Yellowing Tomato Leaves - Page 2

AlittleSalt · October 27, 2014

I got the results from our local ag agent.

The yellowing leaves = Leaf-burn or scorch generally indicates root injury, quite often caused by heavy amounts of fertilizer applied too near the roots. This injury often results in browning and die back of the ends and margins of the leaves. Other possible causes are root injury caused by nematodes, insects or physical injury by cultivation. Also overwatering or underwatering along with diseases might cause leaf-tip burn.

This year was a bad one for pocket gophers/moles or whatever is tunneling in my garden. There was a tunnel beside the yellowing tomato plant.

The leaves with holes in them = Grey Leaf Spot.
Small brownish-black specks first appear on undersides of leaves. These later develop into larger necrotic areas, and the tissue often falls out, leaving a shot hole type appearance. Spots may be surrounded by a yellow halo. Yellowing, leaf drop, and defoliation may occur in severe cases.
Control:
The fungus can survive from year to year on Solanaceous weeds, so weed control is important. Leaf moisture from rains or dew increases disease severity. Fungicides may be used as recommended. Many commercial varieties are resistant.

The tomato with the ugly spot on it =
Blossom End Rot - caused by improper (fluctuating from too dry to too moist) moisture. Maintain uniform soil moisture as the fruit nears maturity. Remove affected fruit.

Cracking - physiological disorder caused by soil moisture fluctuations. When the tomato reaches the mature green stage and the water supply to the plant is reduced or cut off, the tomato will begin to ripen. At this time a cellophane-like wrapper around the outer surface of the tomato becomes thicker and more rigid to protect the tomato during and after harvest. If the water supply is restored after ripening begins, the plant will resume translocation of nutrients and moisture into the fruit. This will cause the fruit to enlarge; which in turn splits the wrapper around the fruit and results in cracking. The single best control for cracking is a constant and regular water supply. Apply a layer of organic mulch to the base of the plant. This serves as a buffer and prevents soil moisture fluctuation. Water plants thoroughly every week. This is especially important when the fruits are maturing. Some varieties are resistant to cracking, but their skin is tougher.

Worth1 · October 27, 2014

Salt one year I planted ten jalapeno plants in sandy soil.
Then one morning I counted 9 so I thought I was going crazy.
Then the next morning I counted 8 and there was a tell tale hole in the sand where the pepper plant used to be.
I dug around the hole and there was my pepper plant tucked away in a tunnel.
It was gophers.

If you have gophers in sandy soil I bet you have gopher snakes.
This is what they look like.

I cannot express to you how important it is not to kill these creatures.
I know they look like a rattle snake at first glance but they aren't.
The last one I saw crawled up onto my hand and coiled up.
It was as happy as a clam sitting there flicking it tongue.

They are one of the most docile snakes I have ever held.

Worth

Cole_Robbie · October 27, 2014

wow, I am glad I don't have those in Illinois, because I would think it was a copperhead due to the shape of the head. We have ground hogs, but we don't have gophers.

Worth1 · October 28, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

wow, I am glad I don't have those in Illinois, because I would think it was a copperhead due to the shape of the head. We have ground hogs, but we don't have gophers.

One time years ago I opened my silverware drawer and pulled out what I thought was something else.
After I got it out low and behold it was a gopher snake.

After the shock wore off I took it out and put it in a tree.
It was just hanging there in may hands like a limp rope looking at me.

Worth

AlittleSalt · October 28, 2014

On this property, my neighbor had a copperhead in their chest of drawers in their bedroom, We had a rat snake in our love seat, and this year - my brother had a bull snake in his toilet ...twice.

Needless to say, we don't leave the doors open anymore.

Worth1 · October 28, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlittleSalt

On this property, my neighbor had a copperhead in their chest of drawers in their bedroom, We had a rat snake in our love seat, and this year - my brother had a bull snake in his toilet ...twice.

Needless to say, we don't leave the doors open anymore.

We opened the front door and a hognose snake came running in.
I took video of it and it went in a hole under the bricks of my house.

Worth

Cole_Robbie · October 29, 2014

When I was 6, I stepped on a huge garter snake while barefoot. The thing must have been as long as I was tall. It was harmless, or course, but scared the daylights out of me. I still to this day don't like snakes, but I don't kill them when I see them.

I had a green snake trapped in my basement once. I looked it up on the internet and everything said it was completely harmless and would never bite. I cornered it trying to catch it, and the thing reared back and struck at me like a cobra! It missed, but apparently anything will try to bite when it's cornered.

AlittleSalt · October 30, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

When I was 6, I stepped on a huge garter snake while barefoot. The thing must have been as long as I was tall. It was harmless, or course, but scared the daylights out of me. I still to this day don't like snakes, but I don't kill them when I see them.

I had a green snake trapped in my basement once. I looked it up on the internet and everything said it was completely harmless and would never bite. I cornered it trying to catch it, and the thing reared back and struck at me like a cobra! It missed, but apparently anything will try to bite when it's cornered.

I remember garter snakes from my childhood too. The ones I would see were a foot or so long a slender. We lived in the city and saw them often back in the earlier 1970s. I moved around and in 1980 ended up here where I live now. I have seen two of them in the past 34 years. I remember they had an odor to them - kind of like old food waste.

The green snakes here are also slender (Smaller around than a nickel) I've called them tree snakes for decades now because you see them in oak trees.

I looked up garter snakes and it seems they are a group of smaller snakes and can look different https://www.google.com/search?q=gart...pg%3B700%3B495

I hope that link isn't 7 lines long

October 27, 2014	#16
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	I got the results from our local ag agent. The yellowing leaves = Leaf-burn or scorch generally indicates root injury, quite often caused by heavy amounts of fertilizer applied too near the roots. This injury often results in browning and die back of the ends and margins of the leaves. Other possible causes are root injury caused by nematodes, insects or physical injury by cultivation. Also overwatering or underwatering along with diseases might cause leaf-tip burn. This year was a bad one for pocket gophers/moles or whatever is tunneling in my garden. There was a tunnel beside the yellowing tomato plant. The leaves with holes in them = Grey Leaf Spot. Small brownish-black specks first appear on undersides of leaves. These later develop into larger necrotic areas, and the tissue often falls out, leaving a shot hole type appearance. Spots may be surrounded by a yellow halo. Yellowing, leaf drop, and defoliation may occur in severe cases. Control: The fungus can survive from year to year on Solanaceous weeds, so weed control is important. Leaf moisture from rains or dew increases disease severity. Fungicides may be used as recommended. Many commercial varieties are resistant. The tomato with the ugly spot on it = Blossom End Rot - caused by improper (fluctuating from too dry to too moist) moisture. Maintain uniform soil moisture as the fruit nears maturity. Remove affected fruit. Cracking - physiological disorder caused by soil moisture fluctuations. When the tomato reaches the mature green stage and the water supply to the plant is reduced or cut off, the tomato will begin to ripen. At this time a cellophane-like wrapper around the outer surface of the tomato becomes thicker and more rigid to protect the tomato during and after harvest. If the water supply is restored after ripening begins, the plant will resume translocation of nutrients and moisture into the fruit. This will cause the fruit to enlarge; which in turn splits the wrapper around the fruit and results in cracking. The single best control for cracking is a constant and regular water supply. Apply a layer of organic mulch to the base of the plant. This serves as a buffer and prevents soil moisture fluctuation. Water plants thoroughly every week. This is especially important when the fruits are maturing. Some varieties are resistant to cracking, but their skin is tougher.

October 27, 2014	#17
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Salt one year I planted ten jalapeno plants in sandy soil. Then one morning I counted 9 so I thought I was going crazy. Then the next morning I counted 8 and there was a tell tale hole in the sand where the pepper plant used to be. I dug around the hole and there was my pepper plant tucked away in a tunnel. It was gophers. If you have gophers in sandy soil I bet you have gopher snakes. This is what they look like. I cannot express to you how important it is not to kill these creatures. I know they look like a rattle snake at first glance but they aren't. The last one I saw crawled up onto my hand and coiled up. It was as happy as a clam sitting there flicking it tongue. They are one of the most docile snakes I have ever held. Worth

October 27, 2014	#18
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	wow, I am glad I don't have those in Illinois, because I would think it was a copperhead due to the shape of the head. We have ground hogs, but we don't have gophers.

October 28, 2014	#20
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	On this property, my neighbor had a copperhead in their chest of drawers in their bedroom, We had a rat snake in our love seat, and this year - my brother had a bull snake in his toilet ...twice. Needless to say, we don't leave the doors open anymore.

October 29, 2014	#22
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	When I was 6, I stepped on a huge garter snake while barefoot. The thing must have been as long as I was tall. It was harmless, or course, but scared the daylights out of me. I still to this day don't like snakes, but I don't kill them when I see them. I had a green snake trapped in my basement once. I looked it up on the internet and everything said it was completely harmless and would never bite. I cornered it trying to catch it, and the thing reared back and struck at me like a cobra! It missed, but apparently anything will try to bite when it's cornered.