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How to treat anthracnose on tomatoes and other vegetables?
Photo by By Stsmith (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0]
Tips for treating anthracnose on vegetables
- You treat this problem in the same way as other fungal diseases: you need to use fungicides. You don't want to spread toxic chemicals on tomatoes? There is a solution: get safe organic fungicide
. Unless you get lucky and manage to remove fungus at once, you will have to spray a few times to manage an infection. Humid, warm weather is your enemy here, as it helps anthracnose fungi to spread.
- That's why you can't use sprinklers to water tomatoes. Keep the plants dry.
- Collect fruits as soon as possible. The longer they remain on the stems, the greater is a chance of reinfection.
- After the harvest season remove plants' remains. Burn or throw them away.
Tips for controlling anthracnose in vegetable garden
- Buy plant varieties resistant to anthracnose. If you plan to start the tomato seedlings yourself, try to get certified disease free seeds.
- What can you do if the seeds you bought are not certified, or if you have collected them yourself? Soak seeds in warm water (122°F/50°C) for 25 minutes. This treatment will destroy the fungus.
- When planning crop rotation for a vegetable bed, every year switch between sensitive plants and disease resistant crops to break anthracnose life cycle.
- Avoid damaging roots when planting seedlings in the garden.
- Mulch to prevent soil getting on the plants when you water them or while it rains.
- Stake tall plants (see how to stake tomatoes) - it lets the air circulate better and your vegetables are not wet for too long.
- Frequently remove weeds, as the pests and diseases lurk on them.
- Avoid overhead irrigation because wet plants get infected easily. Correct watering of tomatoes and other vegetables helps to keep diseases away.
While it's possible to treat anthracnose on infected plants with an effective fungicide