I DESTROYED THE TERRIBLE PHYTOPHTORA... WITH A COPPER WIRE AND RECEIVED A HUGE TOMATO HARVEST!

For many years of gardening, there was not a single season in which late blight would bypass my tomatoes. I don’t have a greenhouse, so my tomatoes grow in open ground. I have tried numerous treatment methods and I can say with confidence that none of them is able to completely rid the tomatoes of this fungal disease. You can only postpone the moment of its occurrence in order to have time to harvest. Therefore, when some summer residents describe their ways of dealing with this “terrible beast” and claim that they give a 100% result, I can’t even believe it.

Yes, if you plant ultra-early hybrids, grow them in a good year (when dry warm weather is in June and July) and have time to harvest before August, it is possible to completely avoid late blight. This trick worked for me when planting early tomatoes. But most of my beds are occupied by medium and late-ripening varieties, because they give the most delicious, juicy and fleshy fruits. And the period of their mass ripening falls just in mid-August, when the nights become cool in our area. It is the nighttime August dew and the difference in day and night temperatures that are the cause of the late blight outbreak. And it is impossible to avoid this natural phenomenon.

Tomato leaves affected by late blight in 2014

Copper oxychloride and folk "poultices" Treatment with copper oxychloride is really effective in the first two months after planting the plants in the ground. She helped me out a lot in some years when we had cold rains in June or July. But spraying with this drug must be stopped 21 days before the start of the consumption of vegetables for food.

By the end of the copper oxychloride period, the cold August nights pick up the baton, and my tomatoes invariably begin to get sick. Folk remedies may be good (first of all, for their “non-chemical nature”) and for some time they are able to disinfect the bushes and push back the invasion of phytophthora, but I don’t like it for only one reason - spraying plants should be carried out tirelessly at least once a week. Yes, and they are troublesome - while you measure, mix, strain, process, you look, and the weekend has already flown by, and again I did not have time to see my favorite cottage.

If milk, iodine, brilliant green, soda, etc. I, as a city dweller, can still buy it, but I simply have nowhere to get the serum. And if we take, for example, the treatment of bushes with an infusion of garlic, then for me this is an unaffordable luxury. For example, I simply do not have this valuable vegetable in excess so that I can afford to transfer at least 250 g of peeled cloves every week to prepare 10 liters of prophylactic infusion.

Copper wire and no nails

I spent the whole summer of 2014 with a sprayer in my hands, but I lost the harvest almost completely. Summed up cold continuous rains in early July, which lasted about 10 days. Tomatoes died from late blight before the fruits began to ripen. So much effort, but the results of labor - zero! Therefore, in 2015, I decided to plant two rows of my favorite varieties (in 2014 I had seven such rows) and conduct a new experiment. All the numerous methods of treatments for phytophthora that can now be found on the Internet have been tried by me. There was only one thing left - the use of copper wire in the fight against this ailment.

I firmly decided not to carry out ANY spraying - give myself a rest, but with tomatoes - come what may!

Three weeks after planting tomato seedlings in open ground I pierced through each stem with a piece of copper wire at a level of 5-7 cm from the ground. I prepared it in the winter - I stripped the cable of insulation and cut into pieces 3-4 cm long bare copper wire with a diameter of 1-1.5 mm. Further care was usual: watering 1-2 times a week, fertilizing with infusion of fermented grass, indispensable mulching of the soil (we have solid sand and the earth dries out extremely quickly), pinching. In addition, once a week, I removed 1-2 leaves on each bush, located closest to the ground. But at the same time - no spraying with either chemicals or folk remedies! How much free time I have freed up thanks to this!

But now about the most important thing - about the result of my "tomato" experiment. I'm not even going to say that phytophthora bypassed me. No, she was. At the end of June of that year, we had continuous rains for two weeks at an air temperature of + 12 + 14 ° С. Experienced summer residents will immediately understand that not a single variety or hybrid can withstand such a test. Any spraying in such conditions is useless. It is even impossible to hold it because of the constantly drizzling rain. The neighbors' leaves on the tomato bushes began to turn black very quickly, but mine - SIGNIFICANTLY! I cut off each minimally affected leaf.

Tomatoes steadfastly survived the bad weather. July pleased with the sun and warmth, and in August late blight began to affect the bushes only by the end of the month. All the neighbors came and asked how I managed to get rid of this scourge. I didn’t get rid of it, but with the help of copper wire I was able to push back its invasion, having managed to collect excellent fruits even from the most late-ripening varieties.

Copper wire provoked a super crop

But that wasn't the only thing that struck me. I planted the varieties that I had planted before, but they had never had such a large number of fruits. We made a lot of preparations for the winter, the rest were distributed to friends who were incredibly happy with the hotel in such a "non-tomato" year.

Already in winter, when I had free time to read special literature and reflect on the result of my innovation, I realized what was the reason for such an unprecedented yield. The effect of copper wire is similar to the effect that is achieved by driving a nail into the trunk of an unfruitful tree - the plant, under the threat of death, puts all its strength into survival, and, consequently, into the formation of offspring - fruits with seeds. That is why next year such trees begin to actively bloom and bear fruit, and my tomatoes bombarded me with very large fruits that season. The harvest from two rows turned out much more than in previous years from six or seven.

I will certainly repeat my experiment in the new season. This uncommon method of combating late blight was very pleased with its efficiency, economy and simplicity. Thanks to him, I freed up a lot of free time, which I used to spend hugging the sprayer, and it became possible to do more pleasant things in the country.

Irina Kudrina, Voronezh,

Hello dear readers!Copper wire is widely used for electrical purposes, but skillful hands and restless minds have thought of using copper wire in order to heal and have a stimulating effect on cultivated plants.

The most common application of copper wire remains. This fungus has up to forty species and is "popular" all over the world, excluding only areas where permafrost hosts.

Phytophthora fungus can also get into a closed greenhouse along with seedlings or on seeds, even where there is no vegetation yet. The spores of the fungus are very hardy, they overwinter directly in the soil and can remain on plant debris after autumn harvest until spring. After the temperature rises to 10 degrees Celsius, phytophthora actively multiplies, and snowmelt, ground water and spring rains help the fungus to spread throughout the site.

Phytophthora has a detrimental effect on tomatoes. This is the most common problem among fans of growing this crop. This fungus is capable of destroying the works of several months within a few days.

In this regard, a lot of methods have been developed to combat this "plant eater", and a study has been conducted on the effects of copper on plants, in particular, on tomatoes.

The influence of copper

Copper is a chemical element that is part of plant organisms and is involved in the activity of intra-metabolic processes. This chemical element plays an important role in the biological sense, and is a necessary element for the proper development of the plant.

Copper is part of several important enzymes that participate in redox reactions and accelerate them, and also significantly affects the formation of chlorophyll, stabilizes it and protects it from destruction.

Copper stimulates the plant to produce vitamin C, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. It enhances the development of roots and stems, and also motivates the formation of fruiting organs.

The lack of copper affects the growth of the plant as a whole, the organs of the tomato turn pale from a lack of chlorophyll and may die. With a reduced copper deficiency, the amount of yield decreases, and with an increased one, tomato death occurs.

We see that the presence of this element in plants is simply necessary for healthy eating and full development. Copper is not only an active fighter against late blight, but also one of the main members of a large family called a plant organism.

Use of copper wire

Copper wire in tomatoes - this method causes discussion among gardeners, some say that all this is nonsense, but many describe their successful experience with this method. It remains only to learn how to correctly apply this unusual method in your garden.

Copper is used in household plots not only as top dressing, but also for tying bushes. And the highest preventive effect from phytophthora can be achieved by piercing a tomato trunk with copper wire.

German scientists have patented a method for copper processing tomatoes. Before planting tomato seedlings in the ground, the roots of each plant are wrapped with wire, using a metal product half a meter long and 0.5 mm in diameter. In addition to wire, copper plates are placed in the soil. All metal objects before use in without fail cleaned of insulation and any contaminants.

Piercing a tomato stem across the fibers is the most effective way listed above to protect the plant from phytophthora. This method is widely known throughout the world, and its practical effectiveness has been repeatedly confirmed. Experienced gardeners claim that piercing tomatoes with copper wire makes it possible not to use any chemicals and any other methods to combat late blight to combat late blight.

This method works as follows. Inside the plant organism, juice flows in a continuous stream, containing salts and other substances. This juice, in the literal sense, is an electrolyte that washes the wire and is impregnated with copper ions. The copper-saturated juice spreads the element throughout the plant, thereby allowing favorable internal processes to occur. Including increasing resistance to phytophthora disease.

Practical application of wire

We take a copper wire with a diameter of not more than one millimeter and carefully clean it of insulation with a sharp knife, or remove the enamel coating with an emery cloth. You can apply firing, just do not forget to rinse the product after that. Copper after processing should shine.

Next, cut the wire into separate pieces, about 35 centimeters each. If the wire is thinner than a millimeter and it is impossible to pierce the stem with it, use a sharp and thin object to pierce the “copper” tunnel. Don't forget to decontaminate the needle. We bend the ends of the wire protruding from both sides of the tomato stalk down, and in no case wrap it around. It can make it difficult to move nutrients along the stem.

Wire piercing is not recommended during transplantation. Only two weeks before the transplant or two weeks after. Any damage to the plant is stress, just like transplanting. It is not advisable to multiply stressful conditions. But in 2 weeks, the tomato will adapt to new conditions, whether it be fresh soil or a puncture in the stem.

If you decide to pierce the stems not yet, then insert the wire just below the first real leaf. And pierce the tomatoes that have already taken root in the ground at a height of 4-5 cm from the hilled base. In rainy summers, the wire is inserted into the stem at a distance of about 10 cm from the ground.

After a long work with the processing of the wire and its subsequent use on the beds, the neck is thoroughly numb. No massage and ointments in this case help, or give only temporary relief.

And here is the video course by A. Bonina "Secrets of a Healthy Neck" taught me to take care of my bones and not be afraid of osteochondrosis.

Happy harvest and see you soon!

With all respect, Andrew

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Tomato is one of the most appetizing and popular garden crops, a favorite of housewives and an object of their culinary creativity. But getting large crops of tomatoes is hampered by diseases of garden plants. One of the most common of them is phytophthora.

Phytophthora is a fungal plant disease that mainly affects nightshade crops. Until the 70s of the last century, only one strain of this disease was known, and it died during the winter. To date, there are two strains that, when crossed, produce spores that are resistant to winter conditions. They safely overwinter in infected tubers not harvested from the fields, in heaps of unburned tops. With precipitation, the spores enter the soil, infecting healthy tubers, and the spores are carried by the wind to the aerial part of the plants.

All parts of the tomato plant are susceptible to infection. Brown spots, which merge during growth, appear both on the stems and on the petioles. On the leaves, the disease manifests itself in the form of grayish-brown spots of irregular shape. In a period of high humidity, the spots on the leaves are covered with a white, velvety and oily coating to the touch. If the fruits have not yet developed, then the inflorescences, sepals and peduncles suffer, they dry out and turn black. Brownish spots appear on the formed fruit under the skin, increasing over time. Seeds may also be infected.

Phytophthora develops during a period of high humidity, large fluctuations in day and night temperatures. As a rule, this coincides with the period of fruiting and harvesting. It is very important that the plant is properly developed and formed, and that metabolic processes proceed normally.

Video “Description”

From the video you will learn a description of the disease of tomatoes.

Effects of copper on plants

Since 1931, scientists have been studying the effect of copper on plants. In the course of research, it became known that the copper content greatly affects the development of tomatoes, enhancing their growth and improving their formation. It has been established that copper is extremely important element for all plants without exception, which cannot be replaced by any other. Tomato plants that do not receive enough copper salts have a poorly developed root system, twisted leaves, may lack flowers, or may develop a bluish-green dark color.

Copper is involved in such important processes as protein synthesis and nucleic acid metabolism. Copper ions form stable complexes with amino acids, which are stronger than similar compounds of other metals. Copper ions stimulate the initial stages of ammonia uptake by plants and play an important role in nitrogen metabolism in plants. The lack of copper compounds causes various disorders of nitrogen metabolism.

Copper is also a part of natural protein catalysts - enzymes. It turned out that when copper ions bind to a protein molecule, the catalytic properties are enhanced and enzyme molecules with a high oxidizing ability appear.

Thanks to copper, which is contained in enzymes, there is an active formation of organic substances (organic acids). And the accumulation of organic matter leads to improved nutrition of the plant, as well as to an increase in yield. Copper ions affect the process of photosynthesis and more than half of them are found in chloroplasts located in plant leaves. Copper has a stabilizing effect on chlorophyll.

The intensity of respiration and protein synthesis under the action of copper ions carries with it the resistance of plants to adverse conditions and diseases, including fungal ones. Therefore, copper is widely used as a prevention and control of late blight.

Use of copper wire

One way to use copper is copper wire from late blight on tomatoes. Copper wire can be used in several ways. For each of them, the wire must be carefully cleaned of plastic residues and processed with sandpaper.

If the piercing is carried out on seedlings that have not yet been planted in the ground, then the wire is stuck at a distance of 1 cm below the first true leaf. If the procedure is carried out with already planted and adapted seedlings, then the wire should be stuck into the stem at a distance of 4-5 cm from the earth heaped around the tomato, and if the summer is rainy, then at a distance of 9-10 cm.

Video “Ways to fight”

From the video you will learn how to deal with the attack on tomatoes.

I bought seeds in various specialized stores, but they germinated very poorly. Tired of this lighthouse (and it’s a pity for the money), I began to use only my own planting material. And things immediately went smoothly.

In the first days of May, I plant seedlings in a garden bed, built from last year's tops, collected in the garden (I do not take only from tomatoes, peppers and cabbage), and leaves. I put on top a frame knocked together from
boards, metal arcs and cover first with a covering material, and then also with a film. Seedlings are very strong, tall.

Before piercing the stems of tomatoes, it would be nice to thoroughly ignite the copper wire over an open fire so that it does not “inoculate” the plants with any infection. Things for five minutes, and the tomatoes and gardeners are calmer.

In June, when the threat of frost has passed in our places, I water it abundantly, and then, when it gets drunk, I plant it in a permanent place. I make holes at an angle (Scheme 1) and also spill them well with water. When planting, the plants look north, the roots look south (15-20 cm remain above the ground), so tomatoes never get sick and take root very easily.

When the plants grow up, I put pegs next to them and tie them up. I never use chemistry, I fertilize with mullein and bird droppings, infused for a week. During hilling, a groove forms between two plants, which I fill with last year's manure, food waste, sawdust, and weeds (Scheme 2). I water once a week: I pour water into these filled furrows - in this way the plants receive and required amount moisture, and "caloric" nutrition.

And now about the most important thing. Phytophthora. I save my tomatoes from it with the help of copper wire. I simply took the old cable, stripped it of insulation and cut the exposed copper core (about 1 mm in diameter) into pieces 3-4 cm long. After hilling the tomatoes at a height of 2-3 cm from the ground, I pierce their trunks with this wire, and bend the ends in different directions, so as not to scratch yourself about them later. It is not necessary to wrap the wire around the plants, otherwise it will then interfere with their growth.

Yes, another trick: you need to do this until the trunks of tomatoes have hardened. I have been using the same pieces of wire for many years and have not performed any other treatments for phytophthora. And my tomatoes feel great, they don’t get sick at all. And in the summer I had an extra minute to admire the handsome Irtysh, on the banks of which my site is located.