Sick Tomato Plants

[Kasperek]

Hello all,

I'm trying to plant some tomatoes on my patio for the first time this year but unfortunately my tomatoes haven't been doing that great They have a bunch of spots on them and I also found what looks like it may be a gnat on one of the leaves.

http://imgur.com/a/0kSk8

Can they be saved or should I discard them and buy some new already grown plants?

Thanks!

[KarenO]

i think they look OK overall, give them a little balanced fertilizer at 1/2 strength and plant them out as soon as it is warm enough in your area. bonus for you since you have been growing them outdoors they are already hardened off.
KarenO

[bower]

Gnats: Fungus gnats can be a problem, usually indoors though or in a greenhouse, since they don't tolerate wind. Make sure your containers are draining well and not standing in water, which encourages them. Mosquito dunks (Bt-i) can be soaked and then use it to water them when you see adult gnats around. It's the larvae that do the harm in that case, in the soil eating the roots.

Leaf spots are something else, could be insects like thrips, or it could just be damage from exposure to sunshine when wet, or dessicated by wind, etc. Looking at the different plants you posted I think it's likely a physical cause, rather than bugs. Young plants are pretty vulnerable to leaf damage from the elements, but tomatoes grow so fast, they produce so many leaves, they can easily grow out of minor damage.

Overall, your plants look pretty good.

[clkeiper]

Those are aphids not gnats. Other than that I think the just look a little weathered not sick. Spray them off with some water and get under the leaves. Or find a few ladybugs and put them on the plants. They will clean them up in no time.

[dmforcier]

The last pic is telling. In it I see at least three bibbits, probably aphids (though I don't recall a pink aphid, but you're in a near-foreign land). Get you some insecticidal soap at a local big box store and spray the plants as per directed. Repeat after a couple of days.

The plants look okay overall, and should be fine. Good luck.

[RayR]

Yep, aphids. Got some isopropyl rubbing alcohol in the bathroom? 1 part rubbing alcohol to 2 parts water in a spray bottle, Mist the entire plant well, it's instant death to aphids. Look for flying aphids, they put the young nymphs on the plant.
Aphids come in different colors, even transparent sometimes

[Nematode]

French marigolds and sweet alyssum will attract hoverflies which will keep aphids in check.

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by RayR

Yep, aphids. Got some isopropyl rubbing alcohol in the bathroom? 1 part rubbing alcohol to 2 parts water in a spray bottle, Mist the entire plant well, it's instant death to aphids. Look for flying aphids, they put the young nymphs on the plant.
Aphids come in different colors, even transparent sometimes

Does the juice do damage to most soft bodied invaders?

[RayR]

Originally Posted by Gerardo

Does the juice do damage to most soft bodied invaders?

Yes, I would think so although I haven't had that many soft bodied villains to deal with. it even works on spider mites although you have reapply every few days.
It's not something I would use outdoors in the garden because it would be real expensive to do on a larger scale. I've only done it indoors on seedlings if needed.
You've got to make a direct hit on the bugs, alcohol is volatile, it evaporates very quickly.

I used 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol, if you use 50% isopropyl rubbing alcohol I would go to a 1:1 mixture with water. You can also put a couple drops of liquid soap in to get smoother coverage over the surface of the leaves and stems.

[ginger2778]

Yep- aphids. I have been finding that a strong and thorough water spray above and below leaves and down the stem works wonders on the aphids. That even rinses off the eggs, and it's really fast. Soapy water spray will take care of the rest. Must use as a preventive every 7-10 days.

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by RayR

Yes, I would think so although I haven't had that many soft bodied villains to deal with. it even works on spider mites although you have reapply every few days.
It's not something I would use outdoors in the garden because it would be real expensive to do on a larger scale. I've only done it indoors on seedlings if needed.
You've got to make a direct hit on the bugs, alcohol is volatile, it evaporates very quickly.

I used 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol, if you use 50% isopropyl rubbing alcohol I would go to a 1:1 mixture with water. You can also put a couple drops of liquid soap in to get smoother coverage over the surface of the leaves and stems.

Thanks!

[Kasperek]

Glad to hear my tomatoes will most likely survive I was really worried they might have blight.

Originally Posted by Nematode

French marigolds and sweet alyssum will attract hoverflies which will keep aphids in check.

We actually just got some marigolds the other day so it's great to hear that they'll help out our tomatoes

[dmforcier]

What will really help keep aphids under control is ladybugs. They scarf them like chicken wings.

If after you put them outside and you still have or develop an aphid problem and no ladybugs show up, check local nurseries. Some sell them.

[oakley]

Oh the evil aphid. With over 300 possible varieties you have just a tiny beginning. Life
cycles can vary. The females can lay 15-20 tiny nymphs a day. Not as bad as fungus
gnats but nice to get on it and remove every one you see to lower the numbers.

Very common. Mine were/are lime green. Not all stages of their short lives respond to just one spray i found out. I just checked every morning, each plant, and rolled them off.
Then would take them to the sink for a spray wash...piece of small celled bubble wrap
over the soil to hold the soil in the pot. Yellow sticky traps helped me monitor how i was
doing. Safer soap did not work as well as a Neem/dr.Bronners dilute blend.

The white patches could be sunburn. Not sure how long the ones were transplanted into
the larger pots but they go through a bit of stress while getting their new roots to form.
Shade is best for a few days after re-potting up.

They should recover fine now that you know what you have. It has been very hot the
past few days in NYC.!
Best to keep them in shade while they recover.
I'm finding diversion tactics or distractors works well. Aphids love sunflowers so i've
been growing dwarf varieties. TeddyBear is a good one and they stay tiny in small
pots. My aphids did not bother my tomatoes, just the peppers and sunflowers. In my
seedling trays i put a couple sunflower seeds in a corner cell. Kept the buggers of my
tiny seedlings.

[oakley]

Yes, lady bugs are the ticket but without large number to feed on they will move on.