Pathogens will infect almost any style cage for a long time...from what I remember, years. I have done several methods of disinfection. The first was using a kids plastic swimming pool, filling it most of the way with water and adding chlorine bleach to make it about 10-15% ratio. Then dunking the cages and spinning them around. Later I used a sprayer at the same ratio of bleach to water.
A couple of years when I forgot to disinfect, pathogens got to the vines. Absolutely disinfect every year. And don't give up on good tomatoes just because of a bad weather year.
