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Every gardener dreams of getting a rich harvest. But it often happens that in a few days of planting tomatoes are covered with spots, the leaves turn brown, curl. All work wasted. The reason lies in late blight. Such a problem can threaten plantings not only in the greenhouse, but also in the open field.
The spores of the disease themselves can overwinter in the ground. It turns out that the fight must begin with the disinfection of the soil. The question is, how to cultivate the soil after an outbreak phytophthora tomatoes, interests of many gardeners. Which is better to take, chemicals or biological agents, or resort to alternative methods. Let's try to figure out how to properly and competently cultivate the soil in order to save the tomato harvest from late blight.
What is late blight
For the fight against the enemy to have an effective result, you need to know him by sight. Therefore, it is important to have at least a superficial knowledge of late blight. Not so long ago, this disease was referred to as fungal. But scientists have found that this is a special group of mycelial parasitic microorganisms. Their habitat is nightshade crops, so the places where they are grown have to be processed from time to time.
Oomycetes are mainly in the spore phase. They parasitize on diseased plants and soil. As soon as the air temperature rises above + 25 degrees, they begin to be active. They can leave their offspring even in a drop of water. Moreover, spores can be carried through the air by wind and precipitation. Therefore, it is quite difficult to avoid the presence of late blight on tomatoes.
As a rule, late blight of tomatoes is activated in July and August, when the daily temperature drops are most pronounced. If the weather is dry, the activity of phytophthora slows down.
Phytophthora affects not only tomatoes and other nightshade crops. Its spores crumble into the ground, where they can lie for a long time until favorable conditions come. Frosts are unable to destroy microspores either on plant residues or in the soil.
Known methods
Since it is almost impossible to completely get rid of tomato phytophthora, you will have to think about preventive measures. First of all, remove plant residues, and secondly, disinfect, heal the soil on the site.
There are three main methods of soil treatment that gardeners use:
- agrotechnical;
- biological;
- chemical.
Consider how they work and what tools are required.
Compliance with agricultural techniques
Since phytophthora spores can live for several years in the ground, when planting tomatoes you need:
- Observe the crop rotation.
- Do not plant tomatoes next to potatoes.
- You need to plant tomatoes at a distance so that the air can circulate freely. Watering tomatoes should be abundant, but it is impossible to bring the soil to a marshy state - for phytophthora spores, these are ideal conditions. Preventive agrotechnical measures should be taken in the fall after the tomato harvest.
- In the fall, you need to dig up the ridges where the tomatoes were grown in a moldboard way. A clod of earth with spores will be at the top. You need to dig up, deepening the shovel to the entire bayonet. If not completely, but partially, the spores can die.
- In the spring, before planting tomatoes, the soil can be scalded with boiling water by adding potassium permanganate to the water.If the land is cultivated in a greenhouse, then all the vents and doors are closed. The garden bed in the open field is covered with a film on top.
Folk ways
Phytophthora is not a new disease, our ancestors knew about it. In those days, there was no chemistry. Our grandparents invented their own methods of combating late blight of tomatoes, which gardeners still use today. If the disease is not very spiteful on the site, then they will be effective. You can use folk methods as a preventive measure - there will be no harm, since the products are fertilizers.
- One liter of fermented kefir is poured into a bucket of water. They are sprayed with tomatoes and the soil under them.
- In the fight against late blight of tomatoes, whey helps. Take an equal amount of serum and water to spray the soil and plants. You can add a few drops of an antiseptic such as iodine.
- Pour over spilled straw or hay with a bucket of water, adding a little urea. The infusion is kept for up to 5 days. Water the soil under the tomatoes every 10 days.
- Our grandmothers used wood ash for dry or wet treatment against late blight. To prepare a solution, 500 grams of ash, 40 grams of laundry soap (grate) are placed in a three-liter jar and poured with water. After the soap has dissolved, spray the tomatoes and the garden bed. Row spacing between tomato plantings can be sprinkled with a layer of ash on pre-moistened soil.
- It is good to use a solution of skim milk (skim milk) for treating soil and tomatoes. One liter of skim milk is poured into a ten-liter watering can, iodine is added (15 drops). Bring to 10 liters and water the soil under two tomatoes.
- Sow green manure in the beds.
Why are folk methods interesting? It is not necessary to wait some time between treatments. Such funds can be combined, alternated tomato processing and earth from phytophthora.
Biological methods
If late blight was not too rampant on the site, biological preparations can be dispensed with. They are safe for cultivated land, animals and humans. Among the most effective drugs used to treat soil against late blight are:
- Baikal EM-1;
- Baikal EM-5.
They must be brought into the soil two weeks before the onset of frost before digging the soil.
Gardeners consider biologically active fungicides no less valuable for cultivating the land from late blight:
- Baktofit and Trichodermin;
- Planzir and Alirin B;
- Fitosporin, Phytocide M and a number of others.
These preparations are applied in accordance with the instructions in the autumn after the soil has been dug up. In early spring, immediately after the snow melts, the treatment must be repeated.
How the land is treated with fungicides: dissolve the required amount of the substance in water and shed the soil to a depth of 10 cm.
Consider working with some drugs:
- Phytosporin is used for autumn and spring treatment of the site from phytophthora. 6 ml of the substance is added to 10 liters of water. This solution is enough for one square. Watering can be repeated during plant growth.
- Trichodermin contains active spores and mycelium of the fungus Trichoderma lignorum. Thanks to him, late blight spores die. For watering plants and soil, 100 ml is enough for a ten-liter bucket of water.
Chemistry in the arsenal of gardeners
In the case when agrotechnical methods, folk remedies and biological preparations did not help get rid of late blight, you have to use chemistry. For this, drugs with a 3 or 4 hazard class are suitable. Before treating tomatoes with chemicals, you need to carefully read the instructions.
After digging the soil in the fall of the harvest, the land is treated with Bordeaux liquid. This procedure is repeated in the spring.
The liquid contains copper sulfate, it disinfects the soil and replenishes the need for sulfur and copper. Bordeaux liquid you can spray tomatoes and treat the soil. If the spraying of plants can be carried out annually, then the soil is only once every 5 years.
You can also use 4% copper oxychloride solution, or 2% Oxychom solution.
During the planting of tomatoes, each hole is spilled with Quadris, Bravo, Hom... Any chemical product must be used strictly according to the instructions.
Only complex measures can be taken to rid the soil of phytophthora. Remember to do soil cultivation systematically every fall and spring.
It is in this layer that phytophthora spores parasitize.
How to treat the soil against late blight:
Let's summarize
Phytophthora annoys not only beginners, but also experienced gardeners. It is not so easy to get rid of this disease: the spores are very tenacious. In addition, they have the ability to be airborne from neighboring areas. As smart people say, the main thing is not to fight the disease, but to prevent it.
We hope that our tips will be useful:
- When planting plants, try to maintain a sufficient distance for air circulation.
- The lower leaves should not come into contact with the ground.
- If tomatoes are planted in a greenhouse, ventilate it constantly, do not allow high humidity. Water the tomatoes in the morning.
- Apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to strengthen the immune system of plants.
- In addition to treating the soil, decontaminate tools, bedside walls and greenhouses. Treat pegs or ropes for tying tomatoes in a solution of Bordeaux liquid.
Comprehensive soil treatment measures with various means will help grow a crop of tasty and healthy tomatoes.
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