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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] blights

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  • From: robert schuler <sunnfarm AT bellatlantic.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] blights
  • Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 09:40:15 -0400

Blight is a general term used to describe everything thats wrong with
tomatoes,
its important to find out first just what's wrong with your tomatoes before
you
can treat it.
10 years ago I got a great deal on used tomato stakes, they were cheap almost
free, I asked the farmer why he was selling them, he said he hated stake
tomatoes and will never grow them on stakes again. I found out why he hated
them
when I grew tomatoes with his stakes. The stakes were infected with bacterial
speck disease which migrated into my crop. Only on the used stakes was the
disease not on my crop grown on new stakes.
Today I soak my stakes in a Clorox solution of 5 gallons to 100 gallons of
water, use a long livestock tank waterer, they hold a 100 or more stakes at a
time. Another thing you can do though this has never been proven is to rotate
your stakes like you rotate your tomato ground, three years between use to
allow
the disease to die naturally. Or sell them after one season to some fool who
doesn't know better. ..Bob
Sunny Meadow Farm
Bridgeton, NJ.

Joe Kames wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
>
> > Does this mean that we've been moving disease around on our tomato
> > stakes? Is that possible?
> >
> > Leigh
> > _______________________________________________
>
> Leigh,
>
> I do not presume to be an expert, but I consult with them as often as I can.
> Our Agricultural Extension agent believes that stakes and cages do play a
> part in spreading early blight. He stated that he avoided the blight last
> summer by sanitizing his cages via soaking them in a bleach solution. He
> also uses black plastic mulch to reduce splashing. I have too many tomato
> plants to soak the cages in bleach but I use the black plastic and copper
> which at least extends my season into Sept. I think I will also try Toni's
> suggestion and see if corn meal will help.
> Joe
>
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