all.
Just joined the forum as I have an on going problem with blight in my green house. Three years ago I aquired the green house and set out with much enthusiasm and great excitement, taking care to erect it in the correct location (as per the book). Planted with tomatoes and sat back wathching the fruits swell. Then OMG! blight took hold and I have the problem each year since. I have kept the green house well ventilated even sprayed the plants with an anti fungal mixture (Dithane) but despite my efforts I have this morning had to destroy three of my fruit laden plants. I am at my wits end contemplating giving up and pulling the green house down. But before I do, this is my last roll of the dice, any suggestions please
Regards from one fed up Swansea gardener
Brian

 

That's really bad luck getting Blight in the greenhouse - it more often effects plants outside.

I don't know if your area is prone to blight? This Summer and last have been particularly bad with a wet, humid July.

There are other things you could grow in your greenhouse (probably not the answer you are looking for though ...). I have Cucumber, Melon, Sweet and Chilli Peppers, Aubergine and also Sweetcorn [just finishing now, as the outdoor ones start, but they have been fantastic] and I also grew an early crop of French beans (Runners a bit more difficult as they have to be pollinated, which the French ones don't)

 

If there has been no general outbreak of blight in your area (check by asking around) it would seen likely that the spores are present in the soil in your green house and get splashed up onto the plants and into the air when watering.
This autumn/winter you could try digging out the soil to a depth of 6 or 9 inches and replacing it with fresh compost.

 

"If there has been no general outbreak of blight in your area"

There is also a blight map, details here:

http://www.gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/showthread.php/blight-map-21523.html?p=332263#post332263

 

Thanks for all the replies and advice, Dave the first year I had this disease I slabbed the floor area and cleaned thoroughly with Jays fluid. Then the following year used grow bags, still got it. Last year lifted the slabs, dug out the old soil and replaced with good quality compost ready for this year (again cleaned with Jays fluid) but it's back again despite spraying with Dithane (though this does seem to have slowed it down). JWK, no I use mains water and all the infected material I remove from site and take it to the tip. Kirsten the map is v. usefull thank you. I'm off for a pint now to drown my sorrows.
Kind regards, Brian.

 

"Do you collect rainwater for your greenhouse like me? If so don't splash it on the leaves, maybe consider using mains water instead."

Interesting point John. I've been thinking about putting leaky-hose down in the greenhouse (I kinda have 3 rows of plants either side of the path, so I figure that 3 lines of hose would give everything an even watering). That would keep the water-butt water off the leaves ... but I expect I would need some very fine filtration so as not to block up the leaky hose.

 

The best (I think!) trap for debris in Rainwater is the WISY filter. This uses a vortex to force the water outwards through the filter, whilst allowing the water to also flow through the middle core - which has the additional action of cleaning the filter. 90% of the water is "caught"

http://www.wisy.de/eng/eng/fs.htm (They do other models - e.g. for underground instead of in-line in the downpipe)

About US$ 500 :(

Either way, I think its going to need a very fine in-line final filter.

 

Brian, you say you used Jeyes. Did you clean all the glass, the framework and any staging as well?:gnthb:

 

Yes dai, I used the power spray loaded with diluted Jays - washed the lot down and went over the glass with a sponge soaked in the stuff for good measure. I'm just wondering, I attended that "Grow your own" show in Cardiff earlier on in the year, Terry Walton was there (they gave out free seeds) one of which was a pack of tomato seeds. Could it be they were dodgy? BTW one of my out side tom plants are showing symptoms now (from same pack of seeds). Just a thought hmmmmm

 

I don't think Blight transmits via seeds ... but I could be wrong!

 

"so maybe its possible it can transmit in a tomato seed"

Could they get the seeds out from an infected crop? The fruit would be mush in double-quick time, wouldn't it?

I don't know how they harvest the seed, maybe they jsut liquidise the fruit and separate out the seeds, in which case I suppose they could do that before they noticed the plants were infected.