Copper funcicide on tomatoes?

[frdnicholas]

I've had a problem with early blight every year I've grown tomatoes, even with using a different site for them. I have some coppper funcicide that I was thinking of trying, but am unsure about the best time to apply it or if it was even the best way to approach the problem. The directions on the bottle are not as clear as I need. I live in Southeast Coastal Georgia and am planting the t omatoes in a 4x4 garden bag. I am using commercial soil to which I've added used coffee grounds from Starbucks and aged chicken manure. I would be most grateful for help to address this issue. Thank you.

 

[Anniekay]

They say to add the copper beforehand to help prevent problems later. I've not tried it but it is safe for use on soil that has tomatoes planted in it.

 

[Chuck]

They say to add the copper beforehand to help prevent problems later. I've not tried it but it is safe for use on soil that has tomatoes planted in it.

Copper is a heavy metal and will build up in soil with prolonged use. Not a good thing for garden soil as it will kill soil microbes vital to plant growth.

 

[Meadowlark]

I have some coppper funcicide that I was thinking of trying, but am unsure about the best time to apply it or if it was even the best way to approach the problem.

I think prevention is the best way to approach the problem... and has worked for me for decades in a climate very similar to yours.

Things that work for me include using disease resistant varieties, faithful 3-year crop rotation on tomatoes, adequate spacing for good air circulation, mulching around the base of the plants to prevent any soil contact with the plant leaves, removal and disposal of any suspected leaves as well as seasonal removal of the plants and disposal external to the garden and compost pile, and early morning watering to help the plant leaves to dry quickly.

Taken together, I've found these measures to be totally effective in prevention of early blight and they obviate the need for any fungicides on my tomatoes which is important to me.

 

[Anniekay]

Copper is a heavy metal and will build up in soil with prolonged use. Not a good thing for garden soil as it will kill soil microbes vital to plant growth.

Yes, agree. This is why you only use it when you have a severe problem. Once is usually enough to eliminate that virus in the soil.

 

[cpp gardener]

Fungus

 

[oneeye]

If you have to put fungcides on your plants there something wrong in the growing environment. I have never seen a fungicide fix a fungus problem after its already present in the soil. When the conditions are just right the fungus will always return. What one needs to do is change the soil conditions to minimize a fungus bloom.

When you add a lot of chicken manure and coffee grounds to a soil mix, it will become acidic. Remember that tomatoes need a lot of calcium to grow well in acidic soils or they will become diseased. Be sure and add some lime in the bed 3 months before planting time to asure the calcium is available to the plants when you plant them in Spring.

 

[Meadowlark]

If you have to put fungcides on your plants there something wrong in the growing environment. I have never seen a fungicide fix a fungus problem after its already present in the soil.

Completely agree. Throwing copper at your soil as a prevention is not something I would advise.

... Be sure and add some lime in the bed 3 months before planting time to asure the calcium is available to the plants when you plant them in Spring.

Agree again. That is something I always do as preparation of my tomato bed each year. I prefer ag. lime as the agent.

 

[gary350]

I don't have blight problems anymore. The first group of limbs and leaves on a tomato plant 10" up from the soil is where the first ripe tomatoes grow. When the plant is finished growing tomatoes on the first row of limbs those limbs start to die and get blight. Cut those blight limbs off, the plant is finished with them.

The next row of limbs 20" up grow ripe tomatoes and when ripe tomatoes are gone this group of limbs get blight and die also so cut them all also the plant is finished with these limbs.

3rd row of limbs 30" up will do the same, grow ripe tomatoes then limbs get blight so cut limbs off plant is finished with those limbs.

4th row of limbs 40" up will grow ripe tomatoes next then limbs die and need to be cut off.

Keep plants trimmed if tops get too bushy trim extra limbs off. This is why some people remove suckers too many limbs. When plants are 7 ft tall they are too tall for my tomato stakes gravity makes plant grow down to the soil. Keep plants well trimmed plants will make a U turn and grow down and keep growing ripe tomatoes.

My tomatoes plants are on the east side of a shade tree. Plants get early morning sun then full shade solar 12 noon to dark. We have 98° to 100°F temperatures late June, July, Aug, early Sept. Garden is dry as desert 3/4" to 1" of rain per month. Shade tree prevents sun burn tomatoes. I get about 35 lbs. of ripe tomatoes from each plant. Hammer a 6 ft tall wooden stake in the garden watch the shadow my solar 12 noon is 12:55 pm DST.

I can also find my solar 12 noon by doing Google search for, Solar 12 noon at 37129.

 

[frdnicholas]

I just bought some lime that I will add to the soil. I have already spread the coffee grounds and chicken manure to the beds. Will the lime be effective spread on top of that and then watered in?
Also, I have some organic peat moss. Would that be a good mulch? I really don't have a good source of mulch other than pine straw which doesn't break down and I think it's also acidic?

 

[Meadowlark]

Remember it takes time for lime, depending on the product, to be assimilated into the soil. If it is ag. lime, you can just throw it out there and leave it, Nature will do the rest.

If the choice for mulch for tomatoes is peat moss vs pine straw, no doubt I would choose pine straw. It will last through the growing season and provide excellent weed control and soil protection for your tomato plants. I use pine straw mulch every year on my tomatoes.

 

[cpp gardener]

And it won't acidify the soil more than any other organic matter.

 

[smitty55]

I don't have blight problems anymore. The first group of limbs and leaves on a tomato plant 10" up from the soil is where the first ripe tomatoes grow. When the plant is finished growing tomatoes on the first row of limbs those limbs start to die and get blight. Cut those blight limbs off, the plant is finished with them.

The next row of limbs 20" up grow ripe tomatoes and when ripe tomatoes are gone this group of limbs get blight and die also so cut them all also the plant is finished with these limbs.

3rd row of limbs 30" up will do the same, grow ripe tomatoes then limbs get blight so cut limbs off plant is finished with those limbs.

4th row of limbs 40" up will grow ripe tomatoes next then limbs die and need to be cut off.

Keep plants trimmed if tops get too bushy trim extra limbs off. This is why some people remove suckers too many limbs. When plants are 7 ft tall they are too tall for my tomato stakes gravity makes plant grow down to the soil. Keep plants well trimmed plants will make a U turn and grow down and keep growing ripe tomatoes.

My tomatoes plants are on the east side of a shade tree. Plants get early morning sun then full shade solar 12 noon to dark. We have 98° to 100°F temperatures late June, July, Aug, early Sept. Garden is dry as desert 3/4" to 1" of rain per month. Shade tree prevents sun burn tomatoes. I get about 35 lbs. of ripe tomatoes from each plant. Hammer a 6 ft tall wooden stake in the garden watch the shadow my solar 12 noon is 12:55 pm DST.

I can also find my solar 12 noon by doing Google search for, Solar 12 noon at 37129.

View attachment 107203

One issue with that is that for someone like me growing indeterminates I remove all suckers so tomatoes don't grow on branches, only on the main vine. I do however remove lower branches early in the season to try and slow down the inevitable early blight that climbs up the plant.