In this, the second of two Growing Wisdom videos on late blight, Dave finds out from Susie Anderson how to treat the disease on tomatoes.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Question by Charles D: Would fresh oak mulch be good for planting tomato plants?
Had an oak tree stump ground up and now have a large pile of oak mulch. Thinking of tilling it into soil for tomato plants.
Best answer:
Answer by John
That would be fine but make sure the soil to mulch ratio stays about 75% / 25% at the most.
Add your own answer in the comments!
That’s in FL, anyway.
I learned the hard way. A few years ago, my entire crop of tomatoes was devastated by late blight. In two weeks, everything (even stems!) was rotten. My mistake was “protecting” against a late frost by covering my wet tomatoes with a plastic tarp for two days. When I uncovered those tomatoes, the brown had set in and in two weeks, everything was mush. I must have lost at least 200 tomatoes. Now I spray with a copper fungicide or other fungicide once per month, and I NEVER cover tomatoes!
Remember, the water only early in the morning , and late afternoon. Never water your tomatoes between 10 am, till 5:pm.fivelands1 edoardo
Follow my advise how to grow tomatoes plants, your tomatoes will reach 6 feet hight, plants 4 feet apart every third plant put 2 bamboo at 45 degree tight to the vertical post. Starting from the ground run a horizontal 2 feet from the ground, the next one every foot, a total of 5 horizontal, that is your rail. fivelands1 edoardo
How to keep your tomatoes plants. Plants 4 feet apart, very rich soil, good drainage, do not allow branches to grow in opposite way one foot from the ground, establish a rail behind each plant 4 feet wide by 6 feet tall. Allow tomatoes to expose to the sun. Learn which branch give the fruits, and which are needed to hold the plants to the rail. Early once a month spray blue copper solution to the new branches. fiveland1 edoardo
Something is wrong with the soil, not with the air , not with the water, not with the seed. You must remove all the cuts, i like your way,trow way in the collection garbage, try burning the soil. when is the time to the use of water, do not use the sprinkles, let the water run in the ground,keep the water way from those tomatoes plants at least 6 inches. Make a circle around the tomatoes plants 12 inches in diameter, the ring is 3 inches wide. transport the water early morning to all the p.
@growingwisdomTry using Sea-Crop at 16 oz/acre or 1:25 every 5 days for 30 days, then weekly throughout growing season. This will boost mineral content giving the fruit better keeping quality, taste and other fungal resistance besides boosting production. See agriculturesolutions.ca for veggie program-also qualifies for organic production.Enhancing the soil biology will prevent bacterial, fungal infestations.I used this to stop blight in organic tomato greenhouse and had new growth in 2-3 weeks
I have not been able to successfully get rid of blights organically once they take hold. So IF the tomatoes are heavily affected then I use synthetics.
So, if you already have late blight, don’t use organic? I wanna be sure I understand. Thanks.
it is true…preventative is alot better then damage control! Thanks for Posting this video, I think this can really help
No. Fresh oak or almost any other tree mulch should be composted first. Why, the tree material is almost all carbon and water. The water will evaporate leaving almost pure carbon. You tomato plants will need a good source of nitrogen to grow and to produce fruit. The carbon mulch will need nitrogen to decay or rot. It will get it before the tomatoes. So mix the mulch with nitrogen baring organic matter such as wilted grass clippings or any other green matter. Mix the two rather than layering. You will have a very high heat cycle and that is good, then it will slow and cool some but different bacteria work at different temperatures so it will compost nicely for you.
I wouldn’t.
I think it might tie up soil nitrogen and could lower the pH.
Instead, either add it to a compost pile or use it as a mulch around shrubs.
My grandmother grows tomatos, and (she’s hovering over my shoulder right now,) she says that’s not a very good idea. Answer mine please?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100329170425AA5MxEV
nope….. fresh grindings will want to start to decompose if mixed with soil now… in doing so, they’ll take all the available nitrogen out of the soil…. the tomatoes will not be a bit happy…. and a stressed tomato is a sick one…..
use your grindings in a pathway or pile them up to decompose for a year or so before you consider them ‘composted’….. they’re not suitable for anything in the garden just now….