White specs / flakes showing up on stems and leaves, bugs??

[speedingpenguin]

Howdy!

This is my first year growing veggies, mostly tomatoes, and so far everything's going well (as far as I can tell)

Earlier on, I had noticed some little white flake-like spots showing up on (not part of) my tomatoes... on the stalks as well as the leaves... I lost one plant because it quickly turned into being covered with little green insects and I figured it was better to throw the whole thing away than risk contaminating all of the other plants. They did show up on some of the others, but I was able to get rid of them one at a time basically (the plants were smaller so it was easier than it would be now).

I've sprayed them down with neem oil, hoping that it would get rid of them or prevent them from growing. It's been around 2 days since I noticed they had returned and I've sprayed twice, and so far nothing major has happened.

What are these things and what is the best way to handle them? I'm in Charlotte NC if that makes any difference, and I'd really like to nip the problem in the bud before it gets out of control.

Any advice or suggestions are appreciated!

[rainbowgardener]

Hard to tell in your pictures. In the middle picture, the little bumps on the stem are root primordia. It is why we always tell people to bury tomato plants deep. Once buried in moist soil, the primordia grow in to real roots, giving the plant a better root system.

On the bottom picture, I can see some little darkish insects, maybe aphids. Your "little green insects" were probably aphids also. A lot of times you can get rid of the aphids either by squishing them or just with a water spray from the hose. Otherwise a soapy water spray should get rid of them. It takes a whole ton of aphids to do significant damage to healthy plants.

I don't see much that looks like white flakes. There are things called white flies that are small and white and will flutter up when disturbed, looking like a mini snow storm. They are susceptible to soapy water spray also.

And tomato plants are just naturally kind of hairy/ fuzzy.

But your plants look healthy and not showing any particular signs of damage. So you may be stressing more than you need to. There's always insects. If you could get rid of all the aphids, etc, then there would be nothing for the ladybugs and other beneficial insects to eat and they would go away. What you want is a healthy eco-system where everything is in balance. Plants withstand minor damage readily.

Best thing you can do for your garden (along with composting) is to plant nectar bearing flowers to attract the beneficial insects, ladybugs, lacewings, tiny parasitic wasps, and others. That would include yarrow, dill, fennel, parsley, coriander, tansy, alyssum, butterfly weed, lemon balm, etc.

Give your veggie beds a flower/herb edging and everyone will be happier!

[imafan26]

I agree with rainbow, your plants look pretty healthy. Keep a magnifying glass handy and check the plants for bugs they will usually be on the undersides of the leaf. Don't panic if you see one, you would be surprised that most healthy plants are resilient and can handle a few bugs.

Here's a link to help you identify common problems associated with tomatoes.

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vege ... er/leaves/

[applestar]

I see aphid infestation. The "white flakes" are probably molted aphid skin as they shed old skin to grow larger.

[imafan26]

You have great eyes Apple. I saw one bug when I blew up the picture and couldn't see much more than that. Aphids would make sense, and they abound this time of year. They are easy enough to take care of with alcohol or insecticidal soap.

[speedingpenguin]

Awesome, thank you everyone for the advice and reassurance!
It's rained pretty hard the past two days and the questionable flakes (sorry they didn't show up that well in the pictures) seem to have disappeared for the most part.
I guess I'm a little nervous after that first tomato plant seemed to get infested with insects (and the plant looked sick) and I don't want to overlook anything that could be avoided.

I appreciate the suggestions