Late blight is a dreaded disease of potatoes that is a serious problem for gardeners as it causes significant losses in yield and quality every year. It causes the leaves to wilt and die and can also affect the fruits, causing them to rot. If the potato plant is left untreated, this disease can even kill it. However, there are measures you can take and natural methods to combat late blight on potatoes.
Fighting late blight on potatoes: effective methods and home remedies
Late blight spores are spread through the air and thrive in warm, moist conditions. The disease usually appears in July or August and can destroy potato crops within a few days. In this article, we explain how you can combat and prevent late blight with home remedies to save your potato crops and ensure higher yields.
How can you recognize late blight?
The first signs of late blight are the brown, water-soaked leaf spots with a yellow edge that spread from the center of the leaf. Under humid conditions there may be low spore production and a white fungal growth may appear on the underside of foliage.
The disease develops quickly and can also infect the tubers. Dark spots appear on the skin of the potatoes and the rot spreads into the potatoes, which eventually rot.
First aid for the affected plants
If your potato plants are infected with late blight, the first thing you should do is cut off the foliage and burn it as quickly as possible. This prevents the disease from spreading to neighboring plants.
If you do this early enough, it is very likely that the potatoes underground will not be affected. However, test a few of them by taking them out of the ground. If these are also infected, they can no longer be saved and they should be burned.
Fight late blight on potatoes with baking powder
When you notice the first signs of the disease, you can treat the potato plants with a solution of baking soda to prevent its spread. Mix 3 tablespoons of baking soda with one tablespoon of vegetable oil, one teaspoon of liquid soap and 3 liters of water.
Remove the infected leaves and spray the plant to kill the spores. Make sure you also spray on the undersides of the leaves. Treat the potato plants with this solution daily in dry weather until all signs of the disease disappear.
Treat potatoes with milk and iodine
Treating potatoes with a solution of milk, water and iodine is a natural way to combat diseases and pests. The increased acidity of the solution creates an environment in which the fungus that causes late blight cannot survive and eventually dies. Another advantage of this method is that it creates a protective film for the plant and keeps pests away.
Mix two liters of milk with 15 drops of iodine and four liters of warm water and spray the affected potato plants immediately after the first signs of the disease. The prepared solution should be used immediately and cannot be stored. Treat the plants in the morning or evening to avoid burning the leaves and stems.
To prevent late blight, you can treat the potatoes at the base every two weeks with a solution of 250 ml of milk, 5 drops of iodine and a liter of warm water.
Prevent late blight with garlic
You can make a garlic solution yourself to prevent late blight from developing.
- Crush 200 g garlic cloves and pour 1 liter of water over them. Let them soak for two days.
- Then add 2 tablespoons of liquid soap and two tablespoons of neem oil and mix well.
- Filter the liquid and dilute it with 10 liters of water.
- Use a sprayer to mist the potato plant every 7-10 days or after any heavy rain.
You can also spray the potato plants with nettle manure to strengthen them and prevent late blight.Find out herehow you can make this effective remedy yourself.
What measures should you take to prevent late blight?
Late blight is caused by a fungus that is favored by wet conditions. Therefore, you should take the following measures to prevent the disease.
- Choose less susceptible varieties.
- Plant the potatoesnot too tight so that they are well ventilated.
- Water the plants in the morning so they can dry out well throughout the day.
- Use nitrogen fertilizer to prevent late blight.
Also interesting:Growing potatoes in a planting bag: instructions and tips on how to achieve a rich harvest!
