If you’ve heard of late blight, you might be worried about it. You may be doing everything you can to prevent it, but you’re not sure what else you can do.
Late blight is a serious problem for both home gardeners and commercial growers. It can devastate tomato and potato crops, and it’s one of the most common plant diseases.
But there are steps you can take to protect your plants from this disease, and there are treatments available if you do experience an outbreak.
In this article, we’ll highlight some natural treatments that can help to control late blight.
What Is Late Blight?
This is a fungal disease that affects tomatoes, potatoes, and other nightshade plants [1].
The disease can cause leaves to wither and die, and can also affect tomato fruit, making it rot. Left untreated, late blight can quickly kill plants.
The good news is that there are a few natural ways to treat and prevent late blight.
Symptoms
The first sign of late blight is small water-soaked lesions on the leaves. The lesions will enlarge, creating purple-brown or dark-green blotches.
The stems and petioles may also become infected. In extreme cases, the entire plant may collapse and die [2].
How to Get Rid of Late Blight Naturally
If you think you might have late blight on your plants, it’s important to take action as soon as possible. Below are some home remedies and natural methods to help control it.
1. Baking Soda
One natural remedy is to use a baking soda solution.
Make a homemade late blight spray by mixing 3 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 gallon of water. Next, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil and a teaspoon of liquid soap to the mixture.
Shake well and spray on affected areas of plants. This mixture can help kill blight spores. This is a great remedy to treat fungus on tomato plants organically.
2. Drip Irrigation
Another way that you can help prevent late blight is by introducing drip irrigation to your garden.
Drip irrigation is a great option for those who want to conserve water and still keep their plants healthy.
By using a small amount of water, directly onto the base of the plant, you can prevent water from splashing onto the leaves and spreading the late blight spores.
Also, since late blight loves wet weather and humidity, reducing these conditions can be extremely helpful in preventing an outbreak.
3. Mulching
What mulching does is act as a barrier between the soil and the plants, blocking spores from splashing up onto foliage or stems.
Moreover, you can use organic mulch such as straw or bark that will decompose over time and help improve soil structure and fertility.
4. Staking or Caging
You can also use staking or caging to protect your plants from late blight.
This works by placing cages or stakes around the plant so that air can flow through, which helps reduce humidity and encourages evaporative cooling of the leaves.
This method also keeps the plants off the ground which further minimizes infection.
5. Crop Rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of growing different crops in different seasons, in a predetermined sequence, on a given piece of land.
This helps break the cycle of the disease. Rotating crops also helps reduce the buildup of spores in the soil.
6. Remove Infected Leaves
One of the most important things you can do to stop late blight is to remove affected leaves. This helps reduce the spread of the disease, protecting your garden.
If you’ve noticed any plants in your garden that are infected with late blight, carefully remove and discard all affected leaves, stems, and fruits from the area.
Also, be sure to wear gloves and protective clothing so you don’t come into contact with the fungi. It’s also important to dispose of these materials in a proper manner.
Removing infected leaves is a great way to help prevent the further spread of late blight. Doing this quickly can help keep your garden safe from this disease!
7. Space Plants
Spacing your plants out is an easy way to reduce the risk of late blight spreading from plant to plant.
By increasing the space between them, you’re giving each one more room to breathe and less chance for pathogens to spread.
Also, if you have a garden with lots of tomato or potato plants, it’s best to give each one its own patch. As you might already know, these two plants are bad companions for each other.
8. Do Not Compost Infected Plants
If your plants are infected with late blight, it’s important that you don’t add them to your compost pile. The fungus can survive the composting conditions, and it will eventually end up back in your garden.
Instead, throw away infected plants in a plastic bag and seal it tight before disposing of it into the trash.
9. Arber Bio Fungicide
Arber Bio Fungicide is a natural product that is designed to control late blight, scab, downy mildew, and other plant diseases. It works by preventing the pathogen from taking hold.
Apply this organic treatment directly to affected plants, covering all areas to complete wetness. Moreover, it is safe for use on most vegetable crops, including potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers.
However, read the instructions carefully before applying any product to your plants.
10. BONIDE Revitalize Biofungicide
This product also works as a natural treatment for late blight on plants.
The all-natural formula uses a naturally occurring beneficial bacterium to help fight off late blight and other fungal diseases.
It’s safe for organic crops and can be used as a foliar spray and as a soil drench.
11. BONIDE Copper Fungicide Dust
For use in small gardens only, this is a spray-on product that can help to fight fungal diseases on fruit trees, vegetables, ornamentals, and more.
All you need to do is apply it directly to the leaves of your plants, according to product instructions.
Takeaway
So, those are all some great natural ways to help prevent and treat late blight. We hope you find these helpful and that your crops fare well this season!
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