As you have discovered, at this age, probably a mix of all three with many some bacterial disease thrown in too. Though not real sure where all salts would be coming from unless it is just from over-watering.

But it appears to have plenty of healthy growth on it too and isn't your season winding down about now anyway? If so is it worth throwing money on fungicides at the plant?

I'd just strip off all the affected leaves. feed it, and cut back on the watering some.

Dave

wow so this plant was doing great until recently - i noticed these bright yellow leaves in the middle of the plant. the top leaf looks like early blight. the middle spotty leaves match leaf mold images i've seen. and the bright yellow matches salt damage images i found. yes? or are they all related? what to do?
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I thing you are over observing: MOLD, BLIGHT, SALT DAMAGE !

If it were me, I would remove all the yellow leave branched and let the air flow. Leave under the plant, in the middle of it serve little or no purpose other than inviting soil and air born fungi.
Once you've done that spray the plant with anti fungal, like daconil.
That is my humble opinion.

Okay - so it sounds like problems accumulate as the season goes on. I removed some of the affected leaves yesterday - many of which just came off by themselves practically. I am going to fertilize again today with Dr. Earth's tea.

I think our season extends through September and even November from what I've read. Though I don't know how long each individual plant's productivity/life span is.

I thought the salt damage might be it because we do have pretty salty water, which damaged my avocado until I really flushed its container and its recovered. I don't know if flushing the soil in this case would be a good idea or not - maybe best to feed, spray and wait for now.

One thing I've learned is that my organic fertilizer's effectiveness was probably diminished because my soil isn't up to speed yet in terms of microbes to break it down.

Thanks for looking seysonn and dave!

I think our season extends through September and even November from what I've read. Though I don't know how long each individual plant's productivity/life span is.

Southern California has two separate growing seasons so I should have said your first season is coming to an end.

While your overall growing season is very likely that long but that doesn't mean your tomato plant will produce throughout that time. It won't.

In all but the far north, tomato plants go dormant for all practical purposes once the hot air temps of mid-summer arrive. That happens to all of us even in zones lower than your 10. Rising humidity and temps above 92-95 daytime and above 75 nighttime shut plants down (read the FAQ on Blossom Drop).

You have a choice during that down time of trying to coddle any healthy plants along until the weather breaks and production can begin again OR replacing the plants for the Fall half of the season. Failing and infected plants would normally be replaced. So like many of us with longer growing seasons its time to start preparing for the Fall garden and fresh plantings rather than trying to salvage plants that are already waning.

Hope that clarifies. If not you might want to talk with some of the other So. CA gardeners over on the California forum about it.

Dave

Usually, but not always, the weather in LA and Orange County is perfect for tomatoes till late Sept, and early Oct.
That is "Usually" when we get our hottest weather in these areas of Calif.

Temps have been perfect for maters, high 70-s to mid 80's alto we have had some "June Gloom" with it's high humidity but it has been clearing up around 10 Am or so, but that high humidity, overnight, "May" invite some diseases.

I see some of that on mostly my lower leaves and I just remove those leaves, the upper parts of my plants look real healthy and are setting more tomatoes.

Gary

Thanks for your explanations. CA is really so unique - like you said Gary we have been enjoying June gloom - much cooler than it was last month - and "fall" is actually our most brutal time.
Gary do your plants keep producing until Sept/Oct or do you put in new ones for a second round? If so, when?

My plants' top halves look very healthy (except for one, but he's struggled since planting, inexplicably - I call him "mr. droopy" but dang, the tomatoes are delish.)

You are right about "Unique Weather in Calif" and I'm sure it is confusing to many non Calif folks.
Most of Southern Calif is many times referred to as "LA", yet each different area of S Calif, has very different weather and temperatures.

For Example, The San Fernando Valley is much hotter, (sometimes 10-20F hotter) than "LA Proper", (City of Los Angeles), so what Dave Mentioned about being too hot , would apply in the San Fernando Valley, but Orange County, and LA areas nearer the Pacific Coast, (Santa Monica for example), will have much cooler temps, (up to 20 degrees cooler than San Fernando Valley).

We've picked most of the big ones now, but now there are some mid sized ones, and many smaller and new ones at the tops of the plants.

I usually don't pull the plants until Jan or Feb, as even that late we still get a tomato or too, alto usually smaller ones.

Gary

(deleted duplicate sorry)

This post was edited by slowjane on Mon, Jun 30, 14 at 13:52

Yes, the infamous microclimates of the LA area....still getting my head around it. I moved a couple miles north a year ago, and I swear the weather is different, because we're over the hill on the valley side of LA now - from Sunset 23 to Sunset 20/21

Sunset Gardening description: "The combination of weather influences described for Zone 20 applies to Zone 21 as well. Your garden can be in ocean air or a high fog one day and in a mass of interior air (perhaps a drying Santa Ana wind from the desert) the next day."

Right now highs are mid 80's and lows are mid 60's, with a whopping 80% humidity that makes me feel like I'm in Massachusetts.

I'm thinking that since my garden is so small - I might pull the plants as they stop producing and put in a new plant. Or even a clone from one I've got now? And perhaps do a second tomato season like Dave suggested.....if I can bring myself to actually pull out one of these plants....

Do folks ever take a cutting and cultivate a clone for a second planting in the same year?