Can anyone ID this possible fungus?

Linda10 · May 30, 2009

I know my picture taking skills are lacking, but in this photo I tried to show an area where you almost see the tiny tan little balls clustered in one place.

These started on two container plants on the south end of my patio and now the wind is blowing it down the rows of my garden.

The stems look almost tan next to the regular green ones that are unaffected. These fuzzy tan balls appear later, mostly near the tips for now. The flowers and fruit turn brown also after a while.

I looked at every picture I could find of common fungus and bacterial diseases, but can't figure this one out. This is the first year I have had this problem.

Any help appreciated.

Edited to add picture>

Blueaussi · May 30, 2009

Is there a slight swelling where you're seeing the little brown balls, like a gall of some sort, or is that just an artifact of the photo?

sprtsguy76 · May 30, 2009

Have you ruled out pests? Maybe mites? I had them in my garden and some types seem to congragate in one place and move together. And they are just that same brownish tan color and impossible to make out with the naked eye. Just a thought, good luck.

Damon

Linda10 · May 31, 2009

No, it's not really a swelling. There is another leaf stem coming off the bottom of that one, plus I rotated it a bit to get the picture. They are fuzzy balls on a short stalk and the only one I could get close to in the cage had several layers of them. In most cases, each little stalk is just like a brown speck on the stem and not all trying to grow over each other.

Definitely not mites, which I've seen before. Used my magnifying glass...no movement, no tiny little bodies, no webbing.

I'm pretty sure it's a fungus, just don't know which one.

mike5953 · May 31, 2009

I'm not really well versed in tomato diseases...
But if I saw something like that on a rose, I'd say Powdery Mildew.

dice · June 2, 2009

No idea, but it is fairly distinctive looking. It does not look like
any of many different things, it looks like one particular disease.
Seems like if someone familiar with that disease saw your
picture and description, they would recognize it instantly.

Edit:
Even without knowing what it is, you could try one of the home brew
powdery mildew treatments mentioned in the powdery mildew thread
that just appeared in the last day or two. Even if it is not powdery
mildew, it may have enough in common with it that one of those
remedies works.

May 31, 2009	#4
Linda10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Brush Prairie, WA Posts: 925	No, it's not really a swelling. There is another leaf stem coming off the bottom of that one, plus I rotated it a bit to get the picture. They are fuzzy balls on a short stalk and the only one I could get close to in the cage had several layers of them. In most cases, each little stalk is just like a brown speck on the stem and not all trying to grow over each other. Definitely not mites, which I've seen before. Used my magnifying glass...no movement, no tiny little bodies, no webbing. I'm pretty sure it's a fungus, just don't know which one. __________________ Linda10

June 2, 2009	#6
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	No idea, but it is fairly distinctive looking. It does not look like any of many different things, it looks like one particular disease. Seems like if someone familiar with that disease saw your picture and description, they would recognize it instantly. Edit: Even without knowing what it is, you could try one of the home brew powdery mildew treatments mentioned in the powdery mildew thread that just appeared in the last day or two. Even if it is not powdery mildew, it may have enough in common with it that one of those remedies works. __________________ -- alias Last edited by dice; June 2, 2009 at 04:13 AM. Reason: added suggestion

May 30, 2009	#2
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	Is there a slight swelling where you're seeing the little brown balls, like a gall of some sort, or is that just an artifact of the photo?

May 30, 2009	#3
sprtsguy76 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Santa Clara CA Posts: 1,125	Have you ruled out pests? Maybe mites? I had them in my garden and some types seem to congragate in one place and move together. And they are just that same brownish tan color and impossible to make out with the naked eye. Just a thought, good luck. Damon

May 31, 2009	#5
mike5953 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 97	I'm not really well versed in tomato diseases... But if I saw something like that on a rose, I'd say Powdery Mildew.