you can also find this at uc davis.
CopperThere are many copper compounds that are used as fungicides. The most common is Bordeaux mix which is a combination of copper sulphate and hydrated lime. It is accepted in organic farming provided that the number of applications is strictly followed and a proper soil amendment is observed to prevent copper accumulation in the soil.
Bordeaux mix sprayMaterials needed to make a gallon mixture
�3 1/2 tbsp of copper sulphate
�10 tbsp of hydrated lime
�1 gallon of water (4 liters of water)
�Wooden stick
�Plastic bucket
How to prepare?
1.Add copper sulphate and hydrated lime in water. Make sure to use plastic container.
2.Stir well using a wooden sick or ladle.
3.Protect self from direct contact with the solution.
How to use?
1.Spray plants thoroughly preferably early in the morning, in a dry and sunny day. In this way, the plants have the time to dry and the solution can not penetrate into the leaves' tissues
2.Constantly shake the sprayer while in the process of application to prevent the solution from clogging
Pest controlled
1.Flea beetles on tomatoes and potatoes
2.Anthracnose
3.Bacterial blight
4.Bacterial wilt
5.Black spot
6.Downy mildew
7.Late blight on solanaceous crops
8.Powdery mildew
9.Rust
10.and many other disease causing pathogens
Standard procedures for the preparation and application of homemade extracts
1.Read and follow the label instructions carefully. Ask for assistance from your local agriculturist office when using copper for the first time.
2.Monitor plants regularly and spray only when necessary as copper can accumulate into the soil.
3.Spray in the early morning or late afternoon.
4.Use utensils for the extract preparation that are not use for your food preparation and for drinking and cooking water containers. Clean properly all the utensils every time after using them.
5.Do not have a direct contact with the crude extract while in the process of the preparation and during the application.
6.Make sure that you place the extract out of reach of children and house pets while leaving it overnight.
7.Harvest all the mature and ripe fruits before extract application.
8.Always test the extract formulation on a few infected plants first before going into large scale spraying. When adding soap as an emulsifier, use a potash-based one.
9.Wear protective clothing while applying the extract.
10.Wash your hands after handling the extract.

No where is it written that a tomato plant MUST be perfect in appearance. :) No where is it written that it is even possible to have a tomato plant that is perfect in appearance.

And the only way it 'might' be remotely possible to have a perfect appearing plant is to spray it with Daconil from day one of its life outdoors.

If that doesn't appeal to you, and I understand why it wouldn't, then you have to learn to live with less than perfection and not worry about it.

Leaves get old, they change colors, they roll, they get holes and spots. And 90% of all tomato plants grown eventually get at least some Septoria or Gray Leaf Spot or Early Blight but none of them are fatal to the plant with even minimal care.

So use whichever fungicide you are comfortable with. If it doesn't seem to work, try another. But you have to remember that ALL fungicides are preventatives only. They do not cure. Once the disease is present it isn't going to go away no matter what you do. All you can do is slow it down so you can harvest fruit.

Meanwhile strip off any affected leaves and dispose of them, improve the air circulation in among the plants as much as possible - use a fan, do some pruning if you want, keep the leaves dry, and then - like all of us - hope for the best.

Dave

Thanks Dave... You always manage to keep things in perspective. LOL. But, I'm just wondering what you think these problems are. Are they fungal, bacterial, or nutritional?...or did I burn the crap out of them using daconil? (yikes)

ladon,

"Death Smiles At Us All.....All We Can Do Is Smile Back".

Maximus

As Dave says, plants are organic things and will undergo changes throughout their life-cycle until death. All we can do to "delay" this is application of fungicides and other treatments to slow the progress of the decay.

While I too would like to have the "Christmas Tree" effect on all of my tomato plants with them green from bottom to top, the reality is that leaf decay is inevitable. I am applying a combo spray mix of Exel LG plus Actinovate as a foliar treatment this Season, with pretty good results.

To be sure, I do have leaves that exhibit the exact characteristics shown in your photos - - but in prior years, by this time perhaps 25% of the lower plant would be turning yellow. Today, less than 5% of each plant exhibits yellowing leaves at the base.

Raybo

But, I'm just wondering what you think these problems are. Are they fungal, bacterial, or nutritional?...or did I burn the crap out of them using daconil? (yikes)

Fungal, probably Septoria. But it really doesn't make any difference if it is Septoria or Early Blight since the treatment is the same - fungicides and removing affected foliage. You can't "burn" them with Daconil if you follow the label instructions. But you can 'burn' them with ANY foliage spray if you over do it - too concentrated or too heavily applied.

Otherwise they look fine as far as one can tell from pictures. If the dark green color in the photo is accurate then I'd cut back on the nitrogen but that is hard to say from pics.

Dave

FYI... I think I figured out what caused the rusty looking leaves (read some past posts and they seemed to match my situation in look and condition). It was treating the leaves at the wrong time of day with daconil. On the day I sprayed the daconil, the morning was overcast. I would usually do any leaf spraying earlier in the morning, but I thought it would be ok since the sun wasn't going to come out that day. Well, luck would have it that just after I finished spraying, the clouds started to burn off and the day became very sunny....while the leaves were still moist with the spray. I think they just got burned. That is my guess, and it seems consistent with what I've read. Should have followed my instinct and waited til evening or the next morning. We novice growers can be mighty impatient!! LOL.
Thanks Dave and Raybo for your feedback!! BTW, Raybo... any pix of this year's Earthtainer farm?
Don

Don,

Pouring rain and 58 degrees here in (sunny) San Jose as I am typing this. Obviously, the cold weather has pushed my ripe tomato harvest back by 30 days now. Had expected some ripe fruit - - but no joy. Here are a few photos taken last week:

NARX on the left; NAR cross with Marianna's Peace on the right

Brandywine from Croatia

Berkeley Tie Dye in the foreground, JBT x BWS in the background.

{{gwi:68024}}

And the Northern Xtra-sweet corn is tasseling.

Been in the Hot Tub a total of ONE time this Season......

Raybo

Looks great Raybo!! I had a pretty late start last year too, but even with the overcast summer we had, I pulled a decent crop. I just got back from the farmer's market where I'm still buying tomatoes. Hope I wont be doing that much longer. Just picked my first ripe tomato yesterday...but it was early. The rest have a ways to go. BTW, how often do your feed your container plants, or do you just put in the fert strip and let it go through the season?
Thanks for sharing the pix. Inspiring as always.
Cheers!
Don
...and BTW, isn't the purpose of a hot tub to be year round? LOL!

Agree with Dave.
As long as a plant is not stricken by a deadly diseas, I would no worry about minor things, if some insects are eating little bit of this and that, or some lower leaves turning brown and curling..etc. They are not supposed to last for ever.I only worry about the state of small seedlings and protect them from insects..etc. Once they are established, then I just do normal feeding, watering, pruning, mulching. If one dies then Godbless(hehe).Maybe I am lucky, I have never sprayed my tomato plants. The only thing that I have sprayed had been cucurbita family of plants for milew.

In the EarthTainers, I only apply granular fertilizer once, at planting time. During the course of the Season, I add a shot of Grow Big, then later on, Big Bloom down the Filler Tube, once per Season.

Regarding the Hot Tub, perhaps a mis-use by me - - but I actually keep it set at 90 degrees to "cool off" when the air temps start approaching that number. Guess I should actually call it a "Cool Tub".

Raybo