Soap-Shield for Rust Disease on Tomato Plants

Many gardeners grow a variety of tomatoes.

Tomatoes are one of the most popular vegetables for home gardeners. Grown in gardens across North America, the tomato offers a bountiful supply of fruit that is quick to ripen after pollination. In good conditions tomatoes are easy to grow. They are hardy plants but they are susceptible to garden blights including Rust disease.

Growing Healthy Plants

The tomato plant rewards the gardener with an abundance of fruit.

For a successful crop of tomatoes, plant in nutrient-rich, well-drained soil with exposure to plenty of sunlight. Water adequately. Tomato plants love water, but take care not to over water; soggy soil will prevent the roots from getting the air they need. Deep watering--soak the soil every four to five days for sandy soils and every seven for heavier soils--should be adequate unless you live in a hot climate where gardeners must water more frequently to maintain soil moisture.

Avoiding Rust Disease

Spray with Soap-Shield to treat Rust.

Under humid conditions a number of plant problems can arise. Blights and fungus can infect many garden plants, including the tomato. Rust is a common problem. The initial symptoms of Rust disease are yellow spots, which most commonly appear as raised or flat spots on a plant's leaves, although it can spread to the stems, flowers and fruit. A serious infection can kill a plant and spread to others.

One of the best ways to treat garden disease is through prevention. The best way to treat rust is to avoid getting the leaves wet when watering. Caging a tomato also helps minimize rust, because the cage not only supports the plant but helps keep the plant dry and rust free by keeping it off the ground.

Soap-Shield for Prevention

Tomatoes are susceptible to diseases like Rust.

To prevent Rust disease from infecting your tomatoes, use Soap-Shield as a preventive measure. In the article "Late Blight Devastates Northeast Tomato Crops," in the 2009 issue of Pennsylvania Certified Organic, Emily Brown Rosen recommends treating tomatoes with a copper soap fungicide. She writes, "While conventional growers have an arsenal of fungicide they can use to protect their crops, organic growers have very few." In this same paper Rosen cites "Soap-Shield Flowable Liquid Copper Fungicide" as PCO approved.

Soap-Shield is one of the oldest fungicides and bactericides. According to Gardens Alive, "Soap-Shield is a patented, fixed copper fungicide made by combining a soluble copper fertilizer with a naturally occurring fatty acid."

This treatment is fast working and inexpensive and will protect plants from other garden blights as well, like powdery mildew and black spot. Simply spray the infected plant with a mixture of 2 fluid ounces of Soap-Shield in a gallon of water. Be sure that all surfaces of the plant are thoroughly sprayed.

Schedule

Again, prevention is the best cure, and if you've had a Rust outbreak before or notice that your neighbors have, you can treat your plants with Soap-Shield two weeks before predicted wet weather. Simply mix 2 oz. of Soap-Shield per gallon of water and spray. Treatment can be reapplied every seven days or after heavy rains.

Dealing with a Rust Outbreak

If you have a bad Rust outbreak, remove infected plant to keep rust from spreading. Then treat the surrounding plants with Soap-Shield.

Do not put infected plants in the compost, as this will spread the rust infection.

References

• Tomato Growing Tips: Common Tomato Plant Diseases
• Gardens Alive: Soap-Shield Directions
• Northern Gardening: Tomato Diseases and Pests
• Pennsylvania Cerified Organic:"Late Blight"

Resources

• University of Illinois Extension: Tomato
• Gardens Ablaze: Tomatoes