I have a four bed aquaponics system in a greenhouse and I am having problems with my tomato plants. I don't know if it is fugis and I don't know what to use or do to fix this. If I use anything, it must not be harmful to aquatic animals.
I have attached pictures. Thank you very much for your help.
[img]https://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w388/gagardner3/IMAG0154.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w388/gagardner3/IMAG0153.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w388/gagardner3/IMAG0152.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w388/gagardner3/IMAG0151.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w388/gagardner3/IMAG0150.jpg[/img]
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Not the disease expert, and DEFINITELY not a hydroponic expert, but that looks like a type of rust to me. Regardless, I would remove all of the affected plant material and discard, (not in your compost pile if you have one). At least you can slow down or stop it from spreading. Try not to touch other parts of the plants if you can help it while you are doing it, and make sure to clean the cutting utensil you use. If you need one, Dollar Tree has pretty decent little garden snips for, obviously, only $1. Good luck!
Thank you for your reply. Four days ago, they were in perfect health and growing crazy with lots of blooms. Now this. The only thing that I have done was use a mixture of Dawn liquid detergent and water to try to kill some ants that were making a home in one of my beds.
My guess is that the detergent has caused this. I flushed the beds and changed out 3/4 of the water last night. This morning the plants still look terrible. The stemps are black and the leaves are wilted. None of my other plants (pepper, brocolli, watermelon, corn, squash) are affected, just the tomatoes. I am thinking I may need to remove them. I hate to do that though. I may give them another couple days to see if the problem clears up.
My guess is that the detergent has caused this. I flushed the beds and changed out 3/4 of the water last night. This morning the plants still look terrible. The stemps are black and the leaves are wilted. None of my other plants (pepper, brocolli, watermelon, corn, squash) are affected, just the tomatoes. I am thinking I may need to remove them. I hate to do that though. I may give them another couple days to see if the problem clears up.
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applestar
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Yes. Detergent disrupts plant/living cells. The popular recommendation for using Dawn is apparently only possible with a specific (possibly older) formulation of Dawn which is not widey available. I think the dish "soap" formulations have been mostly "improved" by use of detergent. (It's something to think about in terms of what goes down the drain and into the sewer/water system, but that's another topic 
).
Next time stick with soap. I prefer Dr. Bronner's liquid soap -- typically peppermint or unscented. I also sometimes use lavender, eucalyptus, or teatree oil depending on application. But you can use just about any soap shaved and dissolved or sudsed up and diluted.
).Next time stick with soap. I prefer Dr. Bronner's liquid soap -- typically peppermint or unscented. I also sometimes use lavender, eucalyptus, or teatree oil depending on application. But you can use just about any soap shaved and dissolved or sudsed up and diluted.
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lisavantil
- Full Member
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- Joined: Mon Apr 09, 2012 9:53 pm
- Location: Michigan, USA
My guess is that it's also caused by the detergent you used. I usually just use liquid soap, the dishwashing kind, and just the ones recommended by fellow gardeners.
The whole plant’s not going to die out but leaving these infected parts may speed up the process so it is indeed best to cut them out cleanly.
The whole plant’s not going to die out but leaving these infected parts may speed up the process so it is indeed best to cut them out cleanly.