Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: DD. on May 07, 2015, 19:00
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DON'T PANIC!!!! There no outbreaks shown yet, but with an eye on the current damp weather, and it warming up, I thought it worthwhile starting this year's thread.
Blight map here:
http://www.potato.org.uk/fight-against-blight/blight-incidents
There is general information in the Growing FAQs and other Information section on blight, but some of this is now out of date with the withdrawal of the products mentioned therein, but I've currently left it in as there will still be some floating around.
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=56717.0
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Warming up?? not here it isn't.
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Well, it has actually started to warm up again, but as they say it's and ill wind........ With a cooler spring, there are still no reported outbreaks. This time last year, there were already quite a few dots on the map and we were getting Smith Period warnings.
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=114740.msg1319040
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Didn't quite make it into June unscathed, but there's still a chance as it's currently just a suspected case in the Shrewsbury postcode area.
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:ohmy:
Better dig out my Blightwatch scout's kit >:(
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Phew! Spot has gone green - "blight not detected".
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Not sure I have ever suffered from potato or tomato blight.
But just tried that map, selecting the SE map.
Does not seem to show anything, its a bit small to use or see anything anyway.
The id/outbreak/variety/reported/source/area/result black up/down buttons at the bottom do nothing.
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The buttons have nothing to show until blight is reported, anyway.
Are you looking at it on a PC or laptop - cos it's not a bad size map on my laptop :unsure:
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The buttons have nothing to show until blight is reported, anyway.
Are you looking at it on a PC or laptop - cos it's not a bad size map on my laptop :unsure:
On the biggest I have at the moment, a 21" screen (1600x1200 resolution) its a 4" by 4" map.
There does look like a lot of tiny dots, but none seem selectable.
Would be a better idea to have it pinned on a google map.
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You can always use the zoom if you would prefer it bigger.
The small black dots are just to mark the towns, any blight warning dots are coloured and easy to see, when they occur. :)
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I found potato blight in our allotment , mine just started to show the brown spot and the plot next to me are much worst, I am in Cambs.
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Take some pictures, perhaps we can tell you what is there, but I doubt it's blight as there is no confirmed or suspected blight in England yet.
Look at the link in the first post above.
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Ok , I will try to remember to take one tomorrow if it is not raining. I did ask some people in the allotment and they told me that was blight.
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Theses are the photos I took from different plots today.
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Looks, to me, like it may be Target spot (Early Blight) which is nowhere near as bad as Late Blight.
http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/pot62.html
and
http://jbaseedpotatoes.co.uk/info/potato-pests-and-diseases/target-spot-potato-disease/
Late blight tends to look a bit wet, with a white fungal ring around the dark patches, with black patches on the stems and the plants collapse within days.
I'd pick off any affected leaves and see what happens over the next few days. If they do start to collapse then strip the tops off completely and burn or bag up for the tip (don't compost them) Leave the potatoes under the soil for a couple of weeks and try to dig up on a dry day.
Good luck
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Was just about to post the same Mum, especially looking at the pictures on the right.
Early blight is not as serious as late blight, although if it affects many leaves the size of the crop can be affected.
Slight chance it could also be magnesium deficiency - you could try watering with Epsom salts to be on the safe side (about a tablespoonful per gallon) - it won't hurt them either way
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The photo on the left could be early blight. The golden rule to distinguish early from late is that early blight never crosses a leaf vein, whereas late blight does.
The photo on the right is classic magnesium deficiency. Like yellow fingers between the veins which go dark brown. You will not cure those with Epsom salts now but it will keep other leaves green. Looking again it could be suffering from early blight as well.
Magnesium deficiency usually appears on older bottom leaves.
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Thanks for all the advice and the link from mumofstig , I learned something new today. I didn't know the difference between early blight and late bright, now I know. I did remove all the problem leaves.
In the last 2 years ,none of us got any tomatoes due to the blight and I hope this year will be ok.
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Have had a little early blight but lesions today definitely crossing a leaf vein :(
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Of course keep an eye on it, but Blightwatch has still only confirmed 2 cases to date, 1 in Scotland and 1 in Kent.....
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That is reassuring but it definitely looks worse than the early blight. All leaves now picked and burnt. I will keep an eye on things and send a picture if it progresses.
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My spuds have been looking ropey for a few weeks now and I have been told by a couple of other plot holders that they have blight. Early blight maybe, but they have not collapsed in days, which is what happens with blight proper.
The same people have sent at least one plot holder into a frantic digging up session. I dug a whole bag of lovely clean Charlottes up at the weekend, but the rest of the rows are still in and still looking ropey. She was a bit pig sick she had panicked with hers ;)
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i see theres blight in margate kent....maybe get the spray out tomorrow what do yoy think
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I sprayed my tomatoes today. Conditions are perfect for blight!😟
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Unless there's blight near you, there's really not much point in spraying.
As posted above there's only 1 confirmed case of blight so far.
Have you registered with Blightwatch, so they can email you if there's a Smith period in your area?
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sprayed my toms with Bordeaux mix about 1 week ago. Can't handle the heartache of seeing my lovelies wiped out in days.
Sprayed last year twice and got a bumper crop. No blight, maybe a couple of suspicious looking lesions towards the end of the season.
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One more confirmed case now - on the Isle of Wight.
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Today the only cases of blight are in AB 30 postcode Aberdeen area, KA6 postcode Ayr area, CT12 postcode Margate area and PO30 postcode the Isle of Wight.
So unless you live nearby there's no need to panic :D
Up to date I've not had any Smith period warnings, either. So far so good!
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Nothing received here, either.
The map is as spot free as I can ever remember. I think there's a bit of unnecessary panicking at the moment.
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Smiths Period alert notified in this area this morning.
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Nothing received here, either.
The map is as spot free as I can ever remember. I think there's a bit of unnecessary panicking at the moment.
Not all people who have it report it. Someone from Wales on another forum has posted pictures of late blight on their PFA.
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Had a warning yesterday and today just waiting for it to be honest.
dug a few second earlies today and they could do with a bit longer.
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I have just found out that one of my neighbours has had blight 4 years running and has it now on his tomatoes, he is just four doors away from me, very worried!! Monkseaton just outside Whitley Bay, Dave NE
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In a greenhouse or outside?
More likely Botrytis in a greenhouse.......
There is no confirmed blight in your area, according to Blightwatch :unsure:
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Hes a very experienced grower MOS so I have no need to doubt him, we talked about cross contamination but he said that he steam cleaned the green house then treated with Jeyes fluid, the same with any containers/pots/buckets etc and he used fresh good quality compost and we agreed that there was little more he could have done, he is pretty gutted and thinks this will be his last year with tomatoes, such a shame, Dave
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Just had our first warning in Manchester.
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Of local blight or of a Smith's period?
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Smith period. (Should've said.) :)
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Full Smith period here too. Keeping an eye out...
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My outdoor toms went down with it this week. Lost the lot :(
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Full Smith alert in TW9 & TW10 received today from Blight alert. However all looking okay at the allotment this morning and perhaps if we have a dry week-end it will go away.....
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And in my part of Kent too :(
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Full Smith period today. NG9
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It had to happen with all that rain ::)
Smith period ere as well, but no blight nearby.
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The map says no blight in my area. Can someone tell my potatoes :(
Sarpo mira badly affected and my pink fir apple are causing concern.
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Picture please ;) Sarpo shouldn't be 'badly affected', so I wonder if it is something else :unsure:
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Sorry all affected bits have been burnt. The leaves looked exactly like those on the blight website and the worsely affected stems were slimy. There was something I read about new strains of blight and i wonder if SM is resistant to these. I will post a picture if things begin to deteriorate again.
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Sarpo are resistant, not immune, so it probably is blight.
Pink Fir Apple have low resistance to blight.
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A farmer friend called last Saturday and, looking at my potatoes, he was very pleased to see no sign of blight. Yesterday there was black spots on the leaves - commentators curse - grrr....
This is the first time in 50 years of vegetable growing that I have had blight and I am extremely careful about rotation and clean crops. I suppose it had to come sometime.
Malcolm
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Dear Oakridge, I too garden in South Yorkshire, near Rotherham, and our allotments are cursed by blight. This year has been one of the better years; we have seen outbreaks of blight but it has not "run", possibly due to the chilly nights checking its spread. I have managed to keep my spuds in the ground for the full duration and have even produced a fine crop of "Ratte". If you would like any advice on coping with blight, let me know. Happy gardening, Trunky
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Fancy that, I too am on the outskirts of Rotherham. Small world isn't it?
The potatoes are Roseval and a white maincrop of unknown variety but only the Roseval are affected. I have cut all the tops off and I am digging up the crop. I saw it very quickly so there is no evidence on the potatoes themselves. I have a large area to play with so I can grow in a place not used for any crop previously.
And thank you very much for your kind offer.
Malcolm
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Blight has struck three of the tomato cultivars: Nikolayev's Yellow Cherry, Yellow Pear and Nectar Rose. All the others are OK so far.
Managed to get all the potatoes in safely a couple of weeks ago, thank goodness.
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Nice to hear from a fellow "Rovrummer" Oakridge; I am on Rotherham road allotments, on the outskirts of Maltby. You acted correctly, if late blight really takes hold cut the haulms off and burn them or put them in your "green bin". Leave the tubers in the ground for a couple of weeks for the skins to harden, so as not to infect the tubers as you lift them through the infected soil. "Roseval" has poor blight resistance which accounts for your infection.
I will offer my advice, please do not be offended if it is unsolicited.
The modern strains of blight persist in the soil so crop rotation is imperative.
Grow mainly first earlies, chit them and plant early, this will ensure a crop even if blight strikes. My potato of choice is "Casablanca". First earlies will keep otherwise we would not have seed potatoes.
Grow blight resistant varieties, e.g. "Orla" or the Sarpo varieties, if you like the taste.
At the first sign of blight pull of any infected leaves being careful not to touch any healthy leaves or tomato plants afterwards. Burn these leaves or put them in the green bin.
Spray the plants with fungicide.
We can not beat blight but we can work round it.
Our allotments back onto farmland so we get most diseases/ pests going; it certainly hones ones skills!
Kind Regards, Ian
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Thank you very much for your very helpful reply Ian. It's a pity about Roseval having poor blight resistance as it has a jolly nice taste.
I have 1.25 acres available to 'play' with of which about a third is in real use, the rest is a brambles and bracken battleground. I am gradually eating into the rough areas so I can plant potatoes on virgin soil next year.
If you would like to come and see what I do you are very welcome.
Malcolm
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Thank you for your invitation Malcolm; I would like that. Ian
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Gaah! I thought it was going all too well.
My neighbour's tomatoes must have been hit by blight a little while ago, the whole bed is black and dead. And still all there....My outdoor toms now have patches of blight (though obv might not be from the neighbour!) so I've come home with a massive tray of green toms and will start looking for chutney recipes.
At least it will give the Crimson Crush toms a test.