16,949 Garden Web Discussions | Growing Tomatoes
Linked below is a pic of a tomato hornworm someone brought to the event. I thought it was rather large and we could watch as it chewed the leaf down. That is a dime & a quarter in the pic.
Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Hornworm pic
Katkeeper, BER is not transmitted from one tomato to another nor one plant to another so It makes little difference to remove the affected ones. If less than half to tomato is dark and the rest red, cut off the bad part and eat the rest. If 1/2 or more is dark pull them off so the nutrients that would have gone into them will go into the remaining ones. Maybe. Lol
Yes, very hot here in southern Colorado..average 100 degree weather the last couple months. I also grow in grow boxes in a greenhouse so even hotter in there though i have it vented and also have a fan on the hotter days. The larger tomatos dont seem to be as effected as the smaller ones.
Granddaddy Estler routinely got 2+ pounders so it could easily be your ML.
And, guess what? I found an ML hidden back in the back of the plant under all the foliage and it's about 1/2 ripe already. We'll be eating a BLT soon!! YAY!!!!!
Edie
Interesting - I'm in Denver and the last couple of Beefmaster tomatoes I've picked have had some uneven ripening. Not quite as noticeable as the ones in your pics, but definitely different from the ones I've been picking all summer. They do seem to eventually ripen fully though, so maybe its unrelated to what you have.
I've never grown tomatoes in your neck of the woods, but what have you got to lose?
Doubt that your highs for the next few weeks will be worse than what we've gone through for the last month or so here, and many of us are still harvesting fruit. I'd give it a shot.
Remember that shading your plants can really help when needed.
Just an update to my update:
I should have mulched, I was indecisive as to which kind to get, got busy with other stuff, and wound up not getting any.
Here is a link that might be useful: DFW Gardener
Another update, after a month of brutal heat:
Those super sweet 100s sure are amazing!
Here is a link that might be useful: DFW Gardener
I have them on my tomatoes. They hide at the bottom of the plant and deep inside where the foliage is thick. All my tomatoes are damaged by them but not as bad as last year. Mine are not orange I wish they were that easy to find and squash. My hand vac is not strong enough to suck them up because they cling. I should run a long extension cord and use a shop vac but mine are not easy to find even if I did that.
Hi Carolyn and Dave,
You're Rita I did leave off part of the name. The fruits are huge. Don't know why it's called a cherry tomato! I won't be agressive, I know they need the leaves, which is why I am hesitant. I'll take you're advice and be cautious. I did have 3 that had blossom end rot but the rest look fine. Quite a prolific plant. Still waiting for the first one to ripen.
Remove leaves from the bottom of the plant as a general rule, since those are the leaves that tend to get attacked and diseased from the soil. Most years, I haven't had to remove any leaves above, except for this year, where the plants are so bushy that it's humid inside the plant and doesn't get air in there. If you think the plant has too many leaves, remove some leaves from the center that are totally shaded and allow some air through the plant. Don't remove leaves that shade fruit though to avoid sunscald. As Dave said, don't get too aggressive. Just remove enough to avoid splashback and help with air circulation.
Thanks so much. Your answer makes a lot of sense. We have had extensive dryness in the area. I do water, but not to excess.
I tried "googling" the problem and they kept referring to wilt, root rot, and fungus. I knew that wasn't the reason.
My tomatillos aren't producing either. I'm guessing it's the same answer.
I picked a bad year to try new veggies.
Keep babying the plants along including the tomatillos, it will cool off and rain one of these days.