Best Pest Control for Tomato plants

[amy99s]

This is my first year with a small garden and I have 2 tomato plants that now have 27 tomatoes growing between them. I have been warned from friends about bugs eating them once they start to turn red but I don't know what the best pest control would be.

I just started noticing leaves with holes in them so I need to find something to use ASAP

[rainbowgardener]

The best pest control depends on what the pests are. You need to watch closely and see what you see eating your plants.

If you never see anything and you have round holes in the middle of the leaves, that could well be slugs or snails. They only come out at night and they are not susceptible to any of the typical treatments for insects.

Raggedy chewed leaves could be hornworms. These are large green caterpillars, but are hard to spot until you look very closely because they blend in perfectly.

Let us know what kind of damage you are seeing and what you find out about what might be causing it, then we can make some suggestions about what to do about it.

Incidentally no need to panic at the first sign of holes. Plants can easily lose 10% of their leaf surface and not be impacted by it. A small amount of damage is just part of nature. You just don't want a major infestation.

[amy99s]

they are small smooth edged holes in the middle of the leaves

[rainbowgardener]

At a guess that's slugs/ snails. You can find out by going out late at night with a flashlight and looking, or lay a board down flat on the soil and leave it a couple days then lift it up in daylight and look under it, or bury something like a tuna can in the dirt so the rim is at ground level and fill it with beer. If it is slugs they will come and die in it.

If you find slugs, type slug control into the Search the Forum Keyword box and find tons written here about them.

[amy99s]

thank you so much! I have totally become hooked on growing things now

[rainbowgardener]

It does grab people like that!

[missbeckyfishin]

How would you get rid of hornworms..

[rainbowgardener]

You've only got two tomato plants? Just pick them off and dispose of them. They are big and slow and easy to hand pick. Just monitor your plants closely, because the hornworms are hard to spot unless you are really looking carefully.

[Garf]

The best thing to do is go out at night with a POWERFUL flashlight. Hornworms will usually be high up on the plant in the open.

[PunkRotten]

I started getting hornworms once most my plants were mature. One day I was picking a few tomatoes and was surprised to see this big caterpillar eating the leaves. After that I started checking everywhere. At 1st it was hard to spot them but then I learned their patterns. I would cut off defoliated braches/stems. So later I would check to see any new defoliated areas and when I seen them a hornworm was nearby. Plus you will see the tiny black droppings too.

I took something like over 50 worms off 8 plants total in the end.I didn't wanna touch them so sometimes I would cut off the stem where they were at and take them with it. They are kinda tough sometimes to pull off they really latch onto the plant and don't let go.

[Garf]

I just work them over with a pair of scissors.

[cynthia_h]

Sounds like a sharp-edged trowel would also be useful for removing them and...ah...dispatching them. I've only found one here, so maybe my yard is too cold for them?

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Tonio]

I go out with my 3d glasses over my Mayan dance mask and shears in hand during dusk:D LOL

Them buggers are hard to find and can be right in front of you face

How they can all of a sudden just appear is unfathomable

[Francis Barnswallow]

I just work them over with a pair of scissors.

That's my weapon of choice as well.