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maternewb

What is wrong with my tomatoes? V. wilt vs Early Blight?

maternewb
17 years ago

Hey guys,

I've had a relatively successful season so far this year growing tomatoes, but within the last week, I have noticed a problem with my tomato plants. It initially started on the sungold and yellow currant, but now has seemingly spread to my juliet, Mr. Stripey, and Yellow Pear in my other two beds. I don't know what it is, and I don't know how to control it. I have been using insecticidal soap and neem oil for control of bugs and foliar disease.

I definately have white flies and aphids in my garden, but have been trying to combat these guys with the above measures. Let me know what you think, I have posted pics of three of the infected plants.

The disease seems to start off at the base of the leaf, with futher discoloration ahd eventual yellowing of the entire leaf. The plants seems to have remained stunted.

Here are the links to pictures from three of my plants in various states of disease.

Juliet: {{gwi:1296357}}

Mr. Stripey: {{gwi:1296358}}

Yellow currant: {{gwi:1296359}}

Comments (9)

  • tomgirletc
    17 years ago

    Well, I'm not an expert by any means (brand new to this). Anyway, I've been looking through the pictures on the problem solver thread belowto diagnose my own problems and yours looks more like early blight to me from the pics. It also looks like salt damage, or from the pics I've seen anyway.
    http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/tomatoproblemsolver/leaves/salt.html

    Good luck and sorry you've got sick plants.

  • torquill
    17 years ago

    What's the soil situation like -- soil type, any amendments?

    Have you fed them at all?

    I'm thinking that's an odd pattern of yellowing you've got there... it almost never starts from the base of the leaf like that. Whitefly can cause some yellowing on older leaves and saps vigor, but you didn't mention how well the control is working.

    If you haven't fed them, the first thing I'd try is a balanced fertilizer. That uniform yellow color isn't early blight (EB has dark spots); Verticillium tends to make the entire plant sag during the day as if it had gone dry, and can affect some branches more than others. I wouldn't rule out V. wilt yet, but try the fertilizer first, and check the levels of whitefly on the plants.

    --Alison
    who has had some of the same problems in the past, with weak soil... until the mites would come in and demolish the stunted little plants. Too much nitrogen is bad, but it is possible to have too little as well.

  • torquill
    17 years ago

    (by the way, that "salt damage" picture in the Problem Solver is a really poor one. It looks like every case of The Yellows from any cause, and it makes people invariably assume that if they have yellow lower leaves it's from salt. I really wish they'd take that picture out, since a hundred different things can cause a leaf to look exactly like that.)

    --Alison
    who thinks that the other pictures are fairly good...

  • odeed
    17 years ago

    i have some plants that look exactly the same!i thought maybe it was powdery mildew but im not sure.....?
    i did give them plenty or miricale grow when they started.so i dint think its that.as for white fly im not sure but i dont think so....
    let me know what you find out maternewb.

  • maternewb
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Thanks for all the help guys. I haven't fertilized for about 2 months or so, since fruit started setting. I will try today to add some fertilizer.

    This is my first real season of gardening and I didn't necessary ammend my soil much. I have mostly clay soil, so I just put in some miracle grow mix and also some clay soil conditioner. Not much else.

    I'll let you guys know how it turns out!

  • marymd7
    17 years ago

    Early blight.

  • bpmac112166
    17 years ago

    maternewb....was wondering how your problem turned out? My plants are looking just like yours and was hoping you were able to pull your plants through and pass along info. Hope you see this soon, cause my plants are on a fast downhill roll.
    Peggy

  • blackdahlia
    17 years ago

    I had a similar problem this year and though I can't tell you for sure that it's blight, mine responded well to copper fungicide sprayed into the surrounding soil; I sprayed somewhat on ther leaves as well but most of what had turned yellow was unsave-able, but I got tons of perfectly healthy new growth after spraying.

  • gaynor4gardens
    16 years ago

    I went into my greenhouse this morning to find my tomatoes had developed purple blodges on their leaves and look like they are wilting. I have a cucumber in there to that has yellow bottom leaves turning brown but the new leaves come through green, the friut has started to look like they are rotting (its all female veriety) I have aubergines peppers and chillies in there to. The aubergines look like they have a very fine condensation on the leaves. I dont know whats happened to my greenhouse overnight.
    Please can anyone help, I can only hope someone can give me some positive hope but Im not sure you can.

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