Disease advice: Blue Mold
- Thread starter Faltown
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Protection methods
biology and epidemiology
biology and epidemiology
The only time I discovered blue mold in my tobacco was in Connecticut Broadleaf that was partly shaded, and growing during a particularly damp summer. I cut off the affected parts of the leaves, and harvested the remainder.
The tobacco extension service people freak-out over blue mold, since it tends to persist in the soil, and presents a substantial danger to commercial growers who use the same soil, year after year, to grow the same varieties of tobacco. My encounter was in 2014, and has never recurred, though I have not planted CT Broadleaf since then.
Bob
The tobacco extension service people freak-out over blue mold, since it tends to persist in the soil, and presents a substantial danger to commercial growers who use the same soil, year after year, to grow the same varieties of tobacco. My encounter was in 2014, and has never recurred, though I have not planted CT Broadleaf since then.
Bob
Clatsopnehalem
Well-Known Member
Hey faltown i grow organic good and tobacco and when this kind of thing happens it usually can be linked with watering practices. But some environments just have a higher spore count in the air than other areas depending on the year. I use a product thats kind of expensive but its not a heavy chemical. Its called "(flying skull nukem)" you mix 4 oz of it per gallon of water and thourally spray the under side of the leaves and then spray the top of the leaves. However if you use this method it has to be done at sunset because if done durring the day the plant will burn and be very damaged. Also you should put some bird netting around the plants if you have bees and if your tobacco is flowering they will land on the leaves and flowers and die because the product is cotric acid and yeast and soap. Dunno if this helps just thought id share some of whats on my noggon hope all is well.
Clatsopnehalem
Well-Known Member
What you might also consider is changing your planting spots up so crop rotation as well as companion planting. But before any of that if you take soil samples and hydrate them then place them in a warm spot for a few months you should be able to see whats in your soil and if blue mold or any parisitic specimin of mold shows up id do a controlled burn in those planting areas personally and then rotate the crop type so instead of tobacco or any nightshade maybe rotate carrot and onions together because there companions that repell each others pests and they dont disturbe each other mich because they ocupy different soil zones. In mycology we learn the habbits and needs of fungi it would be good to learn about this as well to gain perspective in the garden. Hope this helps.
Clatsopnehalem
Well-Known Member
I companion plant clover with tobacco to get the squash beetles to stop eating my tobacco leaves also onions to repell aphids. I use carrots with my onions to repell carrot fly . You can plant basil and thyme with your tomatoes. They have some decent companion planting charts online but beware some of them are incorrect! The best thing i could reccomend is read and research those in theory and then just use trial and error to learn the spacing needs and so forth.
wruk53
Well-Known Member
Dithane and copper sulphate used at the recommended rate in a sprayer for a few applications at 5-to-7-day intervals would probably take care of the problem. I know a lot of people don't like to use these kinds of chemicals on their crops, but they are safe and effective if used properly. My Dad was a farmer, he mostly grew tomatoes, and those 2 products were mixed into the tank every time the field was sprayed. (Every 5 to 7 days.) This was in south Florida, and it would have been impossible to grow crops down here without preventative spraying such as this. So far, I've only had to use a fungicide on one crop of tobacco, but sometimes you have to do it. Hope you're able to get it under control.
Clatsopnehalem
Well-Known Member
Yep it works it actually is stronger than you might think with such a small percentage of acid. If you have a bad infistation you can mix isopropyl with it but you never want to use more than 20% or less than 12% in total. I use around 400ml of 90% to 2 gallons of water with 8 oz of nukem. But you can bump that to 16oz of nukem gor there max dose. The thing is you might want to rinse the plants off with water before sunrise if you use the max dose. So i prefer to just mix isopropyl personally. But ive seen very good results with this personally but it may not be the same for everyone else. If that product is too expensive you could just mix up some citric acid crystals in water to make your own veraion of that product and just use it the same dosage as they reccomend.
Clatsopnehalem
Well-Known Member
I
It also has soap in it so if anyone does try to use this product add the nukem (TO WATER) never add water to it. Because itll just sudz up and youll waste most if it to bubbles foaming out of your sprayer.
Hi all, so hopefully I may have the mold problem in hand. The weather has gotten a bit better, with a good wind and a bit of sunshine, and I also diluted some citric acid crystals in a spray bottle. I've spot sprayed twice over the last week.
I was short on time six weeks ago, and so was late transplanting some plants from a pint glass sized pot, to a 20ltr container.
Couple of questions, I'm guessing through a late transplant and being container grown, that would go someway to explain why a few are already pushing out flower stalks.
And second, some leaves are definitely gonners, but the one's I've used critic acid on, that have slight discoloration - are these going to be smokable? Or does the blue mold infection or acid make them straight to compost?!
Cheers al
I was short on time six weeks ago, and so was late transplanting some plants from a pint glass sized pot, to a 20ltr container.
Couple of questions, I'm guessing through a late transplant and being container grown, that would go someway to explain why a few are already pushing out flower stalks.
And second, some leaves are definitely gonners, but the one's I've used critic acid on, that have slight discoloration - are these going to be smokable? Or does the blue mold infection or acid make them straight to compost?!
Cheers al
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Olmstead
Active Member
This is both coincidental and interesting to me. My tomatoes and my father's tomatoes have gotten a soil-based fungal blight. The proper name of this menace eludes me, but it lives by the same principle; soil contains fungi of all sorts, and one species—if present in large enough quantity—can invade all of your tomato plants and slowly kill them. Thankfully by the time this blight takes hold, the tomatoes are already ripe, beautiful, and perfectly good to eat; only the eldest bottom leaves turn yellowy-brown, wither, and die. Of course, it's far from optimal.
Where tobacco comes into mind is in the fact that both tobacco and tomatoes are nightshades. Logic would suggest they'd be prone to the same fungi, but luckily this isn't true.
@deluxestogie – "it tends to persist in the soil" – This is something I just learned about tomato blight, and now blue mold. It's got me thinking:
Every autumn, my grandfather had a bonfire in his garden to burn garden detritus, fallen tree limbs, etc. because he said it was good for the soil (and it is). My father never did though, and he's often had trouble with tomato blight—even many years ago when we lived many miles from where he is today—but my grandfather never did, and their gardens were in close proximity. My grandfather didn't just burn one small area in the garden, but just about the entire thing in a slow and controlled burn, often for more than one day. Once finished, he'd work all the ashes and charcoal into the soil. He maintained that all the carbon, calcium, potassium, and other trace minerals were great for next year's crops. However, maybe the shock of heat, the tilling, and change in pH from the addition of ashes was also killing the fungi.
TLDR: I'm wondering if a yearly bonfire would stop fungal blight of any kind and be good hygiene for the garden.
…And finally: What do these Tobacco Extension Service people recommend you do when someone gets this blue mold?
Blue Mold of Tobacco | NC State Extension Publications
This factsheet discusses the symptoms and treatment for blue mold of tobacco.
content.ces.ncsu.edu
As for a yearly bonfire, there is no free lunch. How much more burning vegetation can our air handle?
Bob
The information about the tomatoes is very interesting.
Actually got the first set of leaves that had a mildew on some tomato plants. Wondering if it transferred.
Although saying that I did use similar mix of fresh compost and homemade compost, so still could just of been in the soil to start with
Actually got the first set of leaves that had a mildew on some tomato plants. Wondering if it transferred.
Although saying that I did use similar mix of fresh compost and homemade compost, so still could just of been in the soil to start with
Huffen'Snuff
Well-Known Member
I always liked the idea of using pH to control molds and fungi if at all possible.
My guess-ti-met with just mixing in a bunch of citric acid crystals in water and spraying in the patches underneath the leaves definitely got rid of it, but I did end up with those patches having some damage and discoloration. It was mainly on the nostrano del brenta, which was annoying but I guess I also need filler, so not the end of the world!
Citric acid is used to pickle grape leaves for use in stuffing (yaprak, dolmades).
Bob
Bob
Oh nice! Actually have a freezer draw full of them I blanched before they went in, but have this year's crop coming, so I'll give it a go I think!
