Tomato plant care part II: disease and pest prevention

Tomato Disease

     Tomato diseases can vary from fungal diseases to viral diseases and leaf spotting.
A great number of tomato plants found at your local nursery are extremely disease resistant. This makes tomato plant care a little easier than the days of old.

 

Shopping for Tomato Plants

     When selecting plants, especially non-hybrids (known as heirlooms), pay close attention to the "look" of the tomato. Look for any yellowing on existing leaves or yellowing on new leaves. This  is probably a viral-disease contaminated plant.
     Take note of any spotting. Spots can occur on the top or the under-side of the leaf. Stay clear of any tomato plants that have rings or streaking on the leaf or stem. This too could be stemming from a viral disease. The best tomato plant of the bunch will be one that is short and stocky with a nice deep green color.

 

Existing Tomato Plants

     Now to discuss existing container tomato plants at your home. Planter gardening soil lends itself to be extremely sterile and great in the cultivation of tomatoes. The sterile soil is also g for preventing soil-borne fungal diseases which tomato plants are susceptible to. A few things that need to be watched for are tomato plant diseases such as tomato blight and tomato blossom-end rot.

Tomato Wilt Disease

     Tomato wilt can cause absolute devastation to any number of tomato plants.

 

Tomato Blight

       
     Blight disease comes from too much moisture absorbed on the leaves. This can occur from too much rainfall and also water from sprinkler systems. Since we're growing indoors don't worry about the method used in watering plants outside. In the world of tomato plant care, don't water over the tomato leaves, rather directly to the soil. The less moisture on the leaves, the better.

 

Blossom-End Rot

     A tomato plant disease worth mentioning is blossom-end rot. It occurs from improper watering. Watering too little or too much can have terrible consequences on all tomato varieties. Shallow watering forces the plants roots to grow upward in search of nutrients when a plant doesn't receive enough water.
 A gardening tip for watering tomato plants is to lightly mulch the plant. This will hold much needed water in the soil. When a plant receives too much water, the roots are deprived of oxygen. Hence, the plant is starved of calcium. If a gardener is suspect that a tomato plant needs calcium, apply crushed eggshells around the base of the plants' stem. The use of eggshells return calcium back to the soil.

 

Tomato Pests

     When doing any normal garden care, gardener's must be ready to deal with gardening pests.

 Tomato Hornworm            

Thrip

     First, we'll discuss some tomato bugs known as thrips.

The thrip is a really small green to brown insect that can be responsible for carrying diseases from one plant to another.  A good way to suspect you have a tomato thrip is by noticing signs of tomato spotted wilt disease. You won't be able to see thrips. Symptoms noticed are blackened, dead looking spots on the tops of the plants. Streaks of black or a dark color can be noticed running down the stems.

 

Treatment

 

     How to get rid of thrips?  Use a product called NATURAL RX. I recommend this spray for thrip control. It  will do the job in a very quick amount of time. For tomato plant care, a dust application might be suitable. Look for a product called Permethrin Dust. It is a bit messier than a spray. But anyone using dusts before know the advantages of this choice. Gardener's can see where the application has taken place. Consistent and even coverage is key for good tomato plant care.
Last on my list would be an Insecticidal Soap. It works very effectively but will need to be applied at least twice a week if you know you have a thrip problem.

 

 

 

Aphids      Next on the tomato pest list is a pesky little critter known as the aphid. A common symptom of the aphids would be yellowing leaves and leaf curl. You might also notice stunted plant growth. Notice of a shiny leaf could be a sign of "honeydew" which is a shiny and sticky excrement left behind by the aphid creates this effect.

Treatment

     Any of the above mentioned products will very easily work for aphid control!

 

 

Tomato Hornworm

     A downright foliage eating machine. This tiny tomato worm will eat everything from leaves to your beautiful growing fruit. As you can see from the picture under Tomato Problems, Tomato Hornworms are hard to spot. Happy Hunting!!!  Black droppings left behind by this terrible little creature would be a way to notice an invasion.
If you do spot one, you'll notice a green, reddish horn on the " behind !"

Treatment

Pick them off by hand!!
EASY! EASY!
     Just put on some gloves and pick them off. The plants can also be treated with a common vegetable insecticide. Keep some brand names such as Biotrol or Dipel on hand for existing and future tomato plant care.