What disease do I get to host this year?

[pmcgrady]

Pulled up to garden today and noticed about 4 wilting tomatoes from my Jeep, I watered everything yesterday and they looked fine. The tomatoes are Cosmonaut Volkov planted next to each other, and it maybe spreading. Bottom leaves dying with black/brown spots on back side of leaves. Some look like a dark mold on them also. I've been spraying Daconil once a week for past month and a half, last spray was 5 days ago. No rain, it's been dry but humid last week. I just sprayed them all with Bill's Bleach hoping I caught whatever it is before it's out of hand. Any ideas what it is?

The garden

















Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Gerardo]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, that is TSWV, vectored by thrips. Chop 'em at the stem, if loaded nail them up and allow them to ripen, although they'll probably have large, unusable sections.

Provide some flowers so you can wage the battle there and not on the tomato plants.

[Spartanburg123]

Gerardo is right- Marsha diagnosed the same thing for me just three days ago. Thankfully, it appears that only three plants were affected. Sorry to hear about this- you have such an impressive garden!!

[MissS]

I agree that this is TSWV. Dispose of the plants and spray the others with an insecticide to control thrips which is the culprit here for spreading the disease. These insects can move fast so it is best to get to it ASAP.

[Spartanburg123]

This is what I just ordered Grady: Spinosad

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BWY3OQ..._tABuzbD1HFHCG

I'm hoping to kill whatever thrips are still on my vines, and prevent more spreading. Give it a try!

Darin

[pmcgrady]

I just spent the last hour reading about TSWV...

I see the thrips will also infect peppers...
And I thought it was going to be a great year.
Off to Rural King to get Spinosad and sticky traps.
I guess it could be worse, 40 miles north of here gardens, raspberry/blackberry farms
are being wiped out by millions of Japanese Beetles.

[oakley]

I'm confident you will save the rest. Such a lovely garden, farm i should say.

Very impressive.

(the bottom frame just gave out on my Jeep. In the driveway thankfully and not on the
highway....after spending a load to pass inspection. )

[Ricky Shaw]

It's like a dagger, I wake up with bad dreams when I only lose one or two. Sounds like you've got a plan, good luck.

[pmcgrady]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

It's like a dagger, I wake up with bad dreams when I only lose one or two. Sounds like you've got a plan, good luck.

I didn't sleep well last night after the diagnosis...

[AlittleSalt]

Originally Posted by pmcgrady

I didn't sleep well last night after the diagnosis...

I know the feeling too well.

The best of luck.

[pmcgrady]

Originally Posted by oakley

I'm confident you will save the rest. Such a lovely garden, farm i should say.

Very impressive.

(the bottom frame just gave out on my Jeep. In the driveway thankfully and not on the
highway....after spending a load to pass inspection. )

Thanks for the compliment! I worked my butt off trying to make sure everything was perfect, then some bugs decide to fly in and ruin it. Sorry to hear about the Jeep
I like mine except for the occasional High Speed Death Wobble ( hit a bump just right at about 55mph and the whole Jeep shakes violently until you almost come to a complete stop. Very scary the first time it happened.)

[pmcgrady]

Originally Posted by Spartanburg123

This is what I just ordered Grady: Spinosad

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BWY3OQ..._tABuzbD1HFHCG

I'm hoping to kill whatever thrips are still on my vines, and prevent more spreading. Give it a try!

Darin

The only Spinosad product the had was Captain Jack Dead Bug Brew,
I'm spraying this evening when the sun starts to go down.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Gerardo]

"Choke on this Frankliniella"

is what I say over and over as I spray my flowers with deltamethrin, spinosad, DE, neem, etc etc etc etc


Just lost Grandma Oliver's Choc (she was a beauty, impressive trusses) to TSWV yesterday, and one Larisa. 2 out of 150+ is not bad at all.

I think I finally got the upper hand on thrips. The key is to move the battlefield.

[pmcgrady]

Originally Posted by Gerardo

"Choke on this Frankliniella"

is what I say over and over as I spray my flowers with deltamethrin, spinosad, DE, neem, etc etc etc etc


Just lost Grandma Oliver's Choc (she was a beauty, impressive trusses) to TSWV yesterday, and one Larisa. 2 out of 150+ is not bad at all.

I think I finally got the upper hand on thrips. The key is to move the battlefield.

Do thrips like a certain color of flower?

[Gerardo]

Of the flowers I've offered, yellow and white ones seem to prevail, over purple orange. Haven't offered blues, although I imagine they would do great as traps are more efficacious at that wavelength. So far Marigolds, Alyssum, Snapdragons, sunflowers. Next on the germination line will be blue Petunias.

Trap Evaluations for Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and Hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae)
Tian-Ye Chen,et al Entomological Society of America 2004
From the abstract:

"Various trap types were evaluated for catching western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), and hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae). More western flower thrips were attracted to blue (458-nm peak reflectance) sticky card traps compared with yellow (560 nm) or white sticky card traps. Blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs; 465-nm peak emission) increased the efficacy of blue sticky card traps for catching western flower thrips."

So if you want to help your garden make it a spot for The Zohan to say "disco disco" and go crazy with the blue LEDs + sticky traps.