TOPIC: Blight continues

I'm back again to ask the experts. Last year I posted some pictures and several of you suggested fungicide application. I applied premergent Aliette and Ridomil after a month growth. I have seen a reduction of problems but continue to see wilt and spots. I am growing in East Tennessee. Can anyone help identify the problem?

Thank you,
Matthew

I will send pictures later. Can't download from my phone. Too big.

Matt...

I think the \"real\" problem is that you are trying to grow ginseng in large beds and perhaps to densely populated.

I did the same thing when I started out. I made a lot of beds 5'x50' or larger... and put the seeds down 4-5 per sq ft. I had great germination, and some densely populated beds and the seedlings looked great initially...

But then after a few good rains in May and early June I checked them and the old yellow spot was showing up, then later on the leaves looked like they were melting.

I am not the type to spray chemicals, so I modified my planting methods and now only print small patches (say 4'x 4') and may only put a dozen seeds in that space, and I space the beds out quite a bit too. The beds I have planted like that - no problem, they have done very well with very few casualties.

The large densely populated beds I planted, thinned out a lot over the years, only a fraction of those still remain, but they are doing well now too, with much less sign of disease issues.

I think it is just a fact that if you are going to plant large beds and 4-5 seeds per sq ft... you are going to have to spray chemicals on a regular basis to get the majority of those to survive.

Myself... I would rather not spray chemicals, and instead just plant seeds at a much more natural rate, and give them the space they need to remain disease free naturally.

I can't advise at all on what you need to spray or when, sorry about that.

But good luck to you on finding the right way to grow ginseng in your area, and with matching that up with your commitment to work the stuff as it needs to be worked.

TNHunter

This plant every year struggles with some type issues. This year you can see in the photo.

I agree this picture shows some closely growing plants, but I have in other beds only a few large plants that are not crowded, but have the same symptoms.

This 4 prong is in a bucket about 5 feet from the 4 prong with issues. Every year this plant is healthy. Note the additional prongs growing around the seed pod. I counted 13. Technically are these considered \" prongs\"? On another note I have one plant that is the early ripen strain. Typically a month ahead of everything else. Unfortunately it has been hit with the same blight and I have not had ripe berries develop yet.

Thanks for the input! This forum is great.

Alternaria is just part of the equation when one tries to grow ginseng.

Copper is likely the best option for you, depending on your intended use a protectant like dithane might also come into play.

Aliette and Ridomil are systemic and Aliette is somewhat curative for root diseases, but they do little for alternaria.

Thanks for the input. I will try copper.

Regarding the additional leaf growth around the berry stem what is this called? Are they \"prongs\"?

When a seng plant has extra leaves or prongs or like yours leaves around the berry stem...

That is just one of those oddities that it can do at times.

I think you mostly see that when it is growing in really good conditions (Very Happy)... perhaps a little more nitrogen than it normally gets.

I have seen plants do that in my seed bed in previous years (leaves around the berry stem).. but then the next year they come up a normal looking 3 or 4 prong with no extra leaves.

I had a nice 4 prong one year that came up a 6 prong the next (with double berry stems) and then this year it is a normal looking big 3 pronger.

TNHunter

Hey...

One thing I noticed just now in your pictures is that one plant that has no blight...

The area around it is quite covered in plants of all sorts, lots of green stuff, and not much exposed dirt at all.

But the others where there is blight present... the ground around them is more bare, more soil can be seen, and you have pots with other plants in them, where that potting soil is exposed.

When it comes a good hard rain, you could have some soil splash getting on those that are showing the blight...

Where that other one that does not have blight is much more protected from that by all of the undergrowth / ground cover.

When I plant my Tomatoes in the spring, I get some type of ground cover down under them real quick, before it rains on them... Wet soil splashing up on your lower tomato plant leaves... quickly turns into tomato leaf blight...

Could be the same thing happening with your plans there.

cover the ground good to stop the soil splash and that might help.

TNHunter