To control anthracnose, use a fungicide that contains chlorothalonil, mancozeb or copper once a week. Wet weather helps this disease to develop on fruit that touches the ground. This appears as sunken circular spots on the tomato the spots will increase in size and the center darkens. If you stop spraying before the first frost, destroy all affected plants as explained previously.Īnthracnose is a fruit rot caused by the fungus Colletotrichum coccodes. Start a weekly spraying program with a fungicide that contains chlorothalonil, maneb, mancozeb or copper. Then discard them with your regular garbage.

Put these in a plastic bag, tie off, and leave in the sun so they are killed. Work aggressively to control late blight: when plants are dry, gently, remove all affected leaves and fruit if you are not gentle, the spores will become wind borne. Do not pull plants out of the ground as this will release spores into the air and they will infect other plants. The heat and sunlight will kill the plant and the disease then you can discard this with your regular garbage. Then place a large plastic bag over each plant cut the plants down to the ground. If you choose to destroy all late-blight affected tomato plants, pick off all undamaged mature green fruit to ripen at a later time. You cannot leave the plants alone and hope for a happy ending this disease will spread rapidly. Late blight is a very serious problem you must decide to destroy all the plants or work hard to control further outbreak. The spots are large, greasy gray, and measure about 1 to 2 inches this infection increases in wet weather. Late blight affects both fruit and leaves. These leaves wither and die, leaving the fruits to be sun-scalded, and the tomatoes do not develop good color. Septoria leaf spots are dark with the center becoming light brown to whitish.īoth early blight and Septoria leaf spot affect the oldest leaves. Early blight appears as dark, brown spots with concentric rings. Tomatoes also suffer from several leaf spot diseases: early blight, late blight and Septoria leaf spot. This hormone will kill or severely weaken tomato plants grown nearby. These trees secrete a toxic hormone called juglone.

Walnut trees will also cause wilting of tomatoes and many other plants. This is also true for other nightshade plant members: peppers, eggplant, potatoes.Īt the garden center or nursery, look for tomato varieties that are resistant to fungal wilts, they will have V or F after the variety name.Īfter harvest, remove and discard plants please do not put diseased plants in your compost bin! Since these are soil-borne fungi, it is best to rotate, each year, where your tomatoes are grown. These fungi are in your soil the plant wilts and dies. There are verticillium and fusarium fungi. Also, let's consider how we can best prevent or control any outbreaks. Since you care so much for your tomato crop, let's discuss some of the potential diseases your plants can contract. Tomatoes are the most popular cultivated plant in home gardens in the United States. Is there anything that tastes better than a vine-ripened tomato from your own garden?

Tomato blight fungicide