Help identifying true problem

13 years ago

My Early Girls are looking pretty haggard. This condition happens to any variety more or less(variety and/or severity of affliction) pretty much every year and I rotate my nightshades every 3 years.

I "think" it's one of a few different things. Tell me what you think.

Powdery mildew

Tomato Suck Bug(see link)

Mites(just a guess since I have no idea how to see them)

Fusarium(another guess just because a had a green bean plant analyzed about 6 years ago and they said it had fusarium(can't remember which strain-- a or b I think.) but I haven't planted any nightshades here in over 3 years and I think Early Girls are VFF resistant.

Here's some pics---

Any help and feedback is much appreciated and welcome.

Thanks

Kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Suck Bug

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Comments (5)

HeyJude2012
13 years ago
Hi Kevin! I just wanted to say hi :) I have the same thing going on with my early girls. They are still producing though and the tomatoes still taste really good so I had just chalked it up to having mine in pots that are too small, bad water maintenance on my part and too much moisture-not enough sun in my neck of the woods.

I had never heard of tomato suck bugs before. Yikes! Can you see rings on your vines?

Those fires this week immediately freaked me out. I used to live in Fletcher Hills and seeing those huge fires coming over the hills a few years ago traumatized me to no end.

Finally feels like we're getting a summer!!!
woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
Original Author
13 years ago
Hey Jude. :)

Not exactly rings, but definite lesions.

Yeah. I never do tomatoes in containers. I have some oak barrels even. But i feel that the root system of indeterminate varieties is just too big for even those barrels. I might just start growing determinate varieties -- I guess this pest doesn't affect plants that grow for months and months.

Yeah. Mine are still producing also. Just have slowed quite a bit.

Good for you on the increased temps -- you should have some good months of harvesting.

I grew up with the fires. I never like seeing them, but they never frighten me. It seems the firefighters stop them from ever reaching the houses in my subdivision. I, myself, am about a half mile from the hills here in Santee,

Kevin
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napapen
13 years ago
I would suggest that you solarize your soil which means you will have a bed out of production for maybe 6 weeks. Also rotate nightshade vegetables yearly - takes tomatoes, eggplant and potatoes.

Penny
woohooman San Diego CA zone 10a
Original Author
13 years ago
Penny: Yeah. I've tried. It's just very difficult in my plots. I have the backyard fence, then the soil for 4-6 feet wide, then a brick wall. It's a real struggle getting the plastic tucked in and air tight.

Even with rotation, it still seems to be a problem.

You forgot peppers in the nightshades. :)

Kevin
qaguy
12 years ago
Crop rotation is not necessary. Just make sure your
soil is healthy, add amendments yearly and you'll be fine.

I've grown tomatoes for the last 6 years in the same place
and this is the best year I've ever had.

I dug in lots of compost and coffee grounds last year. Seems
to have made a difference!