KB is prone to some weirdo disease people here on this forum refer to as 'The Crud'. It is aptly named. I got it ONLY on my KB seedlings every year until I switched over this year to KBX. KBX is a potato leaf version of Kellogg's Breakfast. I am very happy to report that all 3 of my KBX seedlings are doing great this year without even a trace of CRUD.

As far as I know there is nothing you can do about it. Some here recommend segregating your KB's from your other varieties.

Once CRUD seedlings are planted outside they seem to recover and start putting out new CRUD free growth. I only lost my KB's to CRUD one season. But man I hated the fact that my KB's were always set back so and were always the latest to ripen in my garden.

My advice: Beg or Borrow some KBX seed for next year. And plant those KB's you have outdoors as soon as reasonable and cover the seedlings at night if need be.

bigdaddy, I saw this question last night and was going to answer the same as you did, re CRUD, which I named many years ago, but I reread it and reread it and saw that only the tips turned brown and that's not typical of CRUD.

CRUD causes browning of the leaf margins, not just the tips.

And browning of the leaf tips can indicate overwatering or N burn, but as they say, on the other hand we're talking only one variety, KB, and KB and most varieties that have wispy, droopy dissected foliage as is common with most heart varieties are indeed more susceptible to CRUD.

So whatever it might be I don't think it's serious and the plants should do fine when planted out.

As a side note last night I was Googling something and ran across the Faculty page at Cornell for Dr. Tom Zitter who is the person I first contacted about what I had been seeing and the person who told me that he knew it, and thought it was an aberrent form of Early Blight ( A. solani), but hadn't been able to prove it.

THere was a direct e-mail address listed for him and I just might ask him if anything new has been discovered. He wouldn't remember me b'c it was back in the early 90's that I first contacted him and gave the name CRUD to what I'd been seeing.

Carolyn

Carolyn, yes I assumed it was CRUD and certainly could be wrong and it won't be the first time. Just ask my wife...:)

A. I assumed it was CRUD because it was only on the KB seedlings.

B. My CRUD experience showed me that it always started at the leaf tips and then eventually would claim the whole leaf. The ends get brittle and can easily crumble off.

Thank heavens for KBX is all I can say!

Thx for all your help folks. My Chocolate Lab culled them last night anyway as he ate them up whike I was sleeping. I had put them on the floor to keep them away from the rest and he desided they tasted pretty good to him. What a mess to clean up. Soil all ovr the living room rug......ugggggggg. I still have one left though at it looks healthy. It's way up high now that I know he likes maters. Darn dog!!!!!

I had some Kellogg's Breakfast a few years ago and they had a disease or problem which does not seem to fit the same description. They did have early blight, all my plants get it to some extent. But the tomato fruits also were disfigured with something that looked almost like russeting on an apple or pear, except that it was thick and scabby. Other than that, they were OK, there were plenty and if peeled they tasted good. I'd like to try KB again sometime but don't know what to expect. Any similar experiences?

Mine were fine last year & that is where the seed came from. It all germinated OK and I fermented it really well. I have one good one so I should be OK as they produce nicely here and were loaded last year. In fact it got so heavy I had to prop it up with not only Texas Tomato Cages but rebar. It was insane. My neighbor thought I was kidding when I told them they hit 14 feet tall until he saw them. I'm topping them this year after about 10 feet or they break off and fall over themselves. Thx for the info from all. Get a dog that hates tomatoes. I recommend that a lot. :) He chomped them right down. YUM YUM....

Anyone have any Kellogg's Breakfast X plants I can buy from them. I would prefer the plant so can grow it this year since I only have 1 KB in the yard. So basically these KB X are not available from anywhere else, at this time :-( ?

So basically these KB X are not available from anywhere else, at this time :-( ?

*****

Correct. As far as I know KBX is not yet available commercially.

I'll be sending it to Sandhill Preservation next week as I do many varieties for trial and probably TGS as well and maybe Victory seeds once I see how many seeds were sent to me for sending to the owners of certain commercial places..

It's a variety that appeared in the garden of a lovely lady in VA whom I know very well and seeds have been just kind of passed around. Actually she's the person who now grows my plants for me and ships them up here and has done so since I tore all 4 quads in the right leg and have been confined to a walker since then.

If I had more seeds I'd offer you a few, but I have very few seeds, they aren't all that fresh, and just can't offer them. Sorry.

Carolyn