We had two questions from farmers and I thought Id share the answers with all of you as this info might be of interest to some of you. Dear Karl, you said that the land you are planning to grow tomatoes on has been under cultivation for a long time. Do you know which crops were grown there? If it was any solanceous crop like tomato, hoho, potato, etc. You should treat your soil before you start commercial tomato growing. If it was just maize, beans and kales, there is no need. These pathogens are very crop specific. The problem is if the disease was present, it will remain in the soil for several years and affect following crops. Diseased leaves fall to the ground and reinfect the soil, from where they then enter the next crop. So for successful monocropping hygiene is crucially important. Diseased leaves have to be pinched of the plant and removed immediately. Another source of disease are succing insects like aphids and whitefly, another emerging tomato pest is leaf miner fly. MAke sure the netting for your greenhouse allows good air circulation to avoid mildew but does not allow any of those tiny insects to enter your greenhouse. It should also have a double door entrance. so that the outer door is closed before the inner one is opened. Between the doors the person entering the greenhouse should change their shoes to avoid contamination from being carried inside. Tools, hands or gloves should always be desinfected inbetween tasks. To treat your soil it is not necessary to remove it completely, you could also sterilize it. If the greenhouses have not yet been erected you should cover the ground with plastic foil and expose the area to full sun for 2 weeks. After that you shoul incorporate good quality compost from a reliable source and may be also add some EM. Smaller amounts of soil can be sterilized over a fire in large sufurias. Monitor your crops for symptoms regularly and act before a disease takes over the whole greenhouse. A good preventive measure is dusting the tomato plants with a mix of ash and baking powder. This keeps the pH on the leaves in a region where pathogens dont grow. Also avoid splashing water on the leaves during watering. Leave enough space between plants to allow good air circulation. I hope this was helpful!
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 07:29:20 +0000
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