I don't know what's wrong with your tomatoes but I love the rest of your garden!

Well, thanks, griley, I appreciate that.

Doesn't anyone know what might be wrong with these? I need help! :o)

Doesn't anyone know what might be wrong with these? I need help! :o)

I know you do but you just posted last night, we folks are volunteers, some post in several places other than here at GW, but also here at GW in other places, and we don't promise ASAP service, at least I don't. LOL

I looked at the pictures last night but didn't want to answer b/c I was tired and needed to think about it a bit and right now I'm going to go get breakfast b'c I'm hungry, and will get back to you today sometime and perhaps someone else will answer before that.

Carolyn

Carolyn, I hope I didn't sound impatient. I meant to sound desperate and helpless! (lol...:o)

I don't post here very often so not familiar with the turn around time. Thanks much. Also, if I need to get some better photos and closer let me know.

Leaving out the Gold Nugget I'm not sure what's wrong with the Goose Creek and Momotoro plants.

First, are ALL or MOST of your plants looking like this?

I see wilting of some side branches. Do you see that?

I see some spots on some leaves, do you see that?

Foliage diseases are not characterized by wilting so perhaps more than one thing is going on at the same time.

Why would you be using Neem?

No, I wouldn't use anything at all on these plants until a bit more is known.

I am not totally convinced that lack of water might be tyour problem. I don't always trust moisture meters and never use them.

I know you must have purchased the Goose Creek plants from Laurel but what is the origin of the others?

Carolyn

Well, I'm in big trouble now, I think. I have had to be away due to family death and after not having the time to check on my tomato patch for a few days it appears to be going downhill fast. I'm just sick about this because I love those things and was so excited to have gotten them planted so early this year.

Carolyn, to answer you (if you see this), all my plants are from Laurel and they were all great healthy looking plants as usual. When I first posted only the ones I mentioned seemed to be having problems but as I said above after only a few days I now see all plants (except the determinate Lime Green Salad) turning into crisply critters. Strangely, some of them appear to be a kind of grey or charcoal color, if you can see that in my new photos. It seems to start with some yellowing leaves and then brown crispy dried up foliage.

I would prefer to use the less toxic chemicals possible so I was hoping Neem Oil would be an option. I am just do not know tomatoes and their diseases and I am more unfamiliar with how to treat them or with what. Hubby doesn't know either.

One note, we have a huge yard of the dreaded zoysia grass and it is prone to clover. Hubby sprayed for clover a couple weeks ago so I was wondering if in any way if it was the least bit windy could that have drifted into my tomatoes? And/or if he sprayed just before a rain and it washed down and the tomatoes sat in a bit of that water could that have any effect if the clover spray was in that water? Having asked that question, my beans, lettuce and pepper plants in the other half of the garden are doing just fine.

I have posted 8 new photos, 1 showing my tomato patch and you can see the sick Goose Creek plant second from the left. You can see that the plants are huge and if you view the tops they all looks green and bushy and healthy. But when you get closer and look into them that is where the problems are evident. The other photos are labeled to show the variety and what it looks like this morning.

I do appreciate any help I can get realizing it can be very hard to determine from a photo.

Here is a link that might be useful: More Sick Tomatoes...

Zolablue
Nice yard and you need not be spraying weed killer any where around the plants, as it can drift a long way.
The next thing I would do is get in their an get rid of all that dead stuff being careful not to cross contaminate the plants.
Then as Carolyn said donÂt trust the meter.
All of the main feeder roots are at the surface some times.
Probe into the soil and see for your self how moist it is.
If it seems dry then you should more than likely water deeply.
Then look for results, if this works donÂt think that you can now keep your maters flooded all of the time as that will get you back into the same boat, SICK MATERS.

Anybody else have more input? As I have always had good luck and a feel for this.
And cant explain it as well as I would like to.
How deep down the dryness of the soil should be and so forth.
I just donÂt feel like getting slapped down for an alternate opinion.

Worth

I just donÂt feel like getting slapped down for an alternate opinion.

And why would you be? Good heavens, folks have offered alternative opinions to comments I've made and I see that as being helpful, not being slapped down, and I would hope that anyone who posts here wouldn't feel slapped down if someone has a different opinion.

The goal is to hopefully come up with some diagnoses and solutions. ( smile)

Zola, almost a whole week went by from the time I asked you some questions about spots on leaves and wilting, etc., and I didn't see any answers to those questions, and still don't.

I don't know what to tell you to treat them with b'c at this point I don't know what the exact problem is and whether there's more than one problem.

I agree with Worth that a good soaking and removal of dead foliage is a good start.

Then maybe you can answer the questions I asked above b'c even in your latest pictures I can't see the spots on the leaves good enough to make a diagnosis.

And whether and when they might wilt, when they shouldn't be wilting, is also quite important. And branches or the whole plant re wilting.

I do see a dark cast to some of the leaves, but don't see any of them up close enough to tell. Question is, do you see a purplish cast to any of the leaves as I think I might?

Carolyn

worth, will YOU please tell that to my hubby! LOL. It seems he used Ortho Weed B Gone and made about 3 applications over the past few weeks; 2 of which I'm quite sure were very recent and I know for a fact one evening it was breezy as I remember saying do not spray that now. :o) I truly am not trying to blame him but I am trying to give you as much info as possible to help ID this problem.

WATER: As I mentioned above I deeply watered these the first weekend of the month and I just now felt the top of the soil (just under my grass mulch) and it is moist. So would you still recommend more water at this point?

If I cut off all the dead brown stuff I will have tomato plants that look like stems with a bit of foliage at the tops. Some of these seem pretty far gone to me.

Carolyn, I have made some new photos posted here. I did some closeup shots so hopefully you can better see what is going on.

SPOTS: Some leaves on certain plants do have spots. They are turning yellow and as that advances the branches are wilting and dying.

NO SPOTS: For the most part on the worst plants I do not see spots rather the leaves are wilting and becoming crispy critters fairly quickly. Although it may appear purple in the photos (I agree) but it is more a dark green turning greyish and then simply crisping and dying. I hope you can see that in photos.

WILTING: It appears they are beginning to wilt mostly from the bottom side branches and drying to a crisp. I did not notice the leaves appearing to turn greyish first as I am seeing now on some of these.

The top foliage of many (not all) of these plants looks quite fresh and healthy and green and succulent. It appears most of the badly affected dried up brown crispy plants are affected quite through the center of the plants and towards the bottoms. Seems strange and again it harkens to the dried brown bits of clover I saw around my perennial bed thinking what could that be only to find it was hubby on the run with Weed B Gone.

And this major damage I see now has happened fast. I don't know if watering just aggravated it or what would make this dramatic change but this week they are going fast.

I don't think any of my plants looked like this last year and I did lose some to blight. This is only the 2nd year using this soil which was my own yard soil ammended with Omagro compost (from our city and VERY black rich stuff) and sheep doo doo.

Is there anything else I am not answering? And thank you so much even if you can't help at this point I appreciate you efforts.

Here is a link that might be useful: Parade of sick tomatoes continues...

Dear corn husker
After your last post and looking at the pictures and you saying that the ground was moist you probably donÂt need to water.
I found my self looking at a rose bush and trying to figure out what kind of mater it was. What a hoot!
I will tell you right now I am not the tomato diseases expert far from it.
Carolyn is!
The tops that I can see do not show any water stress.
I wish folks would show pictures of the tops of their plants as I can tell more about watering that way.
I am not saying that this is what has happened to you and I donÂt want to start up any family squabbles.
They look just like the maters that I poisoned my self, oh no I couldnÂt learn the first time, I had to do it again.
It may be diseases but as I said IÂm no expert.
And by the way the poisoned maters came back just fine.
I still go with getting rid of all that afflicted foliage though, "I donÂt care what the plants look like afterwards" it really needs to go.

You mentioned getting compost or some thing from the city (that could be the source of your problem too).
You have no idea where that stuff came from and what it has in it.
Where did that straw come from that you used as mulch did it come from the yard that has been sprayed with weed killer?

Are all of those pictures you have from your place, "thatÂs a nice place" I took a tour I hope you donÂt mind.
I thought this would give you more to work on.

Worth

worth, you're funny. Sorry about those rose photos as I am posting all the sick plant ones where I can delete them after questions answered. :o)

Don't worry about family squabbles. We were actually laughing about this last night because I keep telling my hubby (who is THE sweetest ever) he killed our tomatoes! LOL. Then I say, don't worry, I don't really know for sure...but I think you did! (VBG) I was so upset to start with but this is all part of learning about gardening so it won't help me to lose sleep over my beloved tomatoes (and I do love growing tomatoes or so I thought).

If you say so I will gather up DH and we will together cut off this dead stuff as it will be a huge job. If it is dead due to poisen do I still have to worry about cross contaminating?

Oh, and I have to admit stupidity on my part. Yes, we did use the same grass that had been sprayed with the Weed B Gone to mulch around the plants. I thought at the time it might not be a good idea but truly I have no idea how long that lasts in the grass. Do you? I also used some of my neighbor's grass as we have the awful zoysia so was hard at first to get enough even with our huge yard.

Carolyn, I sure hope you weigh in here again as well and tell me if you think we're diseased or just stupid. LOL. (Both? hehe.) But seriously I am worried that I will have not many tomatoes this year and I have been anxiously awaiting this for months and months. I cannot tell you how obsessed I am when I order these tomatoes and count the days until I can plant them.

And, worth, yes, if you are referring to the kitchen photos that represents over 2 years of our lives (I lived on the kitchen forum) and another reason I wanted to forget home renovation (which we still have a ton to do) and concentrate on gardening because we have a darn short season here to do it in.

Zolablue,

Go ahead and get rid of the dead stuff, as we said before.
I donÂt know how long the stuff last in the mulch you put down, a long time for some herbicides I have heard.
We do need CarolynÂs input with the new pictures but she is a very busy lady and will have to wait for her expert advice on the matter.
I learn a lot from her just reading what she postÂs for other folks.
I think itÂs more of a waiting game now though.
You need to get rid of the mulch also, as you have said it came from your herbicidal-sprayed yard.

No I didnÂt see any pictures in the kitchen just out side.
I got thirsty and had to leave as no one was home and couldnÂt ask for a drink. lol
WhatÂs up with the zoysia grass, I have always heard good stuff about it, at least the ads anyway.
Keep those maters watered, but not water logged.
PS I donÂt know how to delete the pictures you have on that site, sorry.
Best wishes
Worth

Carolyn, I sure hope you weigh in here again as well and tell me if you think we're diseased or just stupid. LOL. (Both? hehe.) But seriously I am worried that I will have not many tomatoes this year and I have been anxiously awaiting this for months and months. I cannot tell you how obsessed I am when I order these tomatoes and count the days until I can plant them.

The past couple of days have just been wiggy and I did look at your newest pictures yesterday but didn't take the time to read from the top down to review the situation.

What I find terribly confusing, at least to me, is that you now say that ALL the plants are showing the same thing and yet some plant have leaves with spots and wilting, yet wilting is not a part of any foliage infections.

And you say there's still wilting and that tends to suggest a systemic disease, but yet the tops of your plants still look fine after two weeks, at least, have gone by.

So to tell the truth, I'm not sure what's going on excedpt I'm glad Worth picked up on the imported compost and now you say that weed killer was used on the mulch.

And I can't help but think that those two things, especially the weed killer, the imported compost being an unknown, might be at work here.

Cutting to the chase, if it's a systemic disease I don't recognize it at this point as being one that I know, and if there are spots on the leaves, any foliage infections can't be responsible for what you call your dying plants.

if it's weed killer that seeped into the soil around the plants and is now causing those symptoms it could make sense.

I'm more familiar with the look of foliage directly hit by herbicide drift and honestly don't know what soil contamination might lead to as symptoms.

For the spots, it looks like fungal rather than bacterial, then Ortho Garden Disease Control (Daconil) is the best, Neem having little to no good anti-fungal activity. A copper containing prep such as Bonide Liquid copper might be used, but I don't think it's the foliage diseases that are destroying your plants.

Carolyn

So do I understand you to recommend the Daconil now or Bonide Liquid copper? Are either of these very toxic? I would like to limit the toxicity as much as possible and would rather use something organic than synthetic. Having said that I want to save my plants if it is possible. At least I'd like to know what these chemicals do to the tomatoes themselves and how long we would need to wait to eat them provided any of them ripen on these sick plants. I am too new to gardening and having never used these chemicals I simply have no understanding of them.

Strangely, looking out on my garden from the window here it looks like a huge, green healthy tomato patch except that I can see Goose Creek the Crispy. Even he has green tops. Actually Sungold is a HUGE monster already producing tomatoes and it looks to have only the beginnings of this problem.

Also, do you think if this is from the weed killer in the soil that each time I water I will introduce more of it? Because that would be a riot! (NOT! :o)

We have not yet hacked off the dead stuff because temps here are near 100 and unreal humidity - it could kill me! :o) We're going to get a cool off to about 88 for a couple days so was going to take advantage of that time.

I think this feels kinda hopeless. Boo hoo.

Zolablue

(I think this feels kinda hopeless. Boo hoo.)

Come on now nobody likes a quitter.
You sound like youÂre about ready to give up, "Please donÂt".
You need to hear a little story about giving up, so here it is.
Back about 8 or 9 years ago my wife and I heard a knock on the door, it turned out to be the mail lady.
She was a long time acquaintance and the neighborhood dogs around 10-15 used to follow her around while she made her rout, then would all go home at the end of the day.
A real animal lover, as it turned out she had found a kitten in our front yard.
The poor thing was so young that her eyes were closed, ears folded back and no teeth
Some form of human scum had tossed her and her brother out of a car into my yard, the brother was dead and she was well on her way, they were both totally covered in fire ants.
This little feller didnÂt have a chance in China of living, it was maybe five days old all of its ribs were broke and its diaphragm was punctured.
My wife and I made up our own homemade baby formula for it and fed her with an eyedropper, we did this all hours of the night and day.
We had to make her go potty by wiping her with a moist cloth to simulate her mother licking her," they donÂt learn on their own".
I named her Sweet Pea and she grew up to be a real tuff cat, "like a bull dog" she slept and still does with my dog Bullet, who kept her warm at night.
Now I donÂt claim to be the hero here Sweet Pea is sheÂs the one that wanted to live.
But she needed help and she got it, IÂm that catÂs mom and thatÂs the way she thinks of me.
You chose to plant those maters and now itÂs your responsibility to do all you can to give them the best home you can and if you fail then so be it at least you did the best you could do.
Then you wont have to think later on about what if this or that, if you give up.
HereÂs the list
(1) Get all of that dead grass out of the garden.
(2) Get all of the dead stuff off of those plants.
(3) Give the plants a good drink by hand held hose so you know how much water their getting.
(4) Repeat step 2 as necessary.
(5) Have patience.
(6) Keep us up dated or if you donÂt want to post on the forum you have my email, IÂm not some kind of cyber weirdo I just like to see folks grow their own food and give encouragement when I can. (Former Marine and Project superintendent sorry if I sound bossy).
Good luck,
Worth

PS dont sweat the daconil Carolyn would not tell you to do something that would hurt you.

Worth

PS dont sweat the daconil Carolyn would not tell you to do something that would hurt you.

That is true Worth.

Either the Daconil or the copper containing prep.

What I have said is that I don't think it's foliage diseases that are killing your plants so spray if you wish while still hoping they come around.

(Also, do you think if this is from the weed killer in the soil that each time I water I will introduce more of it? Because that would be a riot! (NOT! :o))

I honestly don't know the answer to that question. One thing to consider is removal of the mulch but at this point I know that would be a difficult job and I can't predict what the effect would be.

After all, it still isn't known what might have been in that imported compost.

If it were me I suppose I might try to do it, though.

Carolyn

worth, I didnÂt answer you about the zoysia grass. We loved it when we moved in here almost 4 years ago because it is such low maintenance and there is no comparison to its super thick cushy feel on bare feet. When I walk into my neighbors yards I feel the ground and not the grass  totally different feel. BUTÂzoysia grass does not get very green for very long and we are tired of it for that reason plus it really changes the look of other landscaping as lawn tends to be part of the "canvas". We have a half-acre lot here and it is a lot of brown grass most of the year but when it is green and in its top form it is a beautiful lawn.

I love your story about Sweet Pea! I adore cats and appreciate the survival instinct. DonÂt think for a minute IÂm a giver-upper. I am however a bit of a whiner. HeheÂI admit it. Seriously, I am discouraged but there is a difference. I consider myself to have a green thumb with my other plants so I am trying so hard to learn about tomatoes which I think are not so easy. Also, I so appreciate the time you guys are taking to help me and others and take it seriously. I've contributed in other forums where I can be of help so I understand the time commitment.

I am going to resist removing the mulch but will do it if you really think it necessary. I did remember I put the same stuff in my herb garden and some around our bean plants and they are doing ok. It just doesn't make sense.

What would you recommend I use now to mulch that bed with? I suppose I cannot use our grass any more.

Bear with me here as I do not wish to sound dense. But am I to understand you are not necessarily recommending I spray? I think I am reading that would be an option. I would rather not if I donÂt have to but I am willing if I should.

Temps are going to be much cooler for the next couple days so I can get this work done. Let me say again how much I appreciate your time as I know youÂre busy. I do know how exhausting it can be to make these contributions so please know I donÂt take it lightly. Thanks.

(And, worth, you don't sound bossy at all. :o) We all know that email can take on a tone that sometimes we don't intend but I truly appreciate the help. Hey, I support our military too!)

Bear with me here as I do not wish to sound dense. But am I to understand you are not necessarily recommending I spray? I think I am reading that would be an option. I would rather not if I donÂt have to but I am willing if I should.

Correct, an option.

As I said I don't think that's what's killing your plants.

And if you used the same mulch around herbs and beans and they['re OK then perhaps that's not where the problem is unless tomatoes are more sensitive to weed killer and that I don't know.

So removing the mulch now that you've shared that, also becomes an option, actually as it was initially.

Carolyn

I agree with every thing Carolyn just posted and was going to tell you so but deleted everything so you would not have to read it 2 times. lol
DonÂt worry about bothering me as I work odd hours and it looks like I will be going north of the Brooks Mountain range in Alaska to do inspections in the oil field soon, so many days on and so many days off so no bother at all.
I donÂt mulch because I donÂt own this place, my land is else where and just to lazy to do it here the waters free and it lets the ground dry out on top I plant so early that I water very little anyway.
Check out the search you will find some ideas on mulching there you could probably buy some.
I just donÂt know what to say on the matter wood chips seedless straw black plastic maybe.
I came from a family with a very large farm an garden and there was no way we could mulch it all and the water came from a spring fed pond maybe thatÂs why we did not have the trouble that folks have now I doubt it though.
How do the plants look now better, worse?
Worth

Well, I thought mulch was necessary with tomatoes as I was told that the splashing of rain or other waters is what brings the blight and other bacterial diseases out of the soil onto the plants. Is that not a correct?

The plants are not looking any worse this morning. Again, I hate to be such a wimp, but let's face it I AM a wimp in this weather and I cannot stay out long enough to do anything. It is BRUTAL and I just heard our "cool down" is only about 88 or so today and then right back into upper 90's and even 100's. But a quick check this morning looks about the same - still very green on tops. And Sun Gold is getting so huge I'm afraid of it!

The thing I am noticing is that they are just not setting much fruit at all. (Well, maybe cause they're dead in the middle...:o) Only my tiny determinate Lime Green Salad looks extremely healthy and flowering up the ying yang with lots of green balls. It seems to be flourishing in the midst of the other sickies. I'm flumoxed.

It is so interesting because one neighbor in a panic when she saw my plants said, "OH, you need SEVEN!" The other neighbor said, "OH, you have BLIGHT, you had better spray those now!" (Her DH uses some sulfer/zinc spray stuff.) Anyway, very different responses than yours and I know you guys are the experts. I guess some people see a problem and think if you just spray something on them you're doing what is necessary. But now I'm learning that is not the case. Makes me able to more relax about it.

I'll keep you posted on how they are doing.

Fruits aren't going to set with sustained temps much over 90-95 days and over about 70 at night.

No, tomatoes don't need to be mulched but it can help with backyard tomatoes. What mulch does is to help keep the plants moist, ensure even delivery of water to the extent that it can, and also to prevent splashback infection to a degree.

OK, here's the deal.

If you have tomatoes that have foliage infections in any given year, then the bacteria and/or fungi can drop to the ground and can remain in the soil for several years.
Mulch over the soil can help prevent any pathogens there from getting splashed back up on the plant after irrigation or rain.

But ALL NEW folaige ifections are from airborne transmission and mulch can't prevent that.

Have you had tomato foliage problems in past eyars? If not, what you see are new infections.

You can use sulfur zinc as well as copper, but they are less effective than Daconil, but Daconil only helps with fungal foliage infections. Again, an option.

Systemic diseases such as Fusarium, Verticillium, etc have to be intorduced into the soil at some point and pretty mcuh stary there forevcer. No treatment for systemic diseases.

Carolyn, who grew up on a farm with acres and acres of tomatoes, and no, no way you mulch them.

Wow, that is very interesting. Thanks for the information.

Actually, last year was only our 2nd year growing tomatoes our first time using this bed. We tilled up our soil which is about 20% clay, 5% sand and the rest silt (I'm told). Then we added a truckload of Omagro which is the compost from our city and sold at all the best nurseries. It is rich, black stuff and considered to make one's soil the healthiest but now I wonder what could be in that stuff. My neighbor kept telling me it would be THE best tomato patch soil I could wish for and it is great for my perennials but they are very different than tomatoes. Tomatoes are finicky things. Then I added sheep doo doo and worm castings.

Yes, I did have some problems last year and never was sure what happened. I know we had torrential rains early and for several weeks and they got way too much water. Then they became covered with bugs - weird black things and other things that looked like mosquitoes (maybe it was) and I just this year found a photo of the fly-looking creatures that were covering them. I think they had to have been adult aphid flies. ICK - it grossed me out. :o)

I just looked at the photos from last year and they didn't look the same as what is happening this year although I did have some dying leaves but that was mainly a plant that had split in half from wind but still tried its best to grow and even set fruit. Mainly last year's leaves turned very yellow at the bottom with brown spots on them. Also, I did have some curling in of leaves and noted a couple plants that did have some of the same characteristics of the ones that seem to be turning darker green and then crisping up like in the Green Zebra and Paul Robeson photos. But nothing like this year - not even close.

Last year my neighbor again called "BLIGHT" which led me to believe that's what everyone automatically assumes when they really don't know for sure. So maybe it is that I have an unhealthy bed. I think maybe I should move it for next year. I don't like the location anyway because rain tends to pool there and sit. It was flooded a couple times this spring.

Here is a link that might be useful: Oma-Gro site...

Well, I see some pics that look like blight to me-dark spots with yellow around it....then what actually looked a little like spider mites, then a pic that looked like nutritional problems.....yellowing except on veins.....then something I'm not familiar with....large dark areas on edge of leaves....

Oh my, how confusing!
I would treat for blight with Daconil as Carolyn suggested....the overall pattern is one of blight, so that would be my guess. As Worth said, remove dead and dying foliage...it will help get air circulation in there.

What, other than Omigro, did you use to amend the soil....did you fertilise before planting, or is the foliar the only fert you've been using? is there too little fert. or....did you mix the foliar according to recommendations?
Does the Goose Creek, by chance have webbing on it?
Sorry if I'm asking what you've already stated....

WHen you say you brought in a truckload of Oma-gro. did you mean for the whole yard or just your small garden?

I read the website and it is meant just for top dressing , 1-2" layered on top and then tilled in. Too much and you may have poor drainage.

At any rate , no matter how much you applied, maybe your problem is related to inadequate drainage, you said in last several weeks (since the rains stopped) you watered once yet still meter was reading wet. Could your soil be too dense? (poor drainage can promote diseases and nutritional problems)

When you moisten it and try to 'ball' it up in your hand does it stay together like mud or is crumbly (sp?).

If you feel drainage is good, for next years crop, I highly recommend soil test (not just for Ph)--range from 8.00 to 20.00. This will help you know levels of N, Phos, Pot., organic matter and a host of other elements depending on scope of test. They will also give recommendations to correct any imbalances. (I have had raised beds that were amended, had cover crops, fertilized and then had soil tested and still very low in potassium (common down here) and turf areas soon to be converted to garden registered poor in absolutely everything.

Of course, many gardeners successfully garden without testing but if you are having problems I would consider it. THat and check the density of your soil.

I was looking at your pictures and my tomatoes look exactly the same! The lower leaves have those yellow and black spots and they are slowly dying and becoming totally brown. I have never used weedkiller so I know it is not that. From looking at some websites I was suspecting late blight. it has been very very wet here and humid. Does anyone know if the late blight targets the lower older leaves? Do you think it is blight?

Does anyone know if the late blight targets the lower older leaves

No it doesn't.

You might want to go to Problem Solver #2 on this first page and look at some pictures of Late Blight ( P. infestans) b'c the symptoms are quite different from what's been shown here.

And if you want to pursue what might be your tomato problem I think it would be a very good idea to start a new thread so folks see it and it isn't buried here in a thread where few folks might see it

In addition, this thread already has so many posts and it can get wiggy if more than one problem is being discussed at the same time.

Carolyn
Carolyn

YouÂve got that right, CatNTree, it is confusing! YouÂre the first one that mentioned it looks like blight. I feel strongly we donÂt have any spider mites as IÂve checked foliage and cannot see any signs of pests.

We amended the soil last year only when we created the bed adding Oma-Gro, a couple bags of sheep doo doo and some worm castings. Nothing this year because I felt it was rich enough soil. I did not fertilize when planting and have only used a foliar spray once which consisted of Neptune fish emulsion/seaweed kelp dissolved in water (per package directions) and sprayed onto the foliage. I think it was about an eighth cup emulsion to a gallon of water but would have to check to be sure.

Goose Creek has no webbing. None of the plants do in fact I watered them by hand yesterday morning and kept thinking how odd that they look so healthy above the brown dead leaves and I think they may even look a bit improved except for the dead brown stuff because there is such strong green growth from the tops. They are really huge plants, most of them.

I also noticed a lot more green balls than IÂd thought had already set on and was pretty happy about that especially since Carolyn told me with these high temps weÂve been having the fruit set doesnÂt happen. That was good info as I didnÂt know it.

farkee  the truckload of Oma-Gro was for this bed only. It was my neighborÂs pickup truck and was a cheaper way of buying it than by the bag which can be expensive. We tilled the soil first as deeply as possible and then added the Oma-Gro to the top few inches and tilled it again. As for drainage I suppose that could be a consideration because this garden sits at the bottom of a hill in my back yard and we didnÂt think about sitting water there after a torrential rain. That hasnÂt happened often but it did for a few days early on because we got pelted. I still think it drains pretty well for its location and generally the soil even with the clay content is crumbly. Everywhere else weÂve planted things the drainage is quite good but I will check on that.

We have started to get the dead foliage off and they sure look funny. I also noticed while watering that the stems (stalks?) all look very healthy with no discoloration or spotting so IÂm still stumped.

At the risk of sounding like an idiot could this at all be due to not enough water? I mean, if it is not soaking in evenly throughout the bed would the plants look like this if they didn't get enough water?

Well, generally with low water the tops will wilt. It's hard to miss that, I think. The plant will not die bottom- up, but more... all over starting with tips. If anything: top-down.

If I just heard: 'the plants are dying from the ground up', I would immediately think soil-borne disease, and here that means blight, so I would spray with Daconil to be on the safe side. ::shrug::

Gray Mold would be my first guess after looking at the early pictures but the yellowing leaves do not seem to follow that same pattern. Can you see a dust coming off the damaged leaves when you bump them? Is it moving up the plant and even affecting flowering clusters so that they turn brown too and don't produce fruit?

Folks, blight is a general term and doesn't refer to any specific disease.

Yes, there are a couple of diseases such as Early Blight ( A. solani) and Late BLight ( P infestans) but even they are dramatically different types of infection with very different prognoses.

So to say that a plant has blight really has no meaning other than to suggest that the plant is "sick".

And without knowing what the problems are, for I'm convinced there's more than one being shown and talked about, it's really quite impossible to suggest a treatment for this or that.

if it's a fungal foliage disease Daconil will help, but not all her plants have those spots on the leaves and if it's a systemic fungal foliage disease then Daconil can do nothing.

Gray Mold?

Interesting, I don't think I saw any foliage with those lesions, but I could go back up and look, and I'd also expect to see that fuzzy mold growth at least at the stem end of green fruits.

Gray Mold needs cool high humid conditions to develop disease and usually does so via wounds and should also be seen on stems, etc.

The symptoms in so many ways resemble Late Blight and I once was totally freaked out when I thought there might be Late Blight in my tomatoes, but it turned out to be just Gray Mold, which is a fungus that's in the environment all the time and is not considered a significant pathogen and can be treated for, with Daconil, before it takes hold completely.

Carolyn

Carolyn, interesting your remarks about the term blight. Even if I don't heal my little tomatoes (that I love) I'm learning a lot!

No dust coming off the dead foliage. No mold anywhere and in the kind of heat (consistant upper 90's rising to low 100's this weekend) and around 110+ heat index according to Carolyn that would not be a possibility. The new top growth looks like a brand new healthy plant with yellow blossoms but no new fruit setting on probably because Carolyn also said the temps are just too high for that now.

I chose not to spray with Daconil yet but may do so this weekend. We've been keeping an eye on them and so far they haven't exactly improved but also not gotten worse so...????? LOL.

Sadly, the ones with all their little green balls showing now sure look pathetic. :o)