Saving tomatoes from late blight: folk remedies that will help effectively overcome the disease

Tomato late blight is an insidious disease caused by the Phytophthora fungus. The danger of infection lies in the lightning spread of spores in warm and humid weather. The fight against late blight requires a consistent approach and a combination of various methods.

In this article, we have prepared for you a list of effective folk remedies that allow you to get an environmentally friendly harvest. We will talk about methods for preventing the infection of tomatoes in open and closed ground.

The danger of late blight

Phytophthora infestans is a fungus that reproduces by zoospores. Translated from Latin it means “destroying plants.” The name speaks for itself; the fungus completely destroys the plant tissue it enters. Causes a disease - late blight. Most often, nightshades (potatoes, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes) are infected.

The spores spread quickly in high humidity conditions and can cause irreparable damage to farms. Signs of late blight appear in early July. During this period, the most favorable conditions for the growth of the fungus develop: high air humidity (above 75%), temperature fluctuations day and night, abundant morning dew.

Reference. In dry and hot weather, the development of the disease stops, and the spores themselves quickly die in the heat.

Signs of late blight damage to tomatoes:

• dark brown spots on leaves, stems and fruits;
• white fluffy coating on the back of the leaves;
• deformation of tomatoes.

The photo shows tomato leaves affected by late blight.

Rules for processing with folk remedies

Traditional methods of treating late blight tomatoes require a special approach. Before you start spraying your crops, experienced farmers recommend testing this or that product on several bushes to determine its effectiveness.

Rules for processing tomatoes from late blight using folk remedies in open ground and in a greenhouse have some differences.

In the open ground

Tomatoes growing outdoors are less likely to become infected with late blight in conditions of low humidity and high air temperature. Infection occurs during periods of prolonged cold weather and heavy rains.

Treatment with folk remedies is carried out in dry and warm weather, in the evening, to prevent sunburn on the leaves. Products based on kefir or whey can be used even daily; they are absolutely safe for plants.

In the greenhouse

When growing tomatoes in greenhouse conditions, it is undesirable to use chemicals, since the crop ripens constantly. In this case, it is recommended to pay attention to traditional methods that are safer for human health, but no less effective.

Before irrigation, the bushes are carefully inspected and affected leaves, stems and fruits are removed. Initially, the plants are irrigated every three days. Then they switch to preventive treatment - once every 1.5-2 weeks.

Important! Products containing copper are used only in extreme cases and individually. The excess accumulates in tomatoes.

The best folk remedies

Getting rid of late blight and obtaining environmentally friendly products is possible only by using folk remedies.

Late blight quickly gets used to the drugs, so you often have to experiment and combine formulations. What worked great last year may be completely useless next year. The fight against late blight with folk remedies will be successful if the proportions for the solutions are strictly observed.

Milk serum

Whey from sour milk is diluted in settled water in a 1:1 ratio. Spraying is carried out every three days starting in July.

Yeast

For 10 l. water, take 100 g of pressed yeast and completely dissolve. The product is used from the moment signs of late blight are detected.

Infusion of garlic and potassium permanganate

100 g of garlic cloves are crushed and poured into 250 ml. warm water. Leave for 24 hours, filter, bring the volume to 10 liters. and add 1 g of potassium permanganate. The bushes are treated once every 10-14 days. Consumption per plant – 500 ml.

Horsetail infusion

150 g of fresh or 100 g of dry raw materials are poured into 1 liter. water and simmer over low heat for half an hour. Then add 5 liters. water and cool to room temperature. Use to treat bushes once every 1.5-2 weeks.

Saline solution

One faceted glass of rock salt is dissolved in 10 liters of water. Used for preventive treatment of plants, first removing affected foliage, stems and fruits.

Soda

Dissolve 1 tbsp in 5 liters of water. l., soda, 1 tsp., liquid soap and add 3 tbsp. l., vegetable oil. The prepared solution is used to spray bushes once a week.

Milk and iodine

For 10 liters of water, take 1 liter of low-fat milk and add 20 drops of iodine. The bushes are treated once every 14 days. The product not only effectively fights late blight, but also promotes the growth of green mass.

Copper sulfate

50 g of crystal are diluted in a glass of water and the volume is adjusted to 5 liters. It is advisable to use the product during the day, since the solution cannot be stored for long periods of time. A fresh portion is prepared before each treatment.

Copper sulfate applied in several stages:

1. The first treatment is carried out before sowing the seeds. The soil is moistened with a solution of 3% (30 g per 1 liter of water) using a spray bottle once.
2. The second treatment is carried out before picking the seedlings into separate containers. 24 hours before transplanting, moisten the soil with a 1% solution (10 g per 1 l).
3. The third treatment with a 1% solution is carried out when transplanting seedlings into the ground. Consumption per hole – 1 liter.
4. Quadruple processing is carried out at the stage of tomato formation. The green mass is irrigated with 0.5% (5 g per 1 l) liquid.

Boric acid

10 g dissolved in 10 liters of hot water boric acid and add 30 drops of iodine. The bushes are treated once every two weeks.

Wood ash

For 10 g of water take half a bucket of ash. Stir thoroughly and leave for three days. Then add 50 g of laundry soap shavings and mix again. Use the solution three times: after planting seedlings in the ground, before flowering, after the formation of ovaries.

Infusion of rotted hay

For 10 liters of water, take 1 kg of hay, a handful of urea and leave for three days. Then the infusion is filtered and used to irrigate the bushes once every 10-14 days.

Kefir

1 liter of low-fat kefir is left in a warm room for 48 hours. The fermented fermented milk product is diluted in 10 liters of water and used to treat the bushes once every 14 days, after planting the seedlings in the ground. If the summer is wet, treatment is carried out every week.

Copper wire

Copper has a strengthening effect on plants and protects against late blight infection.In practice, wire with the thinnest cross-section is used. The material is cut into pieces 3-4 cm long and the stem is pierced at the very bottom. Adult plants with stronger stems are subjected to this treatment. To prevent injury and stunted growth, wire should not be wound around bushes.

Tinder fungus

The dry mushroom is twisted in a meat grinder or finely chopped with a sharp knife, and poured with boiling water (100 g of tinder fungus per 10 liters of water). Cover the container with a lid and leave to brew. After cooling, the liquid is filtered and used to treat the bushes once every 1.5 weeks.

Processing frequency

Folk remedies are most effective when used as prophylaxis, before plants become infected with late blight. The first treatment is recommended to be carried out before the ovaries appear with a frequency of up to three times a week. Preventive spraying is carried out once every 1.5-2 weeks.

Advice. Alternate treatment with folk remedies to achieve the best result.

Preventive measures

To prevent the spread of late blight spores and protect tomatoes, it is recommended to follow the following preventive measures:

1. Autumn treatment of greenhouses with sulfur bombs.
2. Spring disinfection of soil with copper sulfate.
3. Control nitrogen levels in the soil and restore the natural balance using peat and coarse sand.
4. Moderate watering.
5. Frequent loosening of the soil.
6. Stepping and thinning.
7. Mulching the soil with sawdust and pine needles.
8. Ventilation of greenhouses.
9. Covering beds in open ground with spunbond (agrofibre made from environmentally friendly polypropylene).
10. Timely application of potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.
11. Compliance with the principles of crop rotation (the best predecessors of tomatoes are white and cauliflower, zucchini, legumes, pumpkin, onions).
12. Soaking seeds collected by hand in a solution of “Fitosporin” or “Phytodoctor”.
13. Treating holes for seedlings with boiling water or a hot solution of potassium permanganate.

Farmers' advice

We recommend using the recommendations of experienced farmers to combat late blight:

1. Provide dry air and moderate watering in the greenhouse.
2. After planting seedlings, mulch the soil with sawdust, pine needles or peat.
3. Keep vents and doors open for pass-through design.
4. Water the bushes strictly to the roots.
5. Do not allow condensation to accumulate on the walls of the greenhouse.
6. Water the bushes in the evening with warm, settled water.
7. Do not water in cloudy, damp weather.
8. Choose the most late blight-resistant hybrids and varieties.
9. Pay attention to tomatoes with early ripening and fruit yield. They simply do not have time to become infected with late blight.
10. Immediately remove and burn affected stems, leaves and fruits, and disinfect the tools.
11. Monitor the level of nitrogen in the soil. Its excess promotes infection.
12. Try not to plant tomatoes in the same place every year. Areas where potatoes, peppers and eggplants were grown are not suitable for planting.
13. To replant tomatoes in a greenhouse, sow beans, peas, and lentils in the fall.

Read also:

Will brilliant green for tomatoes help against late blight and how to use it correctly.

How and with what to treat tomatoes against late blight in a greenhouse.

Conclusion

Infection of tomatoes with late blight is easier to prevent than to fight it. The main condition is compliance with the rules of planting seedlings and caring for them.Preventive measures will minimize the harmful effects of the fungus and preserve the harvest.

Folk remedies, when used correctly and following the rules for preparing solutions, are no less effective than chemicals. A combination of different compositions and alternating treatments with garlic, milk, salt, herbal infusions with boric acid and copper sulfate will help cope with the scourge.