Time for a New Start

[RayR]

Now that I look at those bugs again, it's a little blurry but those are aphids. the molted exoskeletons is a dead giveaway. That doesn't mean there aren't any other nasty bugs around the plant.
That dark coloration along the veins is concerning, I hope it's not a symptom of curly top virus. Hmmm....

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by RayR

That's OK, we all have made mistakes, except Worth, he's perfect.
I learned something a long time ago, don't add anything to your soil unless you fully understand what effect it will have on the soil and the plant.
Another thing I learned, don't over fertilize your plants, more is not better. If you don't damage the plant itself, then you may as well put out a sign "Welcome all evil chewing and sucking insects" There's nothing more attractive to these bugs than a stressed plant with weak watery cells.
Bugs are sometimes bad enough on healthy plants, but no where near as bad as on a stressed plant.

I'm glad someone here sees this besides me.
The thing is none of you guys see my fails and you wont, I have an image to uphold.
As for the diseases I get them and for the must part amputate, they live through it or they dont.
If they dont then the plants get pulled.
Worth

[Father'sDaughter]

The blackish-discoloration reminds me of what my plants looked like after the time I went a little too heavy with an oil-based insect spray (forget which one) right before a sunny/hot stretch. The pictures of the new top growth appear to show healthy growth.

I'd definitely pull way back on the fertilization/treatments. Maybe give the containers a good flushing out, and then only use a liquid fertilizer ever week-to-ten-days.

[oakley]

I'm a bit new to container gardening. Third year with a few 7 gal pots in the driveway.
City home is tucked in the forest with a bacon-strip of good sun. Need to slide the pots
a bit throughout the season. First year with fabric containers on the deck with dwarfs
and micros...
So i'm just learning and researching what my containers need as far as ferts and soil
combinations.
A loose count is 6 7gal, 12 one gal, 10 2 gal, and soon to pot up some more 5 gal
fabric pots with dwarf project starts. I've used maybe a tenth of what you have used in
ferts and food. I used different soil blends in the various size pots. Experimenting what
proves best.

I found a stack of old red cups in the shed. Cleaned them up and put some cull starts in
them instead of the compost pile. They thrived being neglected. So i used them for
experiments. A couple i over fertilized and they looked sick within 24 hrs and became
aphid magnets. I'd hold back on food, especially the MiracleGrow. MG 'blue stuff' can
be fine in seed starting or potting up but not a great combination with organics, jmo.

Seems too much love or too little is where trouble starts. The symptoms often look
similar. I left a 2 gallon pot with a healthy plant in a bucket without drainage over the
the last long weekend by mistake. Lots of rain it sat in 3 gallons of water and looked
wiped out and thirsty droopy. Once drained it bounced back, caught just in time...

So you may find all is not lost after all if you can find a good balance. Treat for insects
using what is recommended for each and hold off on fert.

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I'm glad someone here sees this besides me.
The thing is none of you guys see my fails and you wont, I have an image to uphold.
As for the diseases I get them and for the must part amputate, they live through it or they dont.
If they dont then the plants get pulled.
Worth

That's the way I'm looking at it this growing season. The plants will either live or die.

Landisil, we are all learning each time we plant.

[MissS]

I agree that the discoloration of the leaves is from your spraying. I had this happen once using Neem. It was on every plant that is had sprayed it on. My thoughts that even though I followed the instructions, the mix was too strong and suffocated the pores of the plants.

When I first believe that I have an issue with my plants, I check the "Stickies" at the top of this forum (Common Garden Diseases and Pests). There is some excellent information here. If I need further help, I just post away... There are so many kind people here that are willing to help, and they are free!

[Landisil]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

The blackish-discoloration reminds me of what my plants looked like after the time I went a little too heavy with an oil-based insect spray (forget which one) right before a sunny/hot stretch. The pictures of the new top growth appear to show healthy growth.

I'd definitely pull way back on the fertilization/treatments. Maybe give the containers a good flushing out, and then only use a liquid fertilizer ever week-to-ten-days.

I believe that the insecticide I used did most of the damage. I spayed at 7:45 AM and by 12:00 the leaves were beginning to darken in areas that had collected more insecticide. Then by 3:00 the plants looked like a war zone.

So for now...I am doing nothing....the 80 or so tomatoes seem unaffected and as far as I can tell continue to grow. Many of the blossoms have withered...but over half seem healthy. Some insects remain and I am not certain that the withering of blossoms might not be because of the insects.


Frank

[VC Scott]

Landisl:

Have you checked the ph of your soil? My guess is that the excess lime has resulted in a high ph. A high ph would limit the plants' ability to absorb the excess fertilizer you added to the soil. The pictures you posted look to me like lack of nutrients rather than excess.

If the soil is alkali, as I suspect, then maybe you can slowly add amendments to acidify the soil. The nutrients can then be absorbed more readily and the plants will improve. However, if you correct the ph too quickly, the plants may end up with excess nutrients. A very delicate balancing act is necessary.

I seem to remember a post by Worth that discussed adding a bit of vinegar to the irrigation water.