[maverick]

Hi, I'm a novice and have grown tomato plants this year for the first time in a poly tunnel.
They were looking really healthy until I went out this morning and saw a number of stems with black on them and the leaves had a mildew look to them. I'm gutted as they were lookimg so good but now fear I'll lose the lot.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks

[Ice]

Sounds a bit like grey mould.  I would remove everything affected and get a better air flow around the plants.  Any chance of a picture?

[maverick]

Tried to add photo but it says it's too large.

I've taken two plants out entirely as they were so badly affected. I've stripped off any stems / leaves affected on the remaining plants. The fruit formed on lower trusses and the plants themselves look ok once these have been removed. I'm worried that it will spread further though and ruin the lot!

Thanks for your advice.

[Ice]

Heres some info on posting pictures.
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=19476.0

[noshed]

If it's mould it's air flow you want. Once the fruit has set you can be quite vicious about taking off leaves. Give each plant as much room as possible and water into the soil rather than splashing it about. If you've got a sheltered corner you could put some outside in the sun, at least during the day.

[maverick]

Think I've managed to attach photo now.

[Ice]

Hard to tell from the photo but I still think it's grey mould (botrytis).

[yorky]

Photo is a bit blurred but I have to agree with Ice, it looks like grey mould. Ventilation is often a problem in poly tunnels. Would it be possible for you to roll the sides up slightly from the bottem?

[maverick]

Thanks Ice & Noshed.

I think it was down to air flow. There was so much foliage, it was hard to get in there. One thing I've noticed tonight is that I have a chilli plant in there which has been in there from the start and was one I bought in B&Q. It has the black on the stems and has been like that from the start. Is it possible that this has contaminated the toms? I still think the humidity in there was far too high.

Yorky - I haven't rolled the door up as much as I should have. When I did, I felt it didn't hold enough heat? lessons to be learned I think. It's my first year though so I'm not going to get too down, steep learning curve!

Thanks again for the advice - much appreciated from a novice with no experience! Great site and forum!

I'll keep you posted as to the final outcome!

[mumofstig]

Black coloured bits on chilli plants is normal......one less thing to worry about.

It's difficult at the moment with a p/t...i never know whether to shut it up a bit to keep it a bit warmer...or open it up to let some air in (and the cold at the mo )

[lisa80]

sorry going off topic a bit but my chilli plant has lost all its lower leaves is that normal???

[peapod]

sorry going off topic a bit but my chilli plant has lost all its lower leaves is that normal???

Not that I know of, most strange..
Anyone any ideas?

[garddwr]

Hard to tell from the photo but I still think it's grey mould (botrytis).

This is what Dr Hessayon says about Botrytis:

GREY MOULD (Botrytis)

A grey furry mould appears on rotting fruit.Boytris can cause serious losses outdoors in a wet season and under glass if huimidity is high.Stems are frequentley infected,the point of entry being a damaged or dead area.
Treatment: Remove and burn infected fruit and leaves to prevent the infection of nearby plants.

Preventions: Avoid overwatering.Chemical sprays are no longer available.

[lisa80]

plant not showing any ill affects other than bottom leaves ,looks quite healthy.Its producing chillis they look ok