HelpfulGardener.com

Hello all,

I transplanted theses Better Boy VFN on April 28.. I am zone 6b I believe, North of St Genevieve, MO.

I am getting these spots and yellowing on the lower limbs/leaves of the plants. The plant in the photo just got fruit about a week ago. All I have do is prune a little due to space and side dressed the plants with a 12-10-5 about three weeks ago.

Here it has been hot a humid. Went from late winter to summer overnight.

I currently have Neem oil and some other off the shelf anti fungal such as Organocide Fungus and Pest Control. Any help keeping this from spreading would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks everyone!

Here is a pic of the whole plant.. the on in question is on the left. Further, the fertilizer that I side dressed with was
Vigoro Tomato and Vegetable Garden Plant Food Plus Calcium with a N-P-K Ratio of 12-10-5.

I guess 12-10-10 explains the lush foliage growth... a little too much maybe considering how closely they are planted.

Better Boy is indeterminate, which means you can prune, no holds barred.

Start by removing all leaves that are spotty. Especially don’t leave them on the plant if growing above a fruit cluster — you don’t want the fungal disease spores falling on the fruits.

Look at each plant and cut off suckers — new shoots growing from leaf node— so you limit each plant to 2 or 3 vines/stems. Remove any additional suckers from each of those vines as they grow.

Tie the selected vines to verticals on each tomato support. As the fruit clusters develop, use soft cloth ties (I use socks cut into rings) to tie the trusses onto support so they won’t break off from weight of the fruits.

It’s best to mulch to prevent soil from splashing up. Weed, paper, then grass clippings. Don’t let the grass clippings touch the stem.

After pruning ...I prefer to start off with mild preventative — 1 part milk to 7 parts water, with some yogurt whey added. Spray when there is no sun — typically I spray early in the morning on cloudy day or just before sundown.

It is probably septoria, as applestar suggested a fungal disease tomatoes are quite susceptible to. In humid climates, my tomatoes always have some before the end of the season. They live with it better than some of the other fungal diseases, but the bottom stems get more and more bare as I cut all the diseased leaves off.

Applestar is right, you want to prune well for good air circulation through the plant. Never water the leaves, just the soil. Cut all the bottom leaves off, so nothing is touching the soil and mulch to keep soil from splashing up onto the plant.

Baking soda solution or hydrogen peroxide are alternative treatments.

Thanks for the replies.. Things are looking better now.