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Aphids and curling leaves. Are they the culprit?
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Posted by melissazel CA (My Page) on Fri, Jun 23, 06 at 10:51
| Hi. I am new to growing tomatos(anything really). I have two tomato plants that seem very healthy but I just noticed the leaves starting to curl yesterday. I gave them a good soak but this morning they seem a little worse. They do not have any brown spots or color change at all. I have had these plants for about 6 weeks and have had aphids on them the whole time. I have not done anything about them because they didn't seem to be causing a problem. Do you think they are what are making my leaves curl? Should I try insecticidal soap? Would a picture be helpful? Thanks so much. I am quickly becoming addicted to growing tomatoes and I want to take good care of my first two babies!!
Melissa |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Aphids and curling leaves. Are they the culprit?
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| Yes to all your questions and welcome to the club ! :-) |
RE: Aphids and curling leaves. Are they the culprit?
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 Sorry the pics are so big. I just learned how to post them. Next I'll work on resizing:) Anyway, the more I look at the plants I don't think it is the Aphids.. I see some but certainly not alot comared to some pics I googled. Any Ideas? Melissa |
RE: Aphids and curling leaves. Are they the culprit?
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| If I could get my camera working I would show you the results of an out of control aphid population. When you can walk through the garden and come out with aphids all over you (even after 5 sprayings) you've/I've got aphids. Sprayings 1 and 2 were with Sevin liquid and didn't work. Sprayings 3 and 4 were with Malathion and worked a little. Last spraying was with insecticidle soap an it work better than the others. Unfortunately I just don't have the ability to spray every leaf and twig on 80 plants so I have now given up and letting nature take its course. I waited for the lady bugs to come to supper but they never showed up. |
RE: Aphids and curling leaves. Are they the culprit?
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| reeldoc, you may have driven off the ladybugs and lacewings with the Sevin and Malathion. It can take a while to reestablish predators after broad-spectrum insecticides, which is the downside to them. Aphids and other soft-bodied pests succumb very readily to insecticidal soap (a good pump-sprayer does wonders) and it doesn't impact the beneficials much at all while you're waiting for them to take over. All I can suggest now is to blast the aphids off with a hose, go easy on the powerful insecticides, and wait. :/ Melissa, those pictures look like standard leaf roll (or leaf curl) to me. It's not a disease, and as you noticed the leaves have good color and no spots. It's some sort of physiological thing; common triggers are mild stress and bright sunlight, and some varieties are more susceptible than others. It's totally harmless. Small numbers of aphids, where they're not coating the plants, are also harmless. It takes a ton of aphids to injure a healthy plant. --Alison |
RE: Aphids and curling leaves. Are they the culprit?
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| I just ordered 4500 ladybugs. With all the rain we're having the insecticides should be washed off by the time they get here. If this actually works these will be the biggest, fattest, meanest ladybugs on earth when they get through chowing down. Now somebody tell me how I'm supposed to make them stay in the garden :) Mealy bugs showed up this week as well as jap beetles. Killed 5 mice this week thinking they could sneak off with some bean sprouts. They fall for the peanut butter on trap system every time. I hates meeces. |
RE: Aphids and curling leaves. Are they the culprit?
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| How fascinating. A search for ladybug release tips came up with the usual -- put them in a refrigerator or other cool place for a day or so to settle them, sprinkle the garden when you're ready to release them, release them in the evening, etc. -- but one suggested misting the beetles themselves with regular soda pop diluted 1:1 with water. The sugar "glues" their wing covers shut but does no real harm to them, and after a good rain or a week or so, it wears off and allows them to fly. Good luck with them... and consider ordering some lacewings too, especially if you have trouble getting the lady beetles to stick around. Lacewings don't have the same migration problems that lady beetles do (ladybugs get harvested while dormant in the mountains, and wake up ready to fly all the way back home). They're also really hungry predators. --Alison |
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