tomato disaster...help identify

[Mknzgclmn]

my husband and I moved last fall and I set up brand new raised gardens with all new soil (1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 vermiculite). I planted my tomatoes and they have been RAVAGED. I thought it was aphids so I sprayed down with soap and water. I also see catipullar poop. I have eggs on the back of some of my leaves, some with a web over it. some are white eggs and some are dark ages. there is larvae too. I released lady bugs for a few days now but they don't seem to be sticking around.
any help identifying my critters and how to eradicate...they are moving to my cucumber and green bean leaves. 😞

I could only upload one photo but I have more photos.

[Dewayne mater]

Caterpillars for sure - BT works well. That dark spot (gray) worries me for mold of some type. If it is, removal of all affected leaves and use fungicide of some type. We you are, either Daconil or Copper plus Mancozeb are a must! All that humidity! More pics would be helpful.

[Mknzgclmn]

I am going to reply with multiple photos again. only one will upload.

[Mknzgclmn]

this photo has the hatched eggs.

[Mknzgclmn]

those are three different plants. I sprayed everything with dawn/water solution thinking I had aphids. then dusted with Seven dust. would been oil work for both of these? what is "DH"
I have lady bugs but they are not sticking around.
feeling defeated and the season has barely started.

[Mknzgclmn]

correction, what is BT?

[Scooty]

Originally Posted by Mknzgclmn

correction, what is BT?

bacillus thuringiensis. It's natural and organic.

There are two strains. var. kurstaki is for catepillars larvae (i.e. Bonide Thuricide) and there's another one (var. israelensis) for mosquito, fungal gnat larvae (Mosquito dunks, bits). Both only take care of larvae. So you need a spray for the adults.

The best organic spray option is probably spinosad. To a lesser extent pyrethin. The "nuclear" option is probably something permethrin-based if you're really up to your eyes in bugs.

The major issue you're going to run into in the south is that you pretty much have to go to a nonorganic fungicide if you're already facing the baddies. Copper and sulfur are good preventatives, but something like chlorothalonil (i.e. draconil) is going to be much more effective.

The problem with the soap and water option is that you basically have 5 minutes of protection. It's just a quick get the bugs off the plant tool, but it won't kill the eggs or the adults when they decide to climb back up. Even Spinosad has about half a week of protection.

I've done lady bugs and praying mantises before as biological controls. The problem as you have discovered is that they don't stick around. They also happen to be great bird food. The only way to use them as protectant for an entire season is to hatch them with such insane density that you're guaranteed to have some local population even if most of them fly off. The problem with this is that it's very cost prohibitive and high maintenance to get that many beneficial bugs. The only ones that truly stick around are the beneficial nematodes, since they are soil bound.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Scooty

bacillus thuringiensis. It's natural and organic.

There are two strains. var. kurstaki is for catepillars larvae (i.e. Bonide Thuricide) and there's another one (var. israelensis) for mosquito, fungal gnat larvae (Mosquito dunks, bits). Both only take care of larvae. So you need a spray for the adults.

The best organic spray option is probably spinosad. To a lesser extent pyrethin. The "nuclear" option is probably something permethrin-based if you're really up to your eyes in bugs.

The major issue you're going to run into in the south is that you pretty much have to go to a nonorganic fungicide if you're already facing the baddies. Copper and sulfur are good preventatives, but something like chlorothalonil (i.e. draconil) is going to be much more effective.

The problem with the soap and water option is that you basically have 5 minutes of protection. It's just a quick get the bugs off the plant tool, but it won't kill the eggs or the adults when they decide to climb back up. Even Spinosad has about half a week of protection.

I've done lady bugs and praying mantises before as biological controls. The problem as you have discovered is that they don't stick around. They also happen to be great bird food. The only way to use them as protectant for an entire season is to hatch them with such insane density that you're guaranteed to have some local population even if most of them fly off. The problem with this is that it's very cost prohibitive and high maintenance to get that many beneficial bugs. The only ones that truly stick around are the beneficial nematodes, since they are soil bound.

+1- I agree with every single point here. BT works great on caterpillars, they quit eating right away, and they die within a day. You are giving the baddies an infection that wont infect you, pets, or beneficials like bees.

[b54red]

I hate to be the lone voice against BT which I use all the time. The type caterpillar that is hitting us right now is rarely stopped completely by BT no matter how often it is applied. These little buggers grow fast and feed voraciously and during a spell of rainy days can nearly destroy the foliage on your tomatoes and even your bell peppers. I myself was using BT and removing leaves where the bottom side was covered with tiny worms up until a few days ago when they just became an overwhelming problem so I used liquid Sevin and sprayed as much of the undersides of the leaves as possible and hit every one of my tomato plants except one lone volunteer. In two days they had shredded a third of the leaves of that one plant which I dusted with Sevin yesterday. The Sevin totally knocked them out and at least until the next hard rain I won't have to worry with them. They are not usually too much of a problem later in the season but right now with frequent rains they can be really destructive. In just a few days they go from tiny little things to big caterpillars that will also ruin your fruits.

BT works great on most caterpillars but a few years ago I was applying it nearly every day in either liquid or Dipel dust when these caterpillars were really bad and found that eventually I had to resort to the Sevin to stop them. It seemed that the BT slowed them down some but not enough to stop the destruction of my leaf cover protecting my tomatoes from sun damage.

Bill

[Keger]

Originally Posted by b54red

I hate to be the lone voice against BT which I use all the time. The type caterpillar that is hitting us right now is rarely stopped completely by BT no matter how often it is applied. These little buggers grow fast and feed voraciously and during a spell of rainy days can nearly destroy the foliage on your tomatoes and even your bell peppers. I myself was using BT and removing leaves where the bottom side was covered with tiny worms up until a few days ago when they just became an overwhelming problem so I used liquid Sevin and sprayed as much of the undersides of the leaves as possible and hit every one of my tomato plants except one lone volunteer. In two days they had shredded a third of the leaves of that one plant which I dusted with Sevin yesterday. The Sevin totally knocked them out and at least until the next hard rain I won't have to worry with them. They are not usually too much of a problem later in the season but right now with frequent rains they can be really destructive. In just a few days they go from tiny little things to big caterpillars that will also ruin your fruits.

BT works great on most caterpillars but a few years ago I was applying it nearly every day in either liquid or Dipel dust when these caterpillars were really bad and found that eventually I had to resort to the Sevin to stop them. It seemed that the BT slowed them down some but not enough to stop the destruction of my leaf cover protecting my tomatoes from sun damage.

Bill

I totally agree. I am just SW of Houston , and again this year the rain has been brutal on tomatoes. I grow for market and have already pulled a couple hundred plants. As you are in NOLA ( OP ), you have had our weather conditions, PLUS !!!!! none of us had a past winter at all, hardly a light freeze. All is a bad formula for tomatoes.

I expect a 90+ % loss again this year.

Nature always wins, and it is relentless.

If you have a few to several plants, you must treat them with daconil, Sevin..... Malathion...... if you want to save what can be saved.

Wish I had better news.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by b54red

I hate to be the lone voice against BT which I use all the time. The type caterpillar that is hitting us right now is rarely stopped completely by BT no matter how often it is applied. These little buggers grow fast and feed voraciously and during a spell of rainy days can nearly destroy the foliage on your tomatoes and even your bell peppers. I myself was using BT and removing leaves where the bottom side was covered with tiny worms up until a few days ago when they just became an overwhelming problem so I used liquid Sevin and sprayed as much of the undersides of the leaves as possible and hit every one of my tomato plants except one lone volunteer. In two days they had shredded a third of the leaves of that one plant which I dusted with Sevin yesterday. The Sevin totally knocked them out and at least until the next hard rain I won't have to worry with them. They are not usually too much of a problem later in the season but right now with frequent rains they can be really destructive. In just a few days they go from tiny little things to big caterpillars that will also ruin your fruits.

BT works great on most caterpillars but a few years ago I was applying it nearly every day in either liquid or Dipel dust when these caterpillars were really bad and found that eventually I had to resort to the Sevin to stop them. It seemed that the BT slowed them down some but not enough to stop the destruction of my leaf cover protecting my tomatoes from sun damage.

Bill

Was your BT fresh? If it has been on the shelf for more than a year, usually it is nearly dead. Could it be that it was a bit old?

[oakley]

NewOrleans was considered home to me years ago so i know how difficult the growing conditions can be.
You might want to contact a gardening group, a local nursery, or seek out the LSU ag Center for help. http://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonly...esHIGHRES1.pdf

sorry i can't figure out how to link properly.

They will list resistant varieties and have pro-active solutions to help avoid what you have. Often just holding the leaf in the palm of your hand and giving a good hose spray is a start. Then the appropriate fungicide applied to avoid re-infestation.

Most of our ugly critters/larva/bugs have a life cycle that is short lived and once they 'cycle', they are gone for the season. Most plants recover quickly if the problem is corrected. So it is not necessarily a full season battle.

Hope your garden improves for the better.

[coastal bend]

use organic Spinosad comes in brand name Monterey or caption Jacks and that problem will go away. Those eggs or a army worm egg mass If they are aloud to grow , when they get bigger they will eat all the leaves off the plant in a hurry.

[Adriana]

Buy spinosad here http://www.gardensalive.com/product/...e/pest-control

[coastal bend]

Bill have you tried the Spinsoad I was having the same problem with Dipel. once I started using the Spinosad never lost control again. The good thing about Spinosad it goes into the leaf and will last 10 to 14 days . Most mornings here I have heavy dew. It won't wash off like Dipel. You might have a bad worm that it doesn't effect. If it is I hope dose not show up here.