The University of Massachusetts Plant Diagnostic Lab has confirmed the presence of Late Blight (LB)in Franklin County on tomatoes on July 11. Advice for home gardener clientele: At this point in the season, if symptoms begin appearing on plants, remove plants, place in a plastic bag, seal, and discard in the trash or completely bury plants deep enough underground so plants decompose and will not re-sprout.
Do not put the plants in a compost pile as spores will still spread from this debris.
Visit the websitehttps://extension.umass.edu/vegetable/alerts, for more details, images, and management options. You may also track the spread of the disease at the website USA Blight, www.usablight.org.
- Dave
