I had some time to work with my tomato plants a bit today. Most of the plants looked healthy, or at least the top two thirds looked healthy. I hope I have more Good, than Bad and Ugly. Here's what they look like:
[img]https://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/lakngulf/G2010May/2010_May_M01073.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/lakngulf/G2010May/2010_May_M01072.jpg[/img]
But that was only after I removed this from about a dozen plants. I removed most of the growth from the bottom of the plants.
[img]https://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/lakngulf/G2010May/2010_May_M01074.jpg[/img]
Here is a close up of one of the removed branches. What is it? I am hoping some of this is just normal aging of the plant and the bottom leaves needed removing. What should I do? Would I be better off to be removing these lower shoots all along? HELP
[img]https://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab104/lakngulf/G2010May/2010_May_M01076.jpg[/img]
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engineeredgarden
- Green Thumb
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- Joined: Thu May 13, 2010 11:51 am
- Location: NW Alabama
Lower leaf necrosis is gonna happen in our climate, unless of course the frequency of watering is perfect and drainage properties of the soil are the same. Auburn University recommends removing all foliage lower than the first cluster of flowers - which keeps soil-borne diseases from splashing up onto the plant when it rains.
EG
EG
I was fairly faithful with the milk solution spray, but still got hit. We have had wet, humid, hot days lately. I will make sure the lower leaves and limbs are removed, and let some air flow among the plants and fruit. Removing the growth did reveal some fruit larger than I had realized.applestar wrote:10% Milk Solution
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applestar
- Mod
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- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
I'm giggling because, for some reason, I have yet another terse response for you that are fraught with meaning AACT = Actively Aerated Compost Tea and [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17097]here's your "explanation"[/url] 
(Watch out people, I might be in one of those moods when I'm irresistibly given to what I think is humor ... I'll try to keep my fingers OFF the keyboard today.
)For us org-challenged, is there a Cliff Notes version.applestar wrote:
(Watch out people, I might be in one of those moods when I'm irresistibly given to what I think is humor ... I'll try to keep my fingers OFF the keyboard today.
P.S. Humor away
I feel somewhat encouraged from this article from the May 28 Mobile Press Register. I am about 4 hours north of Mobile, but the same hot/humid conditions.
The dark brown spots on your leaves are actually a leaf disease, most likely the disease commonly called early blight. Here’s the sad truth about early blight: Every tomato in Mobile will suffer from early blight disease before the season is over, and most are probably suffering from it now. There’s really nothing you can do to prevent the disease from occurring.
Here’s the good news: A healthy tomato can literally outgrow the damage done by early blight. Early blight affects only the older leaves, and almost always starts from the bottom of the plant and works its way up, typically rather slowly. So if your tomato is healthy and growing properly, there’s a good chance You'll get a good crop of tomatoes before the plant succumbs to early blight and a host of other leaf problems in mid- to late summer.
Humid conditions encourage early blight. that's why it's inevitably a problem in our climate, particularly during the summer. But you can slow the rate of spread by avoiding overhead watering and making sure your tomatoes are spaced far enough apart that they get good air circulation. Some gardeners have been able to delay early blight development by pruning off the lowest leaves of their tomato plants, since these leaves create ideal conditions for early blight. And many of us plant our tomatoes as early as possible in spring, so that we can enjoy weeks of harvest in May and June before early blight becomes a serious problem.
Commercial growers use some pretty toxic fungicides in an attempt to slow early blight, with varying degrees of success. There are three problems with this: Many of these fungicides are so toxic they're not available for homeowner use. You have to spray every 4 to 7 days in our climate for the duration of the season, which is both tedious and quite expensive. And then, you get to eat the fruit of a tomato that has been sprayed 15 or 20 times a season with a toxic fungicide. I'd have to be a pretty heartless garden writer to recommend such self-destructive practices to readers.
Bill Finch would love to hear about your garden experiences and problems. He can't answer all questions personally, but you can reach him by e-mail at plaingardening@press-register.com.
The dark brown spots on your leaves are actually a leaf disease, most likely the disease commonly called early blight. Here’s the sad truth about early blight: Every tomato in Mobile will suffer from early blight disease before the season is over, and most are probably suffering from it now. There’s really nothing you can do to prevent the disease from occurring.
Here’s the good news: A healthy tomato can literally outgrow the damage done by early blight. Early blight affects only the older leaves, and almost always starts from the bottom of the plant and works its way up, typically rather slowly. So if your tomato is healthy and growing properly, there’s a good chance You'll get a good crop of tomatoes before the plant succumbs to early blight and a host of other leaf problems in mid- to late summer.
Humid conditions encourage early blight. that's why it's inevitably a problem in our climate, particularly during the summer. But you can slow the rate of spread by avoiding overhead watering and making sure your tomatoes are spaced far enough apart that they get good air circulation. Some gardeners have been able to delay early blight development by pruning off the lowest leaves of their tomato plants, since these leaves create ideal conditions for early blight. And many of us plant our tomatoes as early as possible in spring, so that we can enjoy weeks of harvest in May and June before early blight becomes a serious problem.
Commercial growers use some pretty toxic fungicides in an attempt to slow early blight, with varying degrees of success. There are three problems with this: Many of these fungicides are so toxic they're not available for homeowner use. You have to spray every 4 to 7 days in our climate for the duration of the season, which is both tedious and quite expensive. And then, you get to eat the fruit of a tomato that has been sprayed 15 or 20 times a season with a toxic fungicide. I'd have to be a pretty heartless garden writer to recommend such self-destructive practices to readers.
Bill Finch would love to hear about your garden experiences and problems. He can't answer all questions personally, but you can reach him by e-mail at plaingardening@press-register.com.