Botrytis

Garden Problems

Botrytis is fungal disease of ripe soft fruits including grapes, strawberries and tomatoes.

Identify the problem
Botrytis causes grey rot of soft fruits in warm humid conditions. In drier conditions it is known as noble rot in vineyards when it affects grapes. Sweet wines such a sauternes need the noble rot to concentrate the grape sugars. In other fruit such as strawberries and tomatoes it rapidly makes the fruit inedible.
How to solve the problem
- On grapes, strawberries and other soft fruit use Organic Super Sulphur as a preventative.
- Spraying should stop 7 days before harvest.
- Also improve ventilation around fruits and prevent them being in humid conditions if possible.
- On non-crop fruit and plants use PLANThealth Spectrum.
Did you know?
- In the botrytis infection known as "noble rot", the fungus dehydrates the grapes, leaving a higher percent of grape solids including sugars, fruit acids and minerals. The result is a more intense, concentrated final product. Wines have the aroma of honeysuckle and a bitter finish on the palate.
- Botrytis fruit rotting disease is caused by the fungus - Botrytis cinerea