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This disease of seedlings plunges even experienced gardeners into a panic. In fact, it is rarely possible to grow seedlings so that they are not affected by diseases. The appearance of a black leg in tomato seedlings. – one of the most unpleasant surprises (because it appears suddenly). The stems, which so recently stood briskly, fall as if cut down, and die. Often this happens after the seedlings have been picked. The article will discuss the protection of tomato seedlings from the black leg.
Causes of the disease
If you look at the fallen stems, you can see that near the surface of the soil they darken and become thinner, like burnt matches.
Vegetable crops that are grown indoors, in greenhouses and greenhouses are most vulnerable to this disease.
The cause of the disease is a fungal infection of seedlings. The fungus attacks the root system. Through the roots, the disease also spreads from one plant to another. In addition to tomatoes, cabbage and radish seedlings are susceptible to this disease.
Good lighting is especially important for tomato seedlings. In order to have as much light as possible, you should place the foil behind the boxes or pots in which the seedlings are planted.
How to cure sprouts
Before starting treatment, be aware that the disease develops only in overly acidic soils. Soil tillage with chalk, dry limestone, or wood ash helps to neutralize the soil. A remedy such as dolomite flour also helps well.
It is only with this approach that the harvest can be saved.
True, many gardeners consider treatment a thankless task. Even if the plant can be saved, it lags behind in growth and bears fruit much worse. They remove not only diseased plants, but also some of the healthy ones that are nearby.
So what needs to be done?
- Disinfect the soil. To do this, watering with a solution of potassium permanganate helps.
- Limit watering plants. This is good disease prevention. In dry soil, the fungus does not develop. And, therefore, there is a chance to save the crop.
- Cover diseased seedlings with wood ash or powdered charcoal.
- You can also disinfect the soil with a formalin solution. In this case, it is necessary that the soil is thoroughly loosened.
Efficient and complete replacement of the soil in the place where the seedlings were affected with disinfection of the soil around the lesion. This helps to prevent the spread of the disease to other shoots.
Prevention
It is important to prevent the disease from the very beginning. Seed preparation is very important. It is advisable to choose varieties that are resistant to this disease. Good immunity in the tomato variety “Lyana” is a combination of unpretentiousness in care, resistance to diseases and good yields.
Before sowing, it is necessary to treat the seeds with a solution of potassium permanganate (to withstand the grains placed in a cloth bag for 20-30 minutes in the solution). After that, you need to rinse the seeds in the same bag and dry. A mandatory procedure is the disinfection of the container into which the landing will be carried out using a solution of potassium permanganate.
If soil from the garden is used for planting seeds and picked plants, then it should be slightly warmed up before planting. Often used is calcination in an oven in old dishes. It is undesirable to do this in a residential area, since when calcined, the soil emits a specific smell that can hardly be called pleasant. The calcined soil should be spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate. After disinfection with a solution of potassium permanganate, it is necessary to withstand the soil for 2-3 days without planting so that the seeds do not burn out.
Proper watering helps to avoid disease. Water too generously, and even more so, seedlings should not be poured. Increased importance can cause illness. Advice! Water young plants with warm water.
A good preventive measure is regular loosening of the soil to ensure air access to the roots. So that the top layer does not dry out, it can be covered with sand. Sprouts affected by the disease must be removed and disposed of so that the disease does not spread to healthy plants. When planting plants in the ground, the Barrier preparation is added to each well, and only then seedlings are planted.
Folk remedies against the black leg
- Do not overmoisten the soil, use a spray bottle or watering can to water the seedlings.
- Do not be lazy to dive seedlings, as this procedure contributes to a better development of the root system.
- Excess nitrogen fertilizer is harmful to plants and can provoke the development of the disease.
- In the process of growing seedlings, humus should not be used as a fertilizer, since the humus contains a fungus.
- Watering with a solution of onion peel contributes to the prevention of black leg and has a therapeutic effect for diseased plants.
Preparations for blackleg
To date, two drugs are known that destroy the fungus that causes black leg disease.
- Fundazol. Quite an effective remedy. However, the ingredients in its composition are toxic. It is not recommended to use the drug if you are growing tomatoes at home. This is especially true for families with small children and pets.
- Previkur. Despite the fact that it is no less effective, less toxic. It is used both in horticulture and when breeding home flowers.
These two drugs can be classified as prophylactic.
Now you are fully armed in the fight against such a formidable opponent as the blackleg. And preventive measures will allow you to reduce the risk of disease to a minimum.
