Lower leaves turning yellow. Whitefly/Aphids?

17 years ago

I live in Palm Springs, CA. I planted two Celebrity tomato plants in April and it's been about 5 weeks since I planted them.

The plants are now about 24" tall. I first noticed small cream colored discolorations on the leaves, but since the plant appeared healthy I didn't pay attention to it. Now, however, I'm observing that the leaves on the lower third of both plants feel dry, are yellowing with a light sheen and black granular deposits.

After doing some searches, I learned that yellowing and shiny deposits may be whitefly or aphids. However, no mention was made about black deposits. While some of the upper leaves have small holes, I don't think it's horn worm poop as the black granules are on every affected leaf which isn't supported by corresponding upper leaf damage.

Any ideas on what I've got going on here? Thanks!

Tawni

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Comments (9)

desertparadise
Original Author
17 years ago
Additional info in case it helps:

Temps around 100F for last two weeks.
Drip irrigate 1 gallon/plant per day in early AM
Direct sun for about 5 hours/day (best I could do), indirect sun for about 8 hours/day.
cbars
17 years ago
Tawni,

It is normal for older, lower leaves to yellow and die. The plant is constantly making more new leaves.

That being said and you mentioning some leaves have holes, I am wondering if you have a flea beetle problem. Do you have eggplant in your garden and if so, are their leaves full of holes. If so, it is flea beetles. Do a search for flea beetles to find proper treatment methods. I use a light dusting of Sevin but some people take offense to chemicals and go wacko.

Good luck,

Gary
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desertparadise
Original Author
17 years ago
Hi, Gary~

Thanks for your response. I'll try not to stress over those leaves then. As for the holes, I only have tomato plants, so no secondary symptoms available for comparison. I did read about the flea beetle. I have seen some teeny tiny black jumping critters, but they were only about the size of a fleck of pepper. I think flea beetles are bigger?

I'm trying to avoid the use of pesticides if possible, but to each his own, I say!

Happy gardening!

Tawni
jean001
17 years ago
Are you certainthe black spots are granular? As in distinct raised, 3-D stuff?

I ask because I'm wondering if you have thrips damage. If so, the black spots would have a sheen and, when touched, would be tacky to liquid but with other spots which have dried.
cbars
17 years ago
Flea beetles are really pretty small. Need my bifocals to see mine so your description of a fleck of pepper might be a good size. There are some organic remedies but since I use pesticides, I can't help there.

Good luck,

Gary
eileen_nv
17 years ago
That picture says "Spider Mites" to me! Insecticidal soap, or a good water spraying on the leaf undersides may help, but a serious mite infestation is hard to clear up. Most miticides are really nasty chemicals, but perhaps someone here knows a kindlier mite remover. I've been lucky since I've moved away from Florida, and haven't had to fuss with mites so much.

Good luck!
desertparadise
Original Author
17 years ago
Hello, all!

Thanks for your feedback. Jean in Portland, the 'granules' are loose and can be dusted off the leaves. I looked up some photos of spider mite damage and aside from the leaf gnarling, it didn't quite look like what I've got, at least to me.

Found my first couple of horn worms yesterday morning and two more today. So now my morning ritual includes an enemy Search and Destroy mission. I don't mind squishing them when they're tiny, but they give me the creeps once they get bigger!

Tawni
alphlulu
17 years ago
Tawni:

I seem to have the same issue, re black graules, kind of ike pepper, that cling to the leaves like dust. However, they brish right off. Any final conclusion as to what this was and what you did to treat?

THanks
gardenfrank
15 years ago
I know this is horribly outdated, but I figure I'd post for documentation in case it helps anyone else in the future.

Tawni:
Your photo looks exactly like what I saw on my tomatoes. I took eileen_nv's suggestion about spider mites and looked them up. The description seems to match.

Also, I'm not sure if this was present on your leaves, but I inspected my infected leaves closer and noticed many white/clear specks on them. And some of them were moving. So, I guess those were the tiny little spider mites.

Some resources I found for controlling spider mites:
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/orchids/2003010242014131.html
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/brug/msg090328378869.html
http://www.entomology.ksu.edu/DesktopModules/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=4173 (it's a PDF titled "Spider Mites on Tomatoes" from Kansas State University)