What is rot on tomatoes and how to treat it?

Rot on tomato bushes is common. There are many varieties of this disease: black rot, root rot, and brown rot ... The causes of such diseases can be different. However, if you do not prevent the occurrence of rot on tomatoes in time or stop the spread of the disease in the early stages of its development, then you can lose the entire crop. To prevent this from happening, we recommend that you learn about how to identify a particular disease and how to treat it.

Gray mold is a fungal disease. It can form on tomatoes grown both in the greenhouse and outdoors. It appears due to the high level of moisture and an excess of fertilizing with a high nitrogen content. First of all, it affects the tomato foliage, which is why small dots are formed on it, which soon increase, and then the fruits themselves.

Chemicals in the fight against gray mold are considered the most effective, however, many summer residents do not like to use them for the simple reason that such drugs are highly toxic and often accumulate in the fruits and foliage of the plant, which is not good for them. Besides, such agents can scare off pollinating insects, which help the plant in many ways, and, if used improperly, harm the person himself. THowever, it is the use of chemicals that is the surest step in the fight against gray mold.

So, to eliminate gray rot, you can use the coating of tomato bushes with fungicidal agents. Wherein it is worth paying attention to the instructions, it accurately indicates the dosage and frequency of use.

An example is the recipe for the following coating solution. You will need 10 liters of water, 0.33 kilograms of CMC glue, 20-50 grams of fungicide and some chalk. Usually, of the fungicides, summer residents most often resort to using such products as Topaz, Oksikhom and Kuproskat. All components must be thoroughly mixed to such a state that the mixture looks like a paste. Next, the rot is treated in such a way that the product gets into 3 centimeters of untouched tissue.

You can also resort to the treatment with Bordeaux liquid. Sick plants need to be sprayed 3 times at intervals of 10 days. It is not recommended to carry out treatment with such a remedy more than 4 times per season. If the disease arose even at the stage of seedling before planting in a permanent place, then the treatment of plants with this agent must be carried out a week or two before planting the tomatoes.

The solution is prepared as follows. You will need a container with a volume of 10 liters from any material, except metal, 2 liters of hot water and 100 grams of copper sulfate. All components are well mixed, after which another 3 liters of cool water is added to the solution.

A solution of lime is prepared separately. This requires 0.15 kg of lime and a liter of water. 4 liters of cool water are poured into a separate container, after which a mixture of lime is added there.All this is mixed well and filtered through a non-metallic strainer or gauze. Further, a mixture of copper sulfate is gradually added to the same container and it all mixes well.

When processing drugs that contain toxic substances, be careful. Follow the safety instructions, follow the instructions strictly and do not neglect the protective equipment. When processing, use a protective mask, goggles and rubber gloves, so as not to harm your own health.

Biological agents are another sure-fire method for fighting gray mold. They are effective and completely harmless to both humans and beneficial insects. Among such drugs, Agat 25K, Gamair, Alirin-B and Fitosporin-M are especially distinguished.

Folk remedies are less effective when compared with the aforementioned drugs. It is not recommended to fight gray rot with their help in advanced cases, otherwise there is a risk of losing the entire crop. However, folk remedies are excellent remedies that can be used prophylactically. Unlike the same chemicals, they are completely safe and environmentally friendly; they can be made with your own hands at home without much financial expense.

So, you can use a baking soda solution to fight gray mold. You only need 10 grams of product and 10 liters of water. All this is mixed and applied to plants. It is worth paying attention to the infusion of wood ash. For cooking, you need a glass of the main component, a liter of hot water and a day for tincture. After a lapse of time, 10 liters of water are added to the mixture, all this is mixed, and then used to process tomatoes.

You can also use a solution based on oak bark to fight gray mold. You will need 5 grams of the main component and a liter of water, all this must be boiled well for 10 minutes, then add another 10 liters of water to the solution. Milk of lime is another sure-fire method for removing gray mold. You only need a gram of the product and 10 liters of water. All this is mixed and used on tomato bushes.

Black rot often forms on overripe fruits. It penetrates into the fruit through small cracks. The cause of its occurrence is the increased humidity of the air masses. The first symptom of the disease is the appearance of weeping spots. Over time, they soften and grow, after which the bush dies.

To prevent the occurrence of this disease, it is necessary to follow the rules of agricultural technology. It is necessary to ventilate the greenhouse more often, to harvest on time, to prevent thickening of the plantings, not to overdo it with the amount of water when watering, to eliminate diseased plants and to mulch the earth.

If you notice that white rot has appeared on your tomatoes, then the reason for this is most likely contaminated compost or non-disinfected soil. If we talk about compost, then with a high probability, diseased plants were used in its manufacture, which served to infect new plantings. In addition, a high level of moisture and low temperatures of air masses during planting of tomato bushes can also contribute to the development of the disease.

Often this disease appears on damaged areas of tomatoes during the storage period of the crop. Symptoms of the disease include the presence of a whitish bloom on tomatoes, as well as the wateriness and fadedness of their foliage. To get rid of the disease and prevent it from arising, it is necessary to devote time to cleaning old plant residues, disinfecting the soil and the greenhouse, selecting and planting disease-resistant tomato varieties, as well as treating the plantings with fungicidal agents during the growing season.

In addition to white, black and gray rot, other diseases are inherent in tomatoes. For example, you can often find brown rot, also referred to as late blight or phomosis. This is a viral disease that can be stored for a long time in soil with a high content of copper salts. Especially often the disease is activated in greenhouse conditions at a high temperature of air masses, however, it can also be found in open ground, especially with neglected plantings and high humidity. The disease can affect plantings in a week or a week and a half, and in 2 it can rob you of your harvest.

Symptoms of this disease include the appearance of brown or brown spots on the top of the leaf and the appearance of a whitish coating on the bottom. The fruits themselves begin to rot and become covered with dry spots, which gradually grow, over time, an unpleasant odor begins to emanate from the diseased fruits.

Top, bottom or crown rot is also often found on the bottom of tomatoes, at their tips. It can be found both on unripe fruits and on those that are already ready to be harvested. A disease appears due to a lack of moisture and high temperatures, in the absence of loosening, the predominance of sand in the soil, excess or lack of calcium, oversaturation with nitrogen fertilizers, soil salinity and a sharp change in moisture and drought.

Symptoms include wet spots on the tips of the fruit. The end rot subsequently grows and the fruit falls off.

Root rot of tomatoes or black stalk is also common on tomatoes. You can observe it with excess moisture in heavy soil. In case of illness, the basal neck begins to turn black, while the bush may fall due to a weak root, it begins to weaken and slow down in growth, its ovaries die off, the leaves fade, turn black and dry, brown spots may also form on the plant, while it can also be observed stem thinning of the trunk.

Most often, the cause of such a disease is the lack of soil disinfection, as well as reduced immunity and plant resistance to various kinds of diseases. To increase the immunity of tomatoes, it is recommended to treat them with special agents, for example, such as "Epin" and "Zircon".

Fusarium is also a common and no less dangerous disease that provokes the appearance of rot on tomatoes. If you do not process the plant in time and do not relieve it of the disease, then soon it will simply die. This disease often manifests itself during the growth and flowering of the tomato. The reason for this is most often the diseased planting material, the presence of damage on the plant, low temperatures during sowing and elevated temperatures during flowering, in which the disease is activated.

The disease begins to affect the tomato bush from below, gradually moving to the top. The foliage and trunk of the bush at the same time change color to a lighter one with shades of yellowness. The foliage rotates and eventually falls off, the shoots dry out, and a whitish bloom and pinkish plaque forms on the roots in the area of ​​the root collar. The disease subsequently affects not only tomatoes, but also those plants that are nearby. At the first stage of the development of the disease, it is quite possible to limit the use of folk remedies, however, in advanced cases, you will have to resort to more radical methods of struggle.

Preventive measures must be taken to prevent disease and ultimately enjoy a rich and healthy harvest. So, first of all, it is necessary to promptly eliminate diseased fruits and leaves, so that the infection does not spread to healthy plantings. Old foliage and other plant debris should be harvested at the end of the season after the final harvest.

If tomatoes grow in a greenhouse, then the room must be regularly ventilated. In addition, both the greenhouse and the soil must be disinfected before planting plants. When planting, it is necessary to prevent thickening of the bushes and maintain a certain distance between them in order to ensure normal air circulation. It is also recommended to carry out mulching and loosening of the soil.

For planting, it is recommended to choose such plant varieties that are highly resistant to diseases and have strong immunity. It is periodically recommended to treat plants with folk remedies for preventive purposes. Take the time to take good care of your tomatoes. Avoid waterlogging or dryness of the soil. Try not to overdo it with fertilizers or cause a deficiency. Remember, there should be a measure in everything.