whitestone
Newly Registered
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:49 am
Location: Central Florida

Darker leaves with white, hairy looking stuff

Sorry I'm not very technical when it comes to plants. I hae a tomateo plant that has been growing fine for about 5 or 6 months. I see no sign of flowering yet, and the newest set of leaves seem to be darker than the rest and have areas of a kind of white hairy stuff on them. If I were new at this and all the leaves had been that way I would say it is normal, but I've never seen this before I don't think. Plants are being grown on a screened in patio in Florida, the weather has gotten more humid and wet the last week or so.

Is this something that could kill the plant? I would really like to have some success with these tomatoes, and I have had plants die before, usually at about 3 inches. This one is about 2 feet. What should I do?

myron26155
Full Member
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 2:01 pm
Location: Orlando

whitestone,

hello, I also live in central florida. Do you have any photos of your plants and can you tell me what kind you are growing?

Does the plant look healthy?

I'm growing Bush Goliath, Big Zac,Delicious and a couple cherry tomato plants. The Bush Goliath have very dark green and fuzzy leaves at the top and it grow's like crazy when the leaves are that color. The delicious plants on the other hand are a much lighter green, regardless of how much I fertilize.

The fact the leaves are a very dark green and it has never bloomed may be an indication of too much nitrogen. You may want to switch to a fertilizer with more phosphorus and less nitrogen.

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rainbowgardener
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Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

I'm sorry to be a bearer of bad tidings, but I think your tomatoes may be a lost cause. Even without the white fuzzy stuff, when you say they've been growing at least five months and they are two feet tall and have never bloomed, that tells me the conditions have never been right for them and they are stunted and now they are sick.

I planted tomato seeds mid February, I.e. almost five months ago, they are now 6 feet tall and I've been eating ripe tomatoes off them for three weeks. That's what we would expect.

Screened porch sounds like maybe they weren't getting enough sun -- tomatoes are full sun plants except in desert areas where it is too hot and dry for them. They may have stayed too wet, and it may be now too hot and humid for them. Tomatoes really only thrive in temps in the 70's and 80's. Much past 85 and they start getting heat stressed. But it sounds like with the humidity and their general lack of thriving, they now have some kind of fungal infection. If they were really thriving, healthy plants before the fungus arrived, it might be worth trying to save them, but it doesn't sound like that.

I'd give up on them and start over in early Sept or so with new plants and new soil. In your climate, tomatoes will probably do better through the fall or else planted out in very early spring (if you are starting from seed, start your seeds around Christmas to mid January) and figure on them being done by the time the hottest weather comes around.

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Earl K
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Posts: 351
Joined: Sat Mar 21, 2009 9:44 pm
Location: Melbourne ,Fl.

whitestone,I think RG is right its just too hot.I'm in central Fl. also and my tom. plants are no longer producing.A couple months ago I was getting good produce from my plants.Nothing now,4 foot plants with no blossoms.I will let them grow but plant more in a couple months when it starts to cool a little.Good luck with everything :)



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