Tomato disease issues

[hendi_alex]

I started seeds until about two weeks ago, but the last batch failed to germinate. Probably too hot. At that time I also started taking cuttings from a few plants. The first four have now rooted and are about six inches tall. I'll start new cuttings through the end of June. After that it will most likely be too late for either seeds or cuttings to mature enough to set a crop. We usually get a good crop of tomatoes in the fall, but plants start growing noticeably slower with the cooler temperatures and shorter days of September and October. The 85 days until harvest or whatever packet labels need to be extended when planning for the fall crop.

[Cola82]

I've been wondering about this. I've been pruning yellow branches on the bottom of my tomatoes but noticed just today that all of the leaves on both plants have little yellow spots, like freckles. Since this is my first year growing tomatoes, I wasn't sure what to make of it.

I'm guessing I should expect that at some point in the summer I'll lose them? Is it too late to try spraying them? I've been hesitant to use neem oil on the outside plants because of all my spider bros, but I'd rather have healthy plants.

ETA: just want to add that I've been keeping the barrels with the tomatoes under the awning on our patio, so they only get sun until about noon and no rain hits them. They do still wilt every morning and only perk up when the sun goes behind the house.

[hendi_alex]

If the plant is a highly resistant variety, then the tip growth will most likely continue, but the plant will become much less productive as it looses most of its foliage. If the plant is not highly resistant, then it will likely be dead by mid summer, whether you spray or not.

It is an interesting thing however. You can pinch or snip some tip growth from one of these diseased plants, just above a leaf node. Pinch most leaves off and place the plant in a pot of decent quality potting mix, up to within a couple inches of the tip and keep it constantly moist. The tip will usually take root after a few days, and will start to grow strongly. There will likely be no sign of disease on the plant, and it can serve as a replacement for the parent plant. As the cutting grows and develops however, it will be just as likely to get the disease and its progression, until conditions improve such that temperatures and humidity fall to the point that the disease is no longer very active.

I try to keep many such replacement plants in the nursery area. The young vigorously growing plants are much less susceptible to the disease, therefore can always be ready to move into the ground as replacement plants. Most all will give at least some amount of harvest before becoming overwhelmed by one disease or another.

[Cola82]

Would it be worth taking a cutting of a determinate variety?

I still have a few seeds--I could start a couple extra plants, but I'm guessing it's probably too late for that.

[hendi_alex]

Well there is almost no effort in the experiment. If the cutting takes, then it will have been worth the 'trouble'. My guess is that the determinate will root and grow just as well as an 'indeterminate' but I have not done cuttings from the determinate before so can't say for certain.

[Cola82]

Okay, I spent a lot of time looking at photos of different tomato diseases including southern blight and I'm not super sure what I'm seeing on my plants matches any of them. It's always hard to tell, of course, because all of the photos are usually from very advanced stages of diseases, and written descriptions can be misleading. So I figured I'd just take a bunch of photos of the leaves and ask you guys if this is actually what you're talking about, or if it's something else.







ETA: The first two are one of the upper leaves of the plant, and the third is a leaf from the lowest branches. I've clipped so many of the lower branches and much worse off leaves that this is about as bad as it gets down there now, but I figured you'd get the idea.

[hendi_alex]

First plant to give in to disease, probably will be dead in a weak. Will only get a couple of tomatoes from the vine.



Interesting thing, four nearest neighbors have not signs of disease so far. All four look as good as this plant. The pot to the right contains the diseased plant.



We are in the middle of a rainy period. Today the plants were sprayed with neem and will likely spray them again in the next day or two. Supposed to be very hot following the rain, so I'm afraid my plants may get hit hard with disease during this hot, humid period following so much rain.

[lakngulf]

Good luck with your plants. You always hate to see one bite the dust, but you seem to have the same attitude that I have....Do what you can, but it's gonna happen. I have lost four so far, but the deterioration of the leaves is different.