I was giving a neighbor a couple extra tomatoes plants I started and he told me about a copper wire trick to prevent blight. We have a bad time here in Ohio with it and I manage by aggressively pruning lower/inside limbs and using a copper spray. He said to insert a small piece of copper wire in the stem to 'feed' the plant antifungal copper. Sounds good in theory but I also have heard copper nails are used to kill trees; I think there even was a famous case of an Alabama student using this method on the Auburn campus. The internet is undecided on the effectiveness.
I may try it on a few plants just to see if there is an effect. Anyone else actually try this?
I've never had that problem with tomatoes in my garden, but would appreciate any advise on how to effectively deal with squash vine bores.
I'm growing 6 of each of the following this year; Big Boy, Better Boy, Lemon Boy, Sweet 100, Yellow Pear, Rapunzel, Sungold, and Tidy Treats this year. Since my Wife will be working from her on-campus office this year, I planted more cherry tomatoes so that it would be easier for her to carry the excess to work to give away.
You will achieve maximum control when you time your sprays to coincide with egg hatch. You should begin your spray program early in the hatching period. The pyrethroid insecticides (Asana, Brigade, Mustang Max, Pounce and Warrior) provide the best levels of control.
Old time truck farmer where I grew up gave my grandpa a partial jug of Pounce for his garden for squash bugs. It worked.
SVB are the worst. You have to stay ahead of them with a regular pesticide schedule. Here the pickle worms eventually start taking the fruit, but the plants will be svb free if I maintain the pesticide schedule. The trick is to find different pesticides so you don't exceed the number of approved applications per season. I start with rotenone, but also use permethrin and malathion.
Living in a world of G17s and 700s, wishing for P7s and 202s
Anybody know how to keep stink bugs at bay? Both my blackberries and tomatoes were infested last year. Tomatoes they’d bite and it would leave a white scar at the bite. Berries the node they but wouldn’t stay white. Didn’t really hurt them, just unappealing from otherwise bumper crop.
Sorry to the OP, this has turned into a general garden pest thread...
I was giving a neighbor a couple extra tomatoes plants I started and he told me about a copper wire trick to prevent blight. We have a bad time here in Ohio with it and I manage by aggressively pruning lower/inside limbs and using a copper spray. He said to insert a small piece of copper wire in the stem to 'feed' the plant antifungal copper. Sounds good in theory but I also have heard copper nails are used to kill trees; I think there even was a famous case of an Alabama student using this method on the Auburn campus. The internet is undecided on the effectiveness.
I may try it on a few plants just to see if there is an effect. Anyone else actually try this?
Neighbor told me of the wire trick several years ago and I tried it. Had no blight that year. I forgot about the trick and never used it again and had the blight every year after. I think the year I used the copper wire it was just conditions were right for no blight. I had told others about the copper wire and no one else had success in preventing blight.
Friend told me to keep lower branches cut so they are away from splash up from rain. Going to try that but not expecting it to work. Another tip was to have plenty of space around each tomato plant for air circulation. Penn State says high humidity coupled with the right temps (forgot the temp range) will bring on the blight. Greenhouses can control that better and if regulated avoid the blight. I don't know any of this is accurate.
Anybody know how to keep stink bugs at bay? Both my blackberries and tomatoes were infested last year. Tomatoes they’d bite and it would leave a white scar at the bite. Berries the node they but wouldn’t stay white. Didn’t really hurt them, just unappealing from otherwise bumper crop.
Sorry to the OP, this has turned into a general garden pest thread...
No need to apologize. At least we are not talking politics. All gardening inquiries welcome!
I was giving a neighbor a couple extra tomatoes plants I started and he told me about a copper wire trick to prevent blight. We have a bad time here in Ohio with it and I manage by aggressively pruning lower/inside limbs and using a copper spray. He said to insert a small piece of copper wire in the stem to 'feed' the plant antifungal copper. Sounds good in theory but I also have heard copper nails are used to kill trees; I think there even was a famous case of an Alabama student using this method on the Auburn campus. The internet is undecided on the effectiveness.
I may try it on a few plants just to see if there is an effect. Anyone else actually try this?
Neighbor told me of the wire trick several years ago and I tried it. Had no blight that year. I forgot about the trick and never used it again and had the blight every year after. I think the year I used the copper wire it was just conditions were right for no blight. I had told others about the copper wire and no one else had success in preventing blight.
Friend told me to keep lower branches cut so they are away from splash up from rain. Going to try that but not expecting it to work. Another tip was to have plenty of space around each tomato plant for air circulation. Penn State says high humidity coupled with the right temps (forgot the temp range) will bring on the blight. Greenhouses can control that better and if regulated avoid the blight. I don't know any of this is accurate.
Pruning isn't a cure, but definitely helps two fold. It opens the plant up to help leaves dry quicker and also encourages more fruit growth vs leaf growth.
No need to worry about the copper in the plant causing toxicity in humans. it is unlikely that copper wire in the plant will porovide enough copper to kill the fungus. These are old wives tales. Copper has fungicidal properties, but it has to be solublized to get into the plant or the fungus. Copper solutions sprayed on the surface of leaves provides a level toxic to germinating spores.
I brought it up in the other garden thread but I am using Southern Ag liquid copper fungicide on tomatoes this year. It is supposed to be effective against tomato blight among other kinds of fungi.....and its used with all sorts of plants. I mix one tablespoon per gallon of water in a sprayer per instructions and the water looks like the stuff that comes out of a well used rifle barrel that has had a copper solvent like wipe out applied to it......pretty blue. The copper is supposed to help the plant fight off fungal attacks. You have to start spraying the plant as soon as you put it in the ground.
I've never had much luck with tomatoes but so far so good this year with a weekly application of this stuff. Its about to start getting really hot here and that is going to tell the tale because that is usually when the plants start wilting.
I sorta doubt the wire trick would supply enough copper to the plant to make a difference.
