Mould

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one horned buck

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Mould
« on: January 05, 2022, 10:02 »
For the last 2 years I've had a bad problem with mould in the greenhouse. The first year my tomatoes were badly affected. It causes die back on sideshoots and if I touch it it releases clouds of spores. At the end of the first season. I completely cleaned the greenhouse inside, sprayed with 10% vinegar solution and cleaned everything that went in the greenhouse with Jeyes Fluid. The following year the problem was worse. I know the spores are in the air anyway but is there anything else I can do to minimise the problem.

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JayG

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Re: Mould
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2022, 11:17 »
Sounds like botrytis, which almost inevitably starts to appear as the season progresses and the plants become older, weaker, and with more 'wounds' through which the spores can enter and infect the plants.
Hard to avoid creating wounds, which happens every time you remove old leaves and pinch out sideshoots.

Botrytis thrives in damp, humid conditions, so the main defence is to keep humidity as low as possible, which means not overcrowding your greenhouse and paying attention to ventilation. Avoid wetting the leaves when watering, which also helps minimise the chances of blight spores germinating.

Once it does start, remove as much diseased material from the plant as is practical to slow the rate of spread.
Seem to remember reading somewhere that lemon juice painted on wounds helps to deter the fungus, but I don't really have any personal experience on how effective that is.
Sow your seeds, plant your plants. What's the difference? A couple of weeks or more when answering possible queries!

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Kleftiwallah

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Re: Mould
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2022, 11:28 »
There was a series of programmes "The Victorian Kitchen Garden"  the gardener poured tobacco juice into a copper bowl, setting it on top of a lit parafin lamp (and quickly exited the greenhouse) saying the fumes were deadly/lethal.

I mightjust give it a go,  I have some black twist!   Cheers,  Tony.
I may be growing OLD, but I refuse to grow UP !

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mumofstig

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Re: Mould
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2022, 11:51 »
Pretty sure that was to kill Aphids Klefti, it is also illegal, so we can't recommend it on the forum  ::)

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one horned buck

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Re: Mould
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2022, 19:29 »
Thanks for the replies. I'm new to the site and haven't worked out the 'like' thing yet or JayG would certainly have one.

It doesn't sound like there is much I can do to effectively stop the mould, maybe finding some way to treat the infected area after I've removed what I can. I've got some Neem Oil which works quite well in killing infections on other things. I'm not sure if it will kill the plant but If I grow a couple extra I can take the chance.

Nothing ventured....

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Yorkie

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Re: Mould
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2022, 20:21 »
Thanks for the replies. I'm new to the site and haven't worked out the 'like' thing yet or JayG would certainly have one.

If you look at a post, there's a button on the top right of it, which says Actions.  Click that to reveal a drop-down menu, which includes the Like option  :)

Quote
It doesn't sound like there is much I can do to effectively stop the mould, maybe finding some way to treat the infected area after I've removed what I can. I've got some Neem Oil which works quite well in killing infections on other things. I'm not sure if it will kill the plant but If I grow a couple extra I can take the chance.

Nothing ventured....

Do you have vents in your greenhouse? As JayG says, increasing ventilation and reducing humidity is your best strategy rather than using a lot of different and possibly unlicensed stuff on edible crops
I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days all attack me at once...

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comfreykid

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Re: Mould
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2022, 20:49 »
Do you grow in grobags and therefore have fresh compost each year ? . The mould can over winter in organic matter , so a good idea to replace with fresh each season .
Also plants under stress are more prone to botrytis , so a feed with a good range of nutrients , such as Phostrogen will help.  :)

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one horned buck

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Re: Mould
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2022, 21:07 »

If you look at a post, there's a button on the top right of it, which says Actions.  Click that to reveal a drop-down menu, which includes the Like option  :)



Do you have vents in your greenhouse? As JayG says, increasing ventilation and reducing humidity is your best strategy rather than using a lot of different and possibly unlicensed stuff on edible crops

I thought it might be there but when I click on it (L or R) no drop down menu appears. Maybe it's because I'm new to the site.

I have side vents and roof vents, the roof vents are automatic and the side vents are open day and night for most of the time. During the day I leave the double doors open from early to late.

The tomatoes are grown on a Quadgrow system which puts the plants quite close together in my view. Maybe that is the problem. I grew chillies for the first time this year, they are smaller plants than tomatoes, maybe alternating them might be advantageous.

Half the pleasure in growing things is overcoming problems.

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mumofstig

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Re: Mould
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2022, 21:27 »
I don't think the pots are big enough in these systems, no matter how much water is provided at the bottom, the top roots will still dry out very quickly, in my experience.
I prefer to use 15L buckets, i got mine from Wickes IIRC..

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sunshineband

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Re: Mould
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2022, 09:48 »
Botrytis is rife with insufficient ventilation and starts on dead or dying material, so maintaining a good air flow and making sure you take out any dodgy looking leaves, stems, flower buds or fruit immediately will help a lot

Also, not overcrowding plants helps with air flow, and I always feel it is better to have fewer but healthier and more productive plants in an under cover space than lots stuffed in

I have learned this the hard way, and so now, when given un unexpected gift of a tomato plant or two (or more!) but have already got the number I grew to fit the space, plant these extras somewhere outside to take their chances
 
Also, if I have had to chop up any mouldy looking stems etc, follow the RHS advice about dipping the secateur blades in very dilute bleach, which I keep in a cleaned out old screw top container than had powdered fabric whitener in it. It last all season.
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