Current recommendations:
1. Select an area in the garden where Phytophthora blight has never occurred when possible. The fungus that affects cucurbits can also cause blight in pepper and fruit rot in eggplant.
2. Select well-drained gardens locations.
3. Physically separate plantings of susceptible veggies(cucurbits, pepper, eggplant, and tomato). Plantings should be located such that there is no opportunity for water to move from one planting to another.
4. Clean garden tools and disinfect after use by spraying Lysol.
5. Avoid over irrigating. Given the amount of rain in recent weeks in Florida, fruit rot would be expected and following the suggestions here should help a little — not stop it but help a little. Do not irrigate at night time when temperatures are above 70Á F.
6. Fungicides have provided minimal control. Copper fungicides can provide some control. A preventive spray program is expected to be more effective than waiting until symptoms occur.
7. Inspect your garden plot for symptoms routinely, especially after major rain storms.
8. Do not discard cull fruit in the garden, including fruit that are healthy but over-sized or over-ripe.
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