"Late Blight" Threatens East Coast Private & Commercial Tomato Plant Crops

If You Purchased Tomato Plants This Spring, Read OnWhat is Late Blight on Tomatoes?In the 1840s, late blight was responsible for the Irish Potato Famine. While never eliminated, late blight has raised it's ugly spots on North East tomato plants. If you purchased tomato plants from any of the "big box" retailers such as Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Lowe's and Kmart stores, and
�others, check them thoroughly.Where is Late Blight Occurring?Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Lowe's and Kmart in the New England states and New York have all removed their tomato plants. However, confirmed cases include the entire Northeast except Georgia. Privately owned stores and nurseries may or may not have had contact with contaminated plants. If you started your tomato plants from seed, they will not have the blight unless it's spread from another plant.Where did this Late Blight start?It is not clear where the blight started; only that is has spread and been confirmed at Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Lowe's and Kmart stores. Bonnie Plants, the main supplier for these chains, are regularly inspected and have cleared all inspections for the blight. The recent frequent rain may have encouraged the outbreak. The disease spreads very quickly with airborne spores. What does Late Blight look like on infected tomato plants?According to the University of Massachusetts, early systems include brown spots on stems (called lesions), and some white fungus if conditions are kept damp enough. Later symptoms include brownish spots on the leaves with the white fungal growth underneath the leaf. Spots will be irregular.How do I treat Tomatoes infected with Late Blight?The best treatment for late blight is simple. Destroy infected plants. Bag them in plastic bags and throw them out. This prevents more spores from spreading. (Pull the plastic bag over the top of the plant before pulling the plant from the ground to minimize spreading the spores!) Do this quickly to avoid spreading the disease to any other tomato or potato plants in your garden. Don't just go through your garden once and figure that you're clear. Airborne spores spread late blight very rapidly. Plants that appear fine today, may be infected next week!"Late Blight" Threatens East Coast Private & Commercial Tomato Plant Crops

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