Tomato Blight

Protect Your Tomatoes from Blight – How to Identify, Treat, and Prevent Tomato

April 07, 20235 min read

As a passionate home gardener, you know that tomatoes are among the most popular fruits to grow in your backyard. But did you know that blight can be a major problem for tomato plants? Blight is caused by fungus and can quickly spread through your garden, leading to the loss of many fruits before they're ripe. The good news is that there are several ways to identify, treat, and prevent tomato blight – so don't despair! In this blog post, we'll discuss everything you need to know about identifying, treating, and preventing tomato blight so you can protect your delicious homegrown tomatoes from ruin.

How to identify, treat and prevent blight

What is Blight and why does it affect Tomatoes

Tomato blight is a term used to describe plant diseases that weaken and ultimately kill tomatoes. This is primarily caused by two types of fungi – Phytophthora infestans and Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. michiganensis - which, when they latch onto tomatoes, can stunt growth or stop it altogether. In some cases, these fungi can cause lesions on the fruit while in other cases they can rot the entire crop. To protect against tomato blight, home gardeners should practice good sanitation around the tomato plants – this means removing old foliage, debris, weeds, and other materials that serve as habitats for these fungi. Additionally, it is important to rotate crops annually or use a beneficial bacteria like EM-1® to treat the soil, so as not to allow areas in the garden where infected plants have been previously grown to become homes for these destructive organisms.

How to Identify Signs of Blight in Your Tomato Plants

Knowing the signs of blight in your tomato plants can help you take quick action to protect your garden. Early signs of blight include discolored or distorted leaves, yellow spots, and brown patches. As it spreads, it scorches parts of the plant while leaving other parts untouched. You may also notice white spots on the foliage which are yet another sign of blight. To stop the spread of this disease, you need to remove any dead plants or infected leaves immediately and space out your healthy tomato plants for better airflow during rainy spells. By taking these steps and keeping a close eye on your tomatoes for such issues, you can proactively protect your garden from blight.

Natural Remedies for Treating Tomato Blight

Tomato blight, an ailment that affects the foliage and fruit of tomato plants, can be discouraging for any home gardener. Fortunately, natural remedies are available to help control this disease, preserving both the quality and abundance of your crop. Organic solutions like adding compost or mulch, using companion planting with crops known to deter fungal growth, and applying EM-1® microbial as a foliar spray at regular intervals can all help protect your tomatoes against blight. Pruning infected leaves can also reduce the spread of the disease. With many affordable and accessible natural solutions available, treating tomato blight doesn't have to be a difficult challenge for home gardeners.

Tips for Preventing Tomato Blight in the Future

Three of the best tips for preventing tomato blight in the future are rotating crops, drenching the soil and foliar spraying with a beneficial microbial solution like EM-1®, and using certified disease-resistant tomato varieties. Crop rotation is an essential practice, if you don't use EM-1®, for managing soil-borne diseases such as blight, as it helps disrupt the spread of disease-causing organisms. If you use EM-1® this is not necessary as one of the major beneficiaries of EM-1® is photosynthetic bacteria. In the soil, they've been shown to increase root growth and produce sugars that feed other beneficial bacteria. When sprayed on the leaf surface, they produce phytohormones, protective molecules that increase growth while helping plants defend against environmental stresses, reducing the risk of root rot, temperature stress, pest attack, and diseases. Using disease-resistant varieties has also proven successful in controlling or preventing tomato blight, especially in cases where there is a history of disease on the property. For these methods to be effective, they must be practiced consistently and correctly. Taking preventive measures like these today can reduce the risk that tomato blight will return in the future.

Additional Resources for Dealing with Blight on Tomatoes

If your tomatoes are suffering from blight, it may seem like a daunting task to restore them to health. However, there are a variety of options available for remedying this problem. First and foremost is the use of beneficial microbes - spray-on treatments - which can be used to eliminate existing pathogens and protect against future ones. Additionally, physical barriers such as foil or shade cloth can often stop the spread of disease and lessen overall damage. Mulching with straw or other organic materials can help retain moisture and reduce the amount of water needed for successful tomato growth. Lastly, planting resistant varieties that have stronger tolerance to blight can help keep your plants healthy over time. With these simple strategies in place, you will have an improved chance of successfully dealing with blight on your tomatoes.

Blight can be a difficult and detrimental problem to deal with in tomato plants, but with the right knowledge and useful tips, you can make sure your tomatoes remain free of disease. Learning how to identify signs of blight, treat it when necessary, and effectively prevent it in the future are all important pieces of maintaining a healthy tomato garden. Remember soil health is essential for providing your plants with essential nutrients and vitamins for dealing with diseases and pests. Regularly watering your plants with a beneficial bacteria like EM-1® microbial inoculant will ensure that diseases like blight will not be able to spread. With these helpful tips and resources, you should be able to have a blooming tomato garden in no time.


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