MY GARDEN IS SICK (WITH PHOTOS)

[Garden Gal]

From my first post:

After a great season of lush six-foot plus tomato plants which have born a heavy yield of green tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, the leaves are yellowing and turning brown. We have had a heat wave here, but I gave them extra water, but they still seem to be dying. I looked at the underneath of the leaves and don't see anything visible in terms of creatures, but I'm not sure. The other day when I was out there I saw a LOT of tiny things with white wings on the dirt. I sprayed with a soap/pepper/garlic solution. I don't see them now, but they just don't seem to be doing as well as they were a week ago. HELP. They are so close to ripening, I don't want to lose them now. I had fried green tomatoes the other night for the first time, and they were DELICIOUS! I want to keep em comin'! Is this normal? I'm new to gardening in this area.

Now here are the photos (click on the marigold photo to get a real look at the infestation)

[img]https://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad55/mphope/IMG_0736.jpg[/img]

I'm not sure if the tomatoes have the same problem but they are definitely wilting!

[img]https://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad55/mphope/IMG_0738.jpg[/img]

This is sooooo gross!!! My garden has been doing so well all summer and now this! PLEASE HELP1!

[microcollie]

The problem on the marigold looks like spider mites. They can sometimes be washed away with either a good spray of water or insecticidal soap & water. Judging from the picture, the infestation looks heavy, so I'd remove the entire plant and throw it away (don't compost). Mites don't really respond very well to most of the normal insecticides, and I would never reccomend the use of one in a cegetable garden anyway. They generally don't like water, so showering you plants might help.

[Garden Gal]

Thank you thank you! I will get rid of them asap. Any idea what's up with the tomatoes? They don't have the webbing that the marigolds have. They are just wilting fast.

[Lmcirig]

I'm no expert of course, but looking at the tomatoes- are they maybe just over crowded? They don't look that bad to me. Maybe they're just lacking some sun?

[microcollie]

I would agree with lmcirig...they look crowded. It's too late to move plants, but you could help by a little trim. Remove the "suckers" growing from the crotches between branches (some of these might be fairly long if you haven't done this yet this season). They are not very productive and are just extra weight for the plant to support. I also remove the leaves from the bottom foot or so of the entire plant (this gives soil-bound pathogens less of a chance to reach the plant). Depending on the variety (determinate vs. indeterminate) The entire plant can be pruned to control size. This would result in letting more light in, but may lessen your yield a bit. One last thing to check would be your watering methods. They like a good long drink (which establishes deeper roots) instead of smaller frequent ones. I water mine once a week tops if we don't get rain.

[applestar]

Good advice. Now that the drought conditions seems to be over (I think for you too) you'll want to take measures to provide extra air circulation.

Those tomato leaves with pale center areas may have spider mites on the underside. The webbing that you see on the marigold is a sign of late stage heavy infestation as microcollie said. In the initial stages, you might find some webbing on the underside of leaves and just a few tiny red specs. Tiny white dots will show from topside where they've sucked the juices from below. Rubbing with a finger moistened in soapy water and examining your finger can help to spot them too.

Since you need to prune anyway, go ahead and clip off all or most of the yellowed leaves and dispose of them in the trash as precaution. Remember not to prune off any more than 1/3 of the plant.

[Garden Gal]

thank you all very much! I'm pruning now! LOL

[Sage Hermit]

Originally posted by microcollie
The problem on the marigold looks like spider mites. They can sometimes be washed away with either a good spray of water or insecticidal soap & water. Judging from the picture, the infestation looks heavy, so I'd remove the entire plant and throw it away (don't compost). Mites don't really respond very well to most of the normal insecticides, and I would never reccomend the use of one in a cegetable garden anyway. They generally don't like water, so showering you plants might help.

Nice job identifying the the spider mites: Marigolds tend to be susceptible to the two common spider mites, Oligonychus ununguis & Tetranychus urticae. Each flower head contains around 50 seeds.
1.Why would you not compost it?
2.Why would you throw the whole plant away?


First look at the soil. Is there a layer of mulch? If yes go get a spray bottle. Spray the spider mites off the leaves and destroy their webs. After you are done remove the mulch or add another layer to deter the mites from rebuilding. These 4 legged arachnids are easy prey for centipedes in your soil and mulch layer.

Many of my plants were on the verge of being eaten and recovered after simply spraying them off, stopping them from rebuilding by making a moist environment on the leaves, trimming damaged areas, and monitoring the water in the soil.

posted by Sage Hermit
The problem on the marigold are spider mites. They can be washed away with either a good spray of water or insecticidal soap & water. Judging from the picture, the infestation looks heavy. Mites don't respond very well to most of the normal insecticides, and I would never recommend the use of one in a vegetable garden. They don't like water, so showering your plants should help.

[microcollie]

As a rule, I tend to dispose of mite-infested matter rather than composting. Removing them with water does not kill them, just moves them to the soil. Granted they can then fall prey to other insects, but this is not always the case. I suggested throwing the marigolds away, as that is the most sure method of avoiding a reinfestation. Why run the risk?

[Sage Hermit]

indeed, but to toss the seeds away seems like a waste. How about this one. Put the plants in water for 24 hours then compost? I am glad you responded and I agree that its not wise to simply shoot them into the soil.

Another way is to put a towel down and srpay them into the towel then just wash in the washing machine.