Have I got the first signs of Tomato Blight...??

[mew]

Ive noticed that my toms (growing in my greenhouse) the lower leaves are going a yellowy colour and some have a very pale browny colour on them. Could this be the start of tomato blight? Ive had a look on the web and the pictures they are showing dont at the moment represent the look of the leaves on my toms as the pics on the web show really dark brown spots and crumpling of the leaves where its died, but I suppose it has to start some how and just wondered if the first signs were a very pale brown/biegey colour?

Ive snipped of what I can but wondered if anyone could shed any light on this and what I can use to help and also help with getting the leaves (the lower few at least) back to a healthy green colour.

I dont water the leaves only the base of the plants but I do more often than not water when I get home about 6pm ish as and when needed depending on the weather and ive read on the web that its best not to water in the evening.

Please help

Thanks
MEW x

[Wombat]

Hey Mew!

How old are the toms?

This happens to me all the time, when they are getting towards full growth. It appears to be a mite of some descritpion and I get some control with sulphur. They will kick back on again. Dry weather (and it will always be dry in the greenhouse) seems to favour them.

I water when I can too and still get tomatoes. I have read that is is better to water at night......

Nev

[mew]

Hi Nev

The plants are about 4 foot tall but have no toms on them yet just flowers.

Whats your honest opinion? Could it be blight or something else

What about the leaves going a little yellow too, could they be missing some nutrients?

I havent fed them yet as I was told its best not to feed until they start to flower (which they are just about starting to, so I guess I could feed them now) - I have some organic seeweed and comfrey fertilizer i could use... dyou think might help with they yellowing of the lower leaves?

thanks again

MEW x

[Millymollymandy]

My tomatoes always had yellowing leaves starting at the bottom of the plant and by the time they were in full 'fruit' all the leaves would be yellowy/brown and crinkled. Doesn't seem to affect the fruit though.

[ina]

It's perfectly natural for them to have some yellowing or brownish leaves - the bottom ones are the oldest, so they'll go yellow first. As long as it's not the new leaves being affected, I wouldn't worry.

[red]

any chance you could have got water on those lower leaves when watering? that can encourage a mould type thingy that whilst not ideal, is not the end of the world

if the leaves are yellowing between the veins.. might be magnesium deficiency.. which can be sorted with an organic tomato feed

[SueSteve]

I dont think its blight, mine are yellowing too, I think its just the weather!
My spuds are the same, but they are nearly ready for digging now.

[Cornelian]

I think it is natural for tomatoes to get those yellowing leaves near the base of the stalk - I've always had them and I read somewhere that they were fine, perfectly natural.

[Peggy Sue]

I have outdoor tomatoes, they ahve never yellowed before but this last few weeks they have started to get yellow leaves from the bottom. One or two plants are worrying as the yellow leaves ahve progressed all teh way up the plant to nearly the top just over this weekend.

I have a few other plants looking yellow from the bottom too including my sage.

They have all had manure in the early stages, I was thinking of getting some seaweed, also wondering if it was a mineral deficiency? Or is this just exessive rain? Has the rain leached the minerals (is this supposed to happen when you do organic?)

[Christine]

Now I really have got blight on the outside tomatoes - thought nothing much about the odd brown leaf till an allotment neighbour stopped to tell me all hers had gone brown and died. Checked the leaves and the underside of the leaf has the telltale white rim to the edge of the brown marks.
Bummer!
Picked off all affected leaves and burnt them at one - but this weather is ideal for blight, warm and wet. I'm going to try to rig up a plastic cover for them this evening to keep the rain off the leaves - might stop it from spreading.

[charlie]

My tomatoes, which are planted outside, have got quite a few patches of brown on the stalks.
What could that be?

[SueSteve]

brown/black patches on the stalks, I'd say that is blight
I have now got it on my toms at the allotment, but the ones at home are doing well.
I dont think I will grow Toms at the lottie again

[Peggy Sue]

I'm a bit worried thats what my tomatoes have. Should the infected bits of plant be burned or are they OK on the compost heap- I don't want to increas the problem....

[Christine]

...and the bad news is...

Everyone I know at the allotments (Sheffield) has lost their outside tomatoes with a combination of blight, stem rot and something that causes dark brown patches on the stem (perhaps not blight, as it doesn't seem dramatic enough - my maincrops were blighted last year and, believe me, you know it when you see it).
My sister's neighbour in Sussex has just announced that his toms are equally poorly. the finer weather this week may mean that anyone with healthy toms will be spared ...

I've rigged up a plastic cover to see whether anything is produced but I have no real hopes. If they get even one step worse, they're in the incinerator - composting can preserve the virus for next year.

Next year - EITHER it won't be as wet OR I'll cover them with a canopy to stop the leaves getting wet and to keep the soil drier. Oh, just a minute - that's a greenhouse!

[red]

did I mention i have blight on my toms.. in both greenhouses...