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Early Blight on Tomatoes: Why Serenade May Fail

Q: Early blight is overwhelming my tomatoes despite Serenade sprays. What else works?

A: Early blight starts when soil splashes onto lower leaves and moves upward. UGA pathologist Elizabeth Little notes Serenade (containing Bacillus subtilis) has little curative action—it prevents spore germination, so it must be applied weekly from planting day, before disease appears.

About Gardening: Mastering Tomato Cultivation: From Planting to Harvest; Tomato Gardening Secrets: Grow Juicy, Disease-Free Tomatoes Every Time; Heat-Tolerant Tomato Varieties; Late Blight on Tomatoes: Identification and Management; Tomato Grafting for Disease Resistance: A Home Gardener's Guide; Tomato Stem Roots and Yellow Leaves: Adventitious Roots and Disease; Tomato Damage: Turtles Eat Low Fruit, Squirrels and Birds Take the Rest; Three Excellent Resources for Tomato Disease Identification; When to Pick Tomatoes: Breaker Stage (Half Green, Half Pink) for Best Flavor; Producing Seedless Tomatoes with Blossom-Set Spray

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