Help, what's on my leaves??

[wolfie]

I noticed this on only the bottom leaves, not the top leaves... what the heck is it??


[img]https://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/packersmom/plantleaf1.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/packersmom/plantleaf.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/packersmom/plantleaf2.jpg[/img]


thanks!

[sciencegal]

This is what is happening to my cherry tomatoes. The folks here have suggested it is early blight which is a fungus so I have been spraying them with the 10% milk solution and picking off the infected leaves. It is also attacking one of my flower seedlings. I'm wondering if it is in the seedling starting mix I'm using.

[Duh_Vinci]

To be honest with you, to me it looks like a "bite marks" by the Flea Beetles (VA is famous for). Have you seen them? Black, about the size of a pinhead, jump as you try to touch them...

I usually leave my lower leafs along for a month or so, sacrificial leafs... Their population seems to decline in the early summer, that is when I finally clip all the bottom leafs off, by that time, these are completely "Swiss-cheesed"

Regards,
D

[wolfie]

I do have some with the pin holes in them, I left those alone. these tho do not look like holes, its like the green of the leaf is scraped away... does that make sense?

its only on the plants on one side of the garden, the other 2 sides are fine. doesn't make sense to me

[hendi_alex]

That happens to my plants occassionally. It is from abrasion, from wind or heavy rain or a combination. The fleshy part of the leaf simply gets worn away. It will not hurt the plant, and probably will not even slow it down.

[Kisal]

Could very well be early blight. It can be spread by insects. Here is a picture of an infected tomato leaf, compliments of the Extension Service at the University of Minnesota:

[img]https://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/images/plantpath/colorslide/early_blight_leaf_large.jpg[/img]

[wolfie]

Thanks guys, I do not think it is blight, it doesn't look anything like that picture. What Alex says may be it, these are the plants that went thru frost bite and then scorching sun and both without being hardened off, so it probably is just wear and tear. thanks!

[sciencegal]

After I posted that it looks like early blight, I looked up photos of early blight then went out and looked at my plants. It doesn't look like early blight on mine either. Maybe they will survive.

[Ozark Lady]

You said only the lower leaves? Could it be water spots, that are then getting sunburned? And the water is acting like a magnifying glass and simply etching them?

[Cirtes]

Looks like bacterial spec to me but it is hard to tell from the blury pics.

A lot of tomato ailments produce necrotic tissue on the leaves. Some have details in the damage area that must be closely examined.

Examine the stem as well near the soil line to see if there are other clues.

If the leaf damage is contained, pull them off and hope for the best.

[rainbowgardener]

I'm with Alex and OL... what that looked like to me looking at the pictures (before I read anyone's comments) is sunscald. Even though tomatoes like warm and sunny, they can get sunburned, especially early in the season when they are more tender and especially as OL noted if the leaves have water on them. And wind burn can act a lot like sunburn.

If this is what is is, just those leaves are damaged, not the plant, which will be fine.

If you look at the blight picture, the brown areas are dark brown instead of tan and much more damaged, crinkled, etc.

[Fluvant]

The issue appears to be a fungus known as, "Septoria Leaf Spot".

The lightly colored centers and darker edges are significant to the Septoria fungus, which is caused by moist leaves.

The fungus begins on the bottom leaves (where moister accumulates easiest). Black fungus fruits form in the light area of the fungus and the spores of these fruits can be spread by further watering of the leaves.

The best solution is to remove affected leaves and water only at the base of the plant (to avoid wetting foliage) and in the morning (to allow any potentially wet/moist foliage to dry quickly).

For more information:

[url]https://www.extension.iastate.edu/publications/pm1266.pdf[/url]
[url]https://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Tomato_Septoria.htm[/url]

[TZ -OH6]

I have to disagree about it being either Septoria or Early Blight. Early blight has rings, and Septoria has small black dots in the center of each dead spot, the coloring is also wrong (no chlorosis-yellowing, or dark areas. What you have is killing off the intraveinal tissue without any signs of discoloration from infection.

I get similar symptoms on my seedlings at just about the time they are ready to go outside to be hardened off. It also happens under lights sometimes. It seems to be from a combination of high or extended light and nutrient problems causing what could be called light poisoning. With my indoor seedlings it tells me that the potting mix is nutrient depleated and I need to fertilize. Outside, it is a question of light, nutrients, and low temperatures preventing the plant from using the nutrients properly. It also happens about the same time flea beetles start to chew holes in leaves. Windburn looks similar and can play a part. I have never seen it happen after plants go in the ground though