Q: Last year on my tomatoes I had a leaf disease on the bottom half of the plant all summer. Should I spray a fungicide?
A: Fungal and bacterial diseases are very prevalent in tomatoes. The disease you mention is called southern blight. Warm, humid and wet weather is a great time for diseases to get started on vegetables, as well as ornamental plants.
My suggestion is that if you had a leaf disease on vegetables, particularly tomatoes or ornamental landscape plants last year, spray a preventative fungicide. Remember, fungicides don’t cure disease, they protect the plant against disease. So, getting ahead of the time you noticed the disease last year is important. Select a fungicide labeled for usage on the plants you want to protect. There are many excellent products available and all will work if you follow the label and a spray schedule. This means spraying before and after rains and as often as the label allows, at least until we get to hotter and dryer weather, which is not as conducive to disease. Also, don’t irrigate over the top of plants. Drip or soaker hoses keep the moisture off the leaves. Irrigating early in the morning is another good practice, this allows the plants to dry out during the day.
For more information contact the OSU Extension Center, 14001 Acme Road, corner of MacArthur and Acme Road in Shawnee or call 273-7683.
SHAWNEE, Okla. —
