"Crud" on new Oxheart seedlings

[Yak54]

Anyone know about what is sometimes referred to as "the crud" on new oxheart seedlings? My plants have dried up ends on most of the leaves. Some years I get it and some years I don't. The plants seem to outgrow this condition once they are in the ground for a couple of weeks. Only experience this with oxheart varieties. Would like to know what causes it and how to avoid it. Any help out there ?

[nctomatoman]

I've found the crud to be quite variety specific and generally unavoidable - Anna Russian, Orange Strawberry, White Oxheart, German Red Strawberry all get it for me - but some beefsteak types do as well, such as Mortgage Lifter, Dr. Wyche's Yellow and, the worst offender for me, Kellogg's breakfast. The key, for me, is to limit the time they are under artificial light (so I get them into the sun as soon as possible) and transplant as soon as I can. As you say, once they get going they are fine. I wonder if some varieties just have a genetic predisposition for the crud!

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Yak54

Anyone know about what is sometimes referred to as "the crud" on new oxheart seedlings? My plants have dried up ends on most of the leaves. Some years I get it and some years I don't. The plants seem to outgrow this condition once they are in the ground for a couple of weeks. Only experience this with oxheart varieties. Would like to know what causes it and how to avoid it. Any help out there ?

I'm the one who coined the term CRUD.

I kept seeing the leaf margins of some of my varieties turn brown, not just the tips, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong so I contacted Dr, Tom Zitter at Cornell who is an expert in tomato diseases.

he knew what I was talking about and said they thought it was an aberrant form of Early Blight but hadn't been able to prove it.

All I can say is that for me but not others it can spread from plant to plant so I isolate any plants with those symptoms after taking off all the affected leaves, and for me it seems to infect most but not ALL the heart shaped varieties, but others as well and I find Kellogg's Breakfast to be especially susceptible.

Once the plants are outside in the sun whatever it is goes away and the plants are fine.

So that's my experience in my zone 5 growing area.

[JCBigBlue]

I got it on Homer Fike's Yellow Oxheart, Cindy's West Virginia, and Kellogg's Breakfast. The affected plants growth was somewhat stunted, but I managed to get them through to plant-out.They seem to be thriving now that they are out in the sun.

[Yak54]

It's frustrating. I buy 20 seeds, give 10 to a first time grower, and his don't have it and all of mine do. The variety I'm speaking of this year is Kosovo. I thought maybe it was from lack of sterilization or perhaps my growing medium. In years past I can't remember more than one or two Oxheart varieties that did not come down with this crud. I guess I just have to live with it as oxheart types have always been part of my tomato garden for many years cause I love them.