Kitchen Garden Forum

I've just received a Full Smith Period blight warning for my postcode.
I've rushed out to spray with some rather ancient Dilthane I have in stock and am keeping fingers crossed as I now have a lovely crop of various outdoor tomatoes forming and my first tumbling tomato is about to turn yellow. Today is ideal blight weather here unfortunately

I've got some blight resistant Ferlines amongst my crop so keeping fingers firmly crossed.

Does anybody think that draping some fleece over the plants would help to protect them in any way?

No, according to Charles Dowding

http://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/forums/ ... ight-free/

Thanks for that Alan. another hope gone then !
I don't think anybody around here close by is growing tomatoes but I doubt that will protect me very much.

Rather than start a new thread, I would like to use this one to ask a question.
I have been not growing for a couple of years due to moving house (twice) and have misplaced my Bordeaux Mixture.
I understand our overlords in Brussells have decreed this Verboten.
Has anyone found a decent replacement yet ?
Thanks in advance.

I got one too! Have a bit of Bordeaux Mix left, I'm sure it's out of date but will give it a go. Annoyingly just removed the perspex sheet I had over the structure I made as the tomatoes had reached the top & were getting singed & also it was drying out too quickly even with the drip system!

Fingers crossed is all I can say! Had the alerts before without any problem but it is pretty humid & drizzling on & off.

Westi

Ron, i believe you may be correct. I don,t know whether garden centres sre still allowed to sell any they have left in stock. I really don,t know what amateur growers are supposed to do. - stand by helplessly and watch their crops just being devastated. One would have thought tney would not have banned it until a suitable replacement was available but that,s the EU for you,

I have another question too. A heavy rain show this evening will presumably have washed away any benefits of the Dilthane I sprayed on my plants this afternoon. Should I attempt to respray tomorrow providing the weather forecast looks dry? I don,t know how long it takes for any beneficial effects to be absorbed into the leaves.

Oh dear! Second warning received today.

I was informed by my local Garden Centre that Bordeaux Mix was no longer available,but was told that an alternative called Copper Mixture would do the same thing. This was about two weeks ago,and so far no sign of blight. Fingers crossed. The container is exactly the same size and colouring as Bordeaux Mix except for the title. It is still marketed by Vitax,Coalville Leicestershire. JP.

2nd warning here as well!

Found 2 packs of Bordeaux in the shed - braved the spiders with a bamboo cane, which I might add is not a very effective tool! Only did the tomatoes as the main crop spuds look OK & can cut off the foliage, but the toms are no where near ready & I would be gutted not to get a good crop.

Remembered not to spray the new bight proof ones - will see how they fair!

Westi

John P wrote:I was informed by my local Garden Centre that Bordeaux Mix was no longer available,but was told that an alternative called Copper Mixture would do the same thing. This was about two weeks ago,and so far no sign of blight. Fingers crossed. The container is exactly the same size and colouring as Bordeaux Mix except for the title. It is still marketed by Vitax,Coalville Leicestershire. JP.

Thank you, JP.

Just given my tomatoes another check. Have spotted several trusses affected by blight on one of the bush varieties. . As they're all planted close together guess I will have to rip it out. Just as the first ripe tomatoes are coming on board too! Obviously spraying last week had no effect. Grrh

I have a stash of Bordeaux Mixture but also found it is still on sale in our local garden centre! I too was under the impression it was no longer available, but I was certainly on the shelf. I thought maybe it was a new formula. I'll check again when I next visit, but that may be some time as our "local" garden centre is now a good 6 miles away, the others having closed down and been built on.

I saw Bordeaux Mixture recommended against blight in a recent gardening magazine, not KG.