Blight Resistant Varieties

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KG Tony
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Had a bad attack of blight this year on potatoes and tomatoes so thought I'd give some blight resistant varieties a go this year. The Sarpo potato varieties have a good reputation so will go with one of these.

As for tomatoes, 'Mountain Magic' was quite impressive so will grow this again. You could also try 'Crimson Crush' - grew that the year before last and liked it. Another blight survivor which I grew last year is a cascading bush variety, 'Losetto'.

I shall grow other varieties too, but at least I will have something to harvest next year if blight attacks again.

Blight stories welcome...
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I had the same I've been growing tomatoes for around 45 years and never had blight before, I'm thinking of growing in tubs next year just in case the soil in the pollytunnel is contaminated , I have not decided on the varieties as of now so I'm open to advice but I do like moneymaker
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I'm trying Mountain Magic this year as well. I tried Crimson Crush last year and it got blight! (Pics on here somewhere). I've got my self sown Tomato that pops up each year but I'm not sure the seeds I saved will be viable as they took forever to dry out as I was going to share them on here for everyone to give it a trial. (I tried to germinate a few on paper towel but it was a no show). It does get blight but shrugs it off until the very end of season.

Does the soil get contaminated from blight robo? I thought the spores were in the air & just landed on the toms & spuds then they died but the soil was OK? That would be a worry as I get it quite frequently, doubt there is much plot space left that would be uncontaminated.

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OscarSidcup
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Hopefully with all the frost we are having (though it has mellowed ove these last few days) all the nasties will be killed... Slugs, blight spores, white flies, things etc... and we start afresh. I will try Mountain Magic next year. I like the name (and recommendations too of course)
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robo
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I thought blight could survive in the soil westi I know it needs a medium to survive maybe the odd tomato fallen to the floor and missed when I do the winter clean up or the odd spud left in the ground I don't want to risk anything after this year
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KG Tony
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I've not seen a definitive answer to this one about blight spores remaining in the soil over winter but you'd expect a hard frost should kill them off. Certainly, remove any 'volunteer' tubers that may be lurking. Remove any mulch that may have been had spores if pos and replace with fresh. For tomatoes, grow in pots rather than directly in the soil. An interesting one this....according to James Wong, spraying plants with an aspirin solution helps prevent blight...http://www.independent.co.uk/news/scien ... 916.html...

"Scientists at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) found that salicylic acid – the active ingredient in aspirin – primes plants in the nightshade family, including potatoes and tomatoes, against microbial or insect attack, according to a study published in the Annals of Applied Biology. The US research was directed towards commercial use, but aspirin will equally protect garden tomatoes, say gardening experts."
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Interesting Tony!

I get blight every year nearly, this year was the worst as came so early & popped back for another visit, so happy to trial any remedy. Like the idea of using willow, but might just stick with the tablets and give it a go!

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Oh dear james (and Tony), brush up on the law.
Advocating any use of chemicals for gardening use that they are not approved for is illegal. :twisted:
Do not put off thanking people when they have helped you, as they may not be there to thank later.

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OscarSidcup
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A good old aspirin tablet dissolved in water and sprayed regularly to help prevent blight? whoop whoop. I am adding that to my routine next year when growing tomatoes! Thanks Tony!
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I wonder if you could get them on prescription
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Pawty
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Hi,

Bad and early blight this year on all varieties (although none were blight resistant ).

I will grow tomatoes this year, but am also going to try tomatillo as an alternative as I hear they grow well and don't get blight. They were on my list to Father Christmas, so fingers crossed!

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Pa Snip
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peter wrote:Oh dear james (and Tony), brush up on the law.
Advocating any use of chemicals for gardening use that they are not approved for is illegal. :twisted:



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Use of chemicals where not approved can have nasty side effects.


Got huge mounds of fine soil all over our site, all because someone experimented by introducing a Paracetamol

The danger when people start to believe their own publicity is that they often fall off their own ego.

At least travelling under the guise of the Pa Snip Enterprise gives me an excuse for appearing to be on another planet
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The host of blight is the potato itself but without cutting seed in half it is impossible to find so it is a bit of a lottery. That is why it is important to get rid of volunteers that pop-up after a previous crop. Anything you have not planted should be treated as a weed.
The haulm of both potatoes and tomatoes should be burnt and NOT put on the compost as some organic books will suggest.
I have only ever had blight on tomatoes once in the last 35 years and blight on potatoes can at least be controlled but with tomatoes the onset to death of plant is too rapid to do anything to control.
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Westi
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Rob! Pound shop - 3 for £1, don't need a prescription. Actually even my corner shop sells them.

Pa & Peter - it's a naturally occurring treatment so not a chemical as such. To over ride this law you could just try the real willow.

JB - cheers for clarifying the blight transference. Lucky you - once in 35 yrs! I've had 1 blight free year in 12!

Westi
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Monika
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In all our more than 40 years of vegetable growing, our potatoes have only ever once been affected by blight and the tomatoes never. I wonder why? Perhaps it's because the allotments (and there are only a few plots) are almost in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by pasture land? I do always remove potato volunteers immediately and the tomatoes are grown in the greenhouse. Maybe that's the reason or maybe we have just been lucky.
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