Preventing Late Blight in Gardens, with Risk Update!

[digitS']

This may be of help to some of you this year:

Preventing Late Blight in Gardens, University of Massachusetts Extension

Steve's digits

 

[Ridgerunner]

Good to know on the volunteer potatoes. Thanks.

I wonder if they are depending on the freezing weather to disinfect the stakes and such or will the spores just not last that long without a living host? I did not clearly understand why the equipment was considered safe.

I remember when I lived outside New Orleans I would sometimes have tomatoes live through the winter. I'd guess that there are tomato relatives in the warmer climates like that which might harbor the blight over winter. Not a cause for me to worry but I'm thinking of others that might have a cause for concern. I know the article said the infected plants were distributed from Ohio to Maine, but it sure seemd like the late blight hit a lot more areas, like my brother in Tennessee.

 

[digitS']

Here is an OSU/USDA map showing Late Blight risk in the US.

Don't move the In/Out any higher than about 30% so that you can see the entire US. You can than drag the map to center your area and get a little closer.

Lots of green pins so far .

http://uspest.org/risk/tom_pot_map

Steve

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi Steve,
Thanks a lot for all the info.....it helped a whole lot in answering some of my, by now confused, ideas.

I feel a lot more secure now. You always manage to find just the right links at the right time........



Hattie

P.S. I had my first ripe tomato of the season today -- a Sungold F1 cherry tomato.....small but worth the wait.......lots more to come this week.

 

[boggybranch]

I've been checking this map, off and on, for a while, now. They have my area listed as "Low Conditions", yet everyone that I know is have to deal with late blight. Don't think they are updating the information.....or not getting it at all.

Hey Hattie.....Sooooo glad to hear that you got your first, of many, tomato. Hope you and the chickens are doing well.

 

[digitS']

The information on the OSU/USDA map is based on weather conditions. The updating is from NOAA weather stations.

The most recent news information on actual cases of infestations I can find on the internet is from Greenhouse Management & Production magazine on July 7th and initially and ongoing from the University of Massachusetts. They have updated info as of July 22nd. The reports are of late blight in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Kentucky, Louisiana, Florida, Manitoba, and Massachusetts.

People in the Southeast should submit samples for confirmation through the Southern Plant Diagnostic Network and Auburn University. County Extension agents are responsible for reporting occurrences of late blight.

Steve