what's wrong with my tomato plants?

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by scottie, Dec 7, 2007.

  1. scottie

    scottie Junior Member

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  2. IntensiveGardener

    IntensiveGardener Junior Member

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    G'day scottie,
    I'v never seen that before but it looks like it could be some kind of fungus. If not then maybe its the result of incorrect soil prep. Did the soil get way too much lime or nitrogen fertilizer? If so the plant may just be on the weak side as a result and suceptible to disease etc...

    If its a fungal then maybe a fairly strong garlic spray might help? or maybe some diluted milk?

    The only other thing i can think of is a trace element deficientcy. If so some seaweed based fertilizer should help
    Cheers ,
    IG
     
  3. bill

    bill Junior Member

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    Scotty - were the plants put in early in the season? I was expecting another warm winter here so i put plants in very early. the warm winter didnt come and many of the plants exhibited the same symptoms. they also had small black spots on the leaves. i assumed it was a fungal disease akin to black spot in roses. the old growth never recovered but those vines have fruit now.... but they are no more advanced than palnts put in later when it was warm. any fruit that set during the "fungus time" shrivelled as well.

    I would ease up on water to let the roots dry out a bit. is it warm where you are? Are they getting plenty of sun? Cut off the worse effected areas and don't leave the prunings from them on the ground (that's what i did)
     
  4. scottie

    scottie Junior Member

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    Hi IG & Bill,

    Thanks for the reply. After 60-odd views & no replies I was beginning to think my tomato problems were too bizarre for anyone to be able to offer advice!

    I live is Suburban Sydney. It has been very wet/damp here for several weeks. (Drought or drown - whoever programmed the weather routine needs to maintain the average rainfall, but reduce the standard deviation!)

    Soil preparation was pretty good (IMO). No manure since last year, just a bit of B&B, rooster booster & a sprinkle of potash. & sugar cane mulching.

    Anyway, I just went & sprayed a few tomato plants with diluted milk - I'll let you know what happens. (How do you make a garlic spray?)

    Scott. :)
     
  5. kathleenmc

    kathleenmc Junior Member

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    Hiya Scottie,

    You could have a serious case of nematode attack.....these are micro worms that attack the root systems of tomatoes (and other plants).

    https://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/horticulture/4855.html


    Companion planting with marigolds will help. Plus doing the things the above guys recommend. I also think you may have needed a lot more compost, manure and seaweed fertilizer to help boost the food intake for the plants...tomatoes are what we call gross feeders. They need a lot of food and water to perform well. Goodluck and keep it up...

    Kathleen
     
  6. Duckpond

    Duckpond Junior Member

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    I think it looks like a fungal problem. I spray all my plants with seaweed extract diluted 10\1. a good folar spray until run-off. Also try burying an old piece of copper in the ground to help with fungal resistance
     
  7. spritegal

    spritegal Junior Member

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    I think it might be a fungal disease called Target Spot.

    Google it for remedies and preventative tips.
     
  8. MamaMaya

    MamaMaya New Member

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    Hi Scottie,

    I think it's powdery mildew. My tomatoes have the same problem, but further advanced. Please note, I'm very new at this, but it's been trial by fire with this problem.

    If they haven't improved with your milk spray, you might want to be more vigorous with your efforts. Cut off all affected leaves, then spray again. Spray every time it stops raining, preferably giving time to dry before nightfall, but I've opted to spray in the evening when necessary- the plants have been wet anyway.

    I also sprayed with Cornell Formula (a baking soda prep - Google it) the first couple times and it seemed to stop what was there, but I've had to keep on top of the situation with milk sprays.

    BTW, we ate a tomato from the most affected plant last night and noticed a small spot of blossom end rot, too. So, there might be more going on with *my* tomatoes. Hopefully yours have responded to milk spray. Let me know how it goes!

    -Maya
     

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