Blight Wipes Out My Entire Tomato Crop

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[@deborahthomas2753]

I really don't think that is blight Tony. There is no black on the stems or on the leaves. The ones that have brown marks on the stems are the ones you trimmed the leaves off with scissors .Tomato leaves and side shoots should always be snapped off not cut as the damage caused by the snapping actually helps to stop bacteria getting into the plant. When you make a clean cut you introduced an open wound where bacteria got in. The yellow leaves look dry and crispy ..that's not blight either , they literally go mouldy and feel almost squelchy to the touch. Your yellow leaves are either a result of too much heat, too little water or too little nutrients or a combination of all 3. Your atomic grapes are mouldy because they were not picked soon enough so have rotted on the stem. I would take off all dead leaves, all side shoots and any fruit with signs of rot then add some fresh water and feed and include a little Epsom salt into the feed, then open up your polytunnel and let some airflow through there. If it's blight the stems will soon turn black so you will know for sure and if it's botrytis which could have been started by lack of air flow and the plants being over watered you can try spraying neem oil against the fungus and hope that and lots of fresh air will help you get the plants to fruation. You said in the video you haven't had blight in 29 years and I read from other comments that it could be that you are using a different method of growing this year, I'm not totally convinced of that but what I would say is that they have saved you so much time in watering which has meant you have not been up there or as vigilant as you normally might have been if you were up there watering regularly, so plants have had dead leaves , side shoots, over ripe fruit just hanging there which together with lack of air flow might have been the issue not the actual way you have chosen to grow your tomatoes. You may never know for sure but perhaps if you choose to grow in those pots again you keep up with the maintenance a little more and see if it happens again. I hope you manage to pick at least some of your crop 🤞

[@steveblackie1]

agree think more a virus than blight

[@D.Dastardly]

Must say it doesn't look like any blight that I've seen previously.

[@Treeburnify]

Doesn’t look like blight to me, it looks like Botrytis cinerea (grey mould) - as others have also commented. I could be wrong, but my feeling is that a Greenhouse or Polytunnel needs more ventilation than just a door at one end with the summers we are now getting. Even on cool days greenhouses need air circulation. Usually outdoor tomatoes are likely to get hit first if blight conditions exist, toms under cover are less susceptible except for very bad years. Botrytis however just needs humidity and insufficient ventilation, which is more of a polytunnel/greenhouse problem. It is also usually worse with varieties where the foliage is denser and more extensive - again an air circulation thing. Either way, I really feel for you. I’m upset with my tomatoes this year because they are late due to the cold June reducing yield, but looking at your situation, I have little to complain about. Suggest ventilate like crazy, remove diseased material and keep the plants raised from suckers/sideshoots as isolated as possible - especially when clearing the diseased material. This will mitigate as best as possible whether blight or botrytis. Hope you manage to rescue some of your plants, you have a great KZbin channel.

[@jeanhelliwell8160]

If you keep touching everything in there, including your suckers, you're going to spread it. Wash your hands and change your clothes before you go near your plants at home

[@Allotment-diaryUk]

Don't think is blight. My toms are rubbish this year but not from blight. Think the problems started from the cold snap in July.

[@alanhalford9707]

It’s pith necrosis not tomato blight caused by too much nitrogen in early feed in poly tunnels

[@Anita6687]

Hi if it is botrytis or verticillium wilt you’ll also need ideally to sterilise your poly at the end of the season (the walls) pots everything. I had experienced it in the horticultural industry.

[@downtoearthwithjim]

ALL my heritage tomatoes got wiped out by aminopyralid from horse manure. Absolutely devastating. Had about 40 varieties. It's either the blight or something unexpected like that. Hope things pick up for you Tony. All the best. - Jim 🧑🏻‍🌾

[@GardenerGray]

Sorry to hear this Tony, but suppose win some lose some. Something different each year hey but i do agree with others, think you need more ventilation in the polytunnel, especially during this damp wet summer

[@rebabs]

Oh, Tony, what to say...I really feel your pain. All of your hard work...its so demoralising. Sending a healing hug...and a box of tissues.

[@anjkovo2138]

What a Strange year eh my dear gardening friends?

[@mandybewkes5300]

I'm in the US it is such a weird year, everything is weeks behind.

[@MrLaking123]

the only thing you have done differently this year is the quad grows perhaps they make it too damp

[@mandybewkes5300]

Maybe not enough airflow?

[@gregoryseager9191]

Had it a few years back completely gutting after all the time you take to nurture them, my heart goes out to you Tony best wishes.

[@don5125]

Just a thought but Charles Dowding doesn’t close the door on his polly tunnel so as to keep an air flow!😇👍

[@alanhealey7885]

And he puts everything in the compost bin, as it needs something alive to bread on

[@GARDENER42]

@@alanhealey7885 I put literally everything in mine, even blighted potato tops, horsetail & couch roots, dead rats... Doors in my polytunnel are all 1" mesh.

[@alanhealey7885]

@@GARDENER42 and me don't get any trouble 👍

[@nitelite78]

Initially doesn't seem like blight to me. As others are suggesting it may be grey mould (Botrytis Cinerea). Maybe you need more airflow in your tunnel? Is there a back door and is it open to let air through or do you just keep the main entrance open and that's the only way air can get in?

[@durbatov]

Had it in my greenhouse last yr managed to keep cutting it out and got 80% of the crop so don't give up

[@user-ot2uf4op1q]

Aww Tony so sorry to see your tomatoes have been infected with blight or some other disease. They looked so good too . Gutted for you xx

[@urbsoapco5489]

So sorry Tony. It’s been a difficult year! Take care xxx

[@durbatov]

The more I watch the less it's looking like blight

[@GrownLocal]

My thinking too but

[@durbatov]

@@GrownLocal iv been wrong before lol there's different strains of blight but if u have Tom's/pots outside anywhere close and they aren't suffering I'd be surprised if it was in the poly 1st but nothings impossible

[@dbry1968]

I lost all mine to blight last year totally gutting, the time, effort, sweat and money totally get how you feel.

[@juliehickey1518]

Green tomatoe chunky is the was too go, last year I had bucket loads due to it. Took all Tom's off as soon as I saw it.

[@janw491]

Salsa verde, strawberry jello and green tomato jam (fridge only) lots of green tomatoes the other year and had to get creative 🤣😂🤣😂

[@Catsrule7]

I lost most of mine to early blight this year. I started to pull them out, but they had such a strong root system I tried just chopping back to the ground. They regrew clean and strong and I am now getting a crop. The stems on mine had developed brown patches like yours which made the plants very brittle, as well as the leaves dying.

[@peter236uk1]

I have it my outside plants grrrr

[@elizabethjames1053]

That looks like Botrytis not blight it starts in the leaf joint where you've cut the leaves off , I had a few years on the run exactly like yours could'nt work it out I'm the only one with a poly tunnel on our site no body else was getting it only my poly tunnel , I don't cut any foliage off now until late in the season and on a hot dry day when I do it not a problem with it for the last 14yrs 👍

[@christinebrooks6364]

Hi Tony, im so sorry about gettimg blight, its,awful! I got it a few years ago and know how you feel. At least you have shirley that don't seem to be affected and plants,at home too. Sending hugs, thanks for sharing and take care 😊

[@irenesmith5676]

Hi Tony so sorry you had a fabulous crop of different toms ! I’m surprised you didn’t swear I would’ve done I would’ve cried too so sorry bloody hell I’m so guttered 😢 for you😢sending hugs 🤗🤗🤗🤗 lv Irene xx 😘

[@Crumbleofborg]

Botrytis. My tomatoes always get it at the end of the season, yours have got it very early. Must be the humidity. Looks like it's got in where the lower leaves have been taken off. I would take out any with infected stems, try to increase ventilation and cross my fingers.

[@Saladgirl123]

Gutted for you Tony! I'm amazed that plants can deteriorate so quickly, they looked so good in the last tomato video you did. I'm not far down the road from you, so my weather has been just like yours, and nothing has grown as planned, good or bad. It's so difficult to know what to do for the best, water or not, open greenhouse or not, etc, when the temperatures are still flip-flopping like crazy! I'm just shrugging my shoulders and blaming the weather for everything good and bad in my growing this year, cos I'm trying my absolute best, so it can't be my fault! 🤷‍♀️🤣

[@magpie1492]

I have a separate pair of secateurs for the polytunnel. I spray both pairs of secateurs frequently with surgical spirit when I am working on the outdoor or polytunnel tomatoes. I purposely remove excess leaves on plants to increase ventilation and remove all bottom leaves up to the first truss, going further up the plant as time goes on. It isn't 100% but it all helps.

[@kathysumner1443]

I got blight on two tomato plants when we had all the rain in June.got them out and. Have not seen more.good luck.

[@oldcogs]

Looks more like botrytis to me.

[@goodbyearp6384]

Me too, get this every year and still get a decent crop! I just cut the leaves and bits off , when it gets on the stem the plant above is toast but the toms will still ripen if they're on enough

[@veggieplot]

Feel for you Tony, that’s devastating. I wrote a whole load about airflow and moist air (then deleted it) as it was nothing others haven’t said. It’s been a difficult year.

[@martynb123]

Hi Tony,gutted for you mate. Thought it looked suspicious on your video last week 😫 It always worries me when I'm taking the lower leaves off that it's leaving an open wound for blight to attack.

[@rshah772]

Blighted plants can be composted - Charles Dowding says so

[@durbatov]

In my experience the leaves are back n sloppy with a metallic quality any chance u got a nutrient problem with those quad grows? The yellowing of leaves etc says it may be summit else

[@susiespearing6165]

My thoughts too .

[@projectoldman3383]

Brutal, I saw some signs of an issue in one of your videos a couple weeks ago but man that's a rough one. I'm in the US but I'm going to inspect mine right now.

[@Bexyboo88]

Tony, I'm really, really not convinced that they have blight. I'm down in East Anglia and my tomatoes most years eventually succumb to Blight, so I know what it looks like and yours definitely do not look the same. I reckon it's some other kind of bacterial or fungal infection. Blight makes the plant leaf branches brown and floppy, not dry and crispy, and the patches on the main stem/s go darker and mushy. I'm thinking it could be something to do with you cutting the branches, and then your snips transferring infection to other plants. Not being helped by the probably high temps and humidity in the poly, likely exacerbating it. Crispy leaves can also be too much feed burning them, or wind burn, or too dry an environment etc... Blight's tell-tale signs on leaves are big light brown blotchy patches. I wouldn't give up hope yet. Try to get as much airflow to them as you can, or even put the least affected ones outside. keep a sprayer of disinfectant or isopropyl alcohol with you to spray on your snippers between plants to stop further spread, or even better, snap branches by hand instead - that's what I've been solely doing this year as I read that snapping branches encourages them to heal quicker, which helps prevent disease.

[@vikkielliott990]

Definitely not blight. Grey mould from too much humidity and lack of air flow. Cut off any affected leaves. One year I lost all my toms by the end of July with the same thing. Lesson learned.

[@Sparky68M]

This is the third year running that some plant of mine have blight, they have been late this year only had tomatoes growing in the last few weeks just haven't been polinated, i have one plant that the flowers are dieing because they have not been polinated all out door plant are bush type.

[@mandybewkes5300]

Looks like blight but reading some of these comments are really helpful. Try to clear out the blight and don't touch the others. Pick up all leaves and take them away or burn them.

[@paulrush5935]

I found rat tailed maggots in my quad grow reservoir noticed blossom end rot on my tomatoes so investigated further and found the maggots 🙈 never had before, has anyone else noticed them in their quad grows as well , I’ve emptied the reservoirs out and washed them with fairy washing up liquid added fresh water only to salvage the tomatoes 🍅 😢

[@Dawn_Grows_Veg]

it is so unusual for blight to hit inside a polytunnel before outside tomatoes get hit. It looks like something else, like a wilt or bacterial disease. Could have been something on your scissors you used to cut your leaves off as that is where it seems to have got in first. Good hygiene is going to be you friend with the rest of what is left, disinfect your scissors and pruners and your hands after clearing away toe diseased material. You should get rid of that plant material you took down out of your polytunnel as soon as you can and disinfect the pots before reusing them again for your suckers. I would keep your poly doors open both ends at the moment too. good airflow is the key to keeping down the humidity. I wonder if they all got too hot and the crispy leaves then made the plants vulnerable as well. I am keeping my fingers crossed for you that your home plants and the Crimson Crush will stand tall and give you a late season harvest.

[@durbatov]

The stuff on the stems questionable but that don't look like blight m8

[@DaisyDebs]

How much ventilation do you have in your polytunnel Tony ? Does it have any kind of vents ? Still you got a nice big bowl full of tomatoes and cucumbers .

[@siggiroberts7432]

Hi Toni, feeling for you. Looking at it, it doesn't look like blight. You got something wrong with them, but I'm not sure what. Keep on cutting the infected leaves off and take off all the red or nearly red tomatoes immediately and ripen them at home to safe a few of the fruit.

[@rayansell4260]

I've had blight every for the last five years in my polytunnel but luckily very late in the season after I've already had shit loads of toms. I will think something is wrong if I don't get it this year. 🤣

[@AlevelChemistrymadeeasy-q9j]

So sorry for you Tony. I have been there too and it's so demoralising. One thing which I have noticed to consider in future is ventilation in your polytunnel as it appears you only have the one door opening.

[@jeffreyhurry1464]

Definitely botritus,........mine are wiped out as well, ive had it before many times in my greenhouse, i thought it was blight,......dont know what the answer is !!!!??..........

[@zuzauramek9850]

I live in Poland. I can't grow tomatoes under the sky if they are not draft cherry. I can grow biff and other tomatoes only in the greenhouse. I close the doors at night 8/9 pm (the window is always open in summer) and open the doors in the morning 6/8 am. At night we have moisture in the air and that spreads tomato blight. I have done that for almost 10 years and never had tomato blight in the greenhouse.

[@janw491]

Very sorry for your bad luck with the tomatoes 🍅. Gonna need to spray down the poly tunnel to kill residual spores.

[@rolnics]

Oh no!! Tomato blight, it's a weird one, I had it a few years ago with outdoor crop, I didn't recognise it at first until it was too late. Best bet is to burn them! As mentioned though wash your hands and tools before going near any of your other plants. My outdoor ones this year are terrible, only things that produced well were my strawberries, everything else just doesn't know what to do with this weather

[@socksitis]

All is not lost - cut of all the damaged leaves and any with spots on, keep taking the diseased leaves out and remove whole diseased plants - some tomatoes can be salvaged. When it starts as a spot on the leaf in the future leaves, take them out immediatley. We get blight down here in the South West, but learn to live with it to a degree.

[@mygardenanddinosaurs]

Sorry your tomatoes have blight Tony. They were cracking plants. It's my potatoes that have it. One load of maincrops wiped-out and the remaining lot are coming down with it. So far my tomatoes are ok but they are so behind. Haven't had a single ripe one yet. Blooming weather has a lot to answer for. Chin up and take care. Mags

[@Lynne-plot35b-36b]

Hey Tony after last years bad year I’m sorry you have the worry of your tomatoes but on the Patreon video it defo looked like blight but the video today does not. Whether it’s another fungus or not I’m not sure but the progression of the fungus is doesn’t seem to be rapid enough to be blight…and the spread on the other stems etc. doesn’t seem like blight. Anyway take the beef steak ones out but don’t rag all the others out just yet. Stop using the quad grows open the lids I think the roots may be getting boiled in the humidity that may be why they’ve looked sickly for a bit. Cut the dried leaves off too. Water them as you usually would have without quad grows and lids on let the air get to the roots. Worth a try. Good luck x

[@CardsbyMaaike]

aww i'm sorry Tony, it's been a horrible year, too wet, then too much wind and everything can move the blight around, indeed bring the green bits to the tip, or burn it if you're allowed, disinfect your pots and tools, blight likes to linger in soil and pots all winter just to strike again next year, even pollinators and birds spread the fungus, plant more blight resistant tpes next year and do not accept seedlings or buy starters, you can't control where they came from and although I'm sure they don't give you infected plants on purpose, they might not know...i've pulled 3 plants already and I only had 6

[@lorrainegrey8240]

I don’t think that’s blight Tony it looks more like botrytis cut the infected leaves off! Xx

[@cathyf.1234]

I had the same thing happen this year to my tomatoes. I don't know if it's "blight" (fungal disease?) or a bacterial disease. I think I erred by putting mini-sprinkler heads on my drip irrigation system, instead of "drippers." The water didn't splash on the foliage, but there was a lot more water per plant this year than ever before. Looked like the stems swelled too fast, there were breaks in the skin, and then some sort of pathogen entered the plants through the wounds. The pith died inside the stems. Sorry you experienced it too. Very discouraging.

[@alastairsampson5003]

I'm not sure that's blight, looks different to the times I've had it. If it comes through in the green fruit then yes but It could be another type of fungal infection but crappy nonetheless.

[@purecountryman]

i would be tempted to give a good feed of epsom salts

[@lyndaturner6686]

Tony don’t keep touching your spreading the spores, also wash your tools. You may save some if you’re careful. It’s such a disappointment for you , blame it on the weird summer.❤️

[@susiespearing6165]

Stop touching your plants Tony ! I would remove the dead leaves but that's not like the blight I know .Youll soon know because the stems will blacken very quickly .That looks more like a ventilation disease.😔 The leaves blacken and smell bad with blight .

[@darrenwilkinson4348]

Tony I had it last year and kept just cutting the affected areas away..kept it at bay …definitely a crap thing to happen …feel for you as the season has been a weird one this year for many plants

[@mekashealingjourney]

So sorry To y have you tried hydrogen peroxide I have used it to keep the blight off on my plot so far.

[@KennyTait]

Hi Tony I never had blite on my tomatos either but I lost all my onions to onion rot my red onions were first then my spring onions now my white onions all growen from seed it's sole disstroying when you loose so much

[@lyndapet1]

It looks more like botrytis .Blight absolutely stinks and you haven’t mentioned a smell.

[@ChrisGardenAllotmentJour-pr3en]

Will the blight spread through the quad grows???

[@GARDENER42]

That's not tomato blight matey. I don't know what it is but definitely not blight. If it was. it'd wipe out everything in a few days

[@lynnpurfield9430]

OMG, oh noooo Tony.

[@chriseverest4380]

Sorry Tony❤😢

[@helenlazoga1487]

Hi Tony. You might have a bit of a problem, by putting the mic under your clothing the sound gets muffled. Sorry about the tomatoes.

[@anitahaywood9827]

I'm shocked at it on the leaves, i had it a couple of years ago, it was on the stems, didn't get to the leaves, it was later in the season. Don't tip it Mr Dowding composts because its airborne, will compost just fine. As someone has said disinfect tools hands and clothing!

[@davemat8853]

Cold nights no air flow grey mould not blight

[@DavidJones-lv6li]

Last year 2023 I had prob 300 toms. Put too many plants in. I had heirloom and the usual moneymaker etc. this year and it’s now august 9th 2024. A few green ones NO BEEF STEAK ONES. So as we all know this year it’s the weather. But I can assure you Tony. As with your operation. Fight it. And go again There always a shop 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@rshah772]

oh noooooo..... so gut wrenching.. sorry Tony

[@gloriadavidson8599]

Tony 😭😭😭😭😭😭💔💔💔 for you xxxxx

[@ritahobbs5256]

Oh no! When I saw the Patreon yesterday I thought. … I know what that is 😢

[@alexhuxley3355]

could be the open wound you had when you took lower leaves off. More unusual in PT/GH my blight normally starts outside and GH is fine. Once it starts I would take most tomatoes off and ripen as much at home. CC might survive but i would still take any slightly red tomatoes and ripen at home EDIT: Wash hands shoes before you go home ?

[@nicobass1966]

Heat and air does this

[@JohnHarm-ep2hi]

Looks like boritis to me

[@TheAceRimmer]

It's not blight Tony. That's botrytis!

[@Peterharte73]

Too hot and not enough sunshine Tony

[@majordog2399]

Bloody shame mate. Funny old season!!

[@thecornerplot]

Oohhhh dammit I'm hearing u say ....can hear the dread in ya voice so so wounded 4 u and ya tomatoes 😢😢😢

[@kevinstonebanks8552]

Thats not blight You need more air flow

[@lynnpurfield9430]

No, not blight Tony. It looks like stress and age. Probably not enough feed either.

[@durbatov]

Ahh i planted potatoes in containers used composted manure the manure was full of weedkiller but I had a backup of a load planted up the plot as an experiment thought that's great then the bas@#%#s got blight aaarrrggghhhhh I feel ur pain

[@Gardenofglory-l6v]

Sorry Tony but tomatoes did not go good with me this year at all either I would grow them every year and I get tomatoes no matter how big or small but nothing this time around they keep looking so drab after growing so big, so I’m sorry about your lovely vines they were so Beautiful 👍❤ stay safe

[@susanelwood5794]

My outdoor tomatoes 🍅 have done far better than the greenhouse ones. My first year growing anything so been a real learning curve 🙄

[@TheAceRimmer]

Don't chop them all out, you can work around it

[@quietspacearts]

dont forget to burn the blighted crops as spreads to other plants like potatoes n peppers tony, they need loads of ventilation and weather didnt help either, get couple solar panelled fans i bought mine and are brill, becareful u spreading the spores, take tomatoes off gently and ripen them on windowsill. pls do not drop off at a tip they need burning otherwise it passes on to anyone wanting topsoil from tip etc you did well only having one blight year in 20 well done cos its a bloomin blighter to have.

[@rayansell4260]

I don't think that's blight either

[@anthonylong6403]

What a shame. As you know, blight thrives in consistently damp/humid atmospheres and although I hesitate to say it, the standing water contained within your grow pots will, I fear, only promote a damp atmosphere in the polly, especially during the nights when the poly doors are generally closed. I dont think it is a coincidence that you have been struck by blight for the first time ever, having grown you toms this year, for the first time, in pots with water retaining bases. All is not lost however and as another OP has suggested, use the green toms that don't ripen to make a delicious chutney!

[@dereknash3638]

Sorry to see that, I nigice somebody has posted that the plants can be composted, according to the RHS they should not be. Infected material should be deeply buried (below the depth of cultivation), consigned to the local council green waste collection or burned, rather than composted (see the 'Biology' section, below) Clean any plant supports and other garden equipment that has previously come into contact with blight with a disinfectant such as Jeyes Fluid before re-use, to make absolutely sure that there is no disease transfer. Hard surfaces and the glass in greenhouses can be cleaned in the same way.

[@kazkimber5310]

Can you take the fruit off and ripen them off.

[@krafterpc]

Quad grow best intentions, Tony... but it probably caused the blight.😢😢

[@jonquilhawthorne3257]

😢so disappointing, but stop touching the good ones😮 If you have,any neem oil, you could mix it with w.up liquid & water & spray the unaffected ones, Its,a great fungicide if it's not to late, if you pull those bad ones through the greenhouse, it will spread everywhere, including anyone's potatoes !🤯🥺

[@tangerinebabe1]

Thought I had blight earlier in the year on my outdoor tomatoes but I dug them out of my allotment plot and moved them into planters in my back garden and they revived and are doing amazing now. Not an expert myself but it does look a bit like blight. Direct sun isn't great for tommies, they like lots of heat rather than sun. To be honest I've not had a great year with tomatoes, the weather has been so bad. Chin up, get summot in your polytunnel for winter 😊