Lots of problems PLEASE HELP!! PIX

[chanceysmama]

Hi yall, I am in the midwest, and I have planted 9 tomato plants all different varieties and the bottom leaves are turning yellow and have brown spots that seem to be consuming the whole branch over time and then dries up and dies. Some of them also the blooms on the very top of the plants are brown and dry in the middle. I am wondering if I may have 2 problems going on at once. Too much water and whiteflies. I say whiteflies b/c I see them fly away when disturbed and also I have silverleafed Zuchinni now, and whiteflies are the culprit for silverleaf in squash plants. I need some Help, I love to garden and will be just sick if I lose my maters.

[Suze]

Sounds like it might be either Early Blight or Septoria Spot -- take a look at the pictures in the Tomato Problem Solver

As for the blooms, could it be blossom drop from hot weather?

[chanceysmama]

Hi yall, I posted a few days ago, and now it has finally quit raining so I took some pictures. Can anyone diagnose or confirm my suspicions. I do believe there are more than a couple problems, and dont know where to begin. I would like to stay all organic but also want to save my garden too. Please Help....

[Worth1]

I can tell you that the biggest problem is that you did not use mulch.
With all of the rain you have had it has splashed up dirt on the plants.
This is where it all started.
You also show signs of BER.
I am no expert on tomato sickness I can just tell you why it happened.
You need to cut back all of the sick and dead leaves and stems for a start.

Make sure you clean the scissors before you go from one plant to the next.

Bleach or alcohol will work for this.

If this is only a small amount of your patch that is affected you would be better off pulling up the sick ones to the benefit of the rest.

And use mulch.

[chanceysmama]

Oh thank you for responding, I have started cutting all the infected ones back and will continue, but is there something else I could do to try to stop this, I will be putting down mulch as soon as I get them trimmed. If it is Septoria leaf spot what do I do.

I have 2 of the pictures figured out, Blossem End Rot and Catfacing, my main problem is the yellow spotted dying leaves. Are there any treatments you could suggest?

[Worth1]

BER is blossom end rot, thats the tomatoes with the black spots on the end.
Here read this from Carolyn
It Tells it the best and you can count on it being right.

Worth

Originally Posted by carolyn137

I can't see the need to add Epsom salts, magnesium sulfate OR eggshells, or dolmitic lime or anything else to help prevent BER.

And that' b'c the problem is not one of uptake thru the roots, it's a matter of maldistribution of Ca++ within the plant. Plants that have BER fruits have been shown to have plenty of Ca++ in the vegetative tissues.

Almost any stress can induce BER and the two major ones are overfertiization that causes too rapid growth, and uneven distribution of water.

But too hot, too cold, too dry, too wet can all be inducers.

As the plants mature they are better able to deal with environmental stresses so for most folks BER goes away with time.

If there's NO Ca++ in the soil, which is exceedingly rare, then addition of same is warranted. A soil test will help in that regard. And if the soil is too acidic that can also prevent Ca++ root uptake but that can be corrected by raising the pH of the soil.

[feldon30]

I added TomatoTone, Epsom Salts, Dolomitic (or Pelletized) Lime, and Bone Meal to my soil. Despite days of nonstop rain, I did not have a single fruit with BER.

chanceysmama,

As others have mentioned, you desperately need mulch.

Either pine mulch, shredded pine bark, etc. DO NOT get the "dyed" mulch which is like bright red or super black. They are chemically treated and are not good for your plants. You can even use newspaper and grass clippings if you want if the grass was NOT weed-n-feeded.

You also need to start spraying to prevent fungal outbreaks on your plants. Daconil (chlorothanonil) 29% a tablespoon per gallon every week sprayed onto your plants from the day you plant your plants until about mid-way through harvest. The daconil should be sprayed all over the leaves including the undersides if you have a good wand sprayer. You can either use a 1 or 2 gallon pump sprayer for $20 or use Ortho dial-n-spray.

Daconil is not an anti-fungal. It is a low toxicity fungus blocker.

[chanceysmama]

Great, Thank you. I will be out first thing in the morning buying Daconil and Pine Mulch.

[feldon30]

Another note is, you can buy Daconil pre-mixed in a spray bottle, but it's kind of gloppy and not mixed very well. I would suggest the $12 bottle of concentrate (~29%) and mix it up yourself in a $10 one gallon sprayer. Then you only mix what you need. Daconil breaks down very quickly after it's been mixed. This was a requirement for environmental purposes.

[amideutch]

Chanceysmama, There are alternative fungicides to Daconil whether they be organic or inorganic and you should be told that. Here is the toxicology report on it from extoxnet. Ami
http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/chloroth.htm
By the way, welcome to Tville. Alot of knowlegable folks here on about every aspect of tomato growing and eating.

[chanceysmama]

Ami, Thanks for the report. I was definately wondering about the toxicity in my veggies after I use it. Is there something that you would suggest that is effective but organic? Looking for an insecticide also.

[feldon30]

Originally Posted by amideutch

Chanceysmama, There are alternative fungicides to Daconil whether they be organic or inorganic and you should be told that. Here is the toxicology report on it from extoxnet. Ami
http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/chloroth.htm

Serenade is the "organic equivalent" of Daconil.

Facts about Serenade (an OMRI-approved organic fungal control) MSDS:

• May be irritating to skin for some individuals.
• If product comes into contact with skin, irritation may occur.

and from the Serenade label:

• If inhaled: Move person to fresh air. If person is not breathing, call 911 or an ambulance, then give artificial respiration, preferably mouth-to-mouth if possible. Call a poison control center or doctor for further treatment advice.
• If in eyes: Hold eye open and rinse slowly and gently with water for 15-20 minutes. Call a poison control center or doctor for treatment advice.

PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

HAZARDS TO HUMANS & DOMESTIC ANIMALS
CAUTION

Harmful if inhaled. Avoid breathing spray mist. Remove contaminated clothing and wash before reuse. Avoid contact with skin, eyes, or clothing. Wash thoroughly with soap and water.



Facts about Daconil:
* Daconil concentrate for home gardens contains 29.6% chlorathalonil.
* Daconil is diluted anywhere from 1 to 3 tsp (1 tbsp) per gallon depending on crop.
* There are 768 teaspoons in a gallon.
[code]
Daconil Ratio chlorathalonil (%)
undiluted ~3:1 29.6%
1 tsp 768:1 .039%
2 tsp 384:1 .077%
3 tsp 256:1 .116%
[/code]

• Tomatoes sprayed with daconil can be washed and eaten the same day plants are sprayed.
• For tomatoes, Daconil is applied at 256:1 ratio. Cases of exposure to Daconil causing skin and eye irritation were cases of 70% daconil, not .116%.
• Chlorothalonil is practically nontoxic to birds.
• The compound is nontoxic to bees.
• In a number of tests of varying lengths of time, rats fed a range of doses of chlorothalonil generally showed no effects on physical appearance, behavior, or survival.
• Chlorothalonil is rapidly excreted, primarily unchanged, from the body. It is not stored in animal tissues.

[Worth1]

Before I would worry about the use of Daconil I would first worry about all of the stuff you use in your home and the pills you take ointments you put on your skin or the stuff you buy at the store.

At least you are in control of the stuff you use on your garden and can wash it off.
I would start looking at all of the plastics and such, how it is made and how it pollutes the environment even after it is made.

The same people that jump on the band wagon about chemicals in the garden will go out and buy stuff in polystyrene containers.

I used to live by and work in a plant that made the stuff and grew tired of the black cloud that arose from the stacks every night while the fog was in so folk’s couldn’t see it.

By the way, where do all of the batteries go in those so called environmentally friendly cars after they are used up?

I have no problem with Daconil.
The early use of Daconil and the use of mulch is by far a good way to start on the right path to a healthy tomato plant.

I’m not trying to start an argument here, I just want people to think about things a little.
Well maybe a lot.

Then make up your mind.

Worth

[chanceysmama]

Yeah, I know. I am going with the Daconil. Seems to be the best bet, and not going to kill me. So as much as I'd like to stay away from chemicals I have found out the hard way that it is almost impossible to keep a garden organic without losing everything. I really appreciate everyones help with my problems and so glad I found this site. I am kind of new to gardening and still learning the tricks of the trade. Well off to the local garden center for meds, and some more plants to start on my patio. Just in case.....

[chanceysmama]

Ok, I am going to pot a couple of new plants and keep on my deck. I bought top of the line topsoil, should I do anything else to it before I plant? I also have a jalapeno pepper I am going to pot, are there any concerns with them being to close to each other.