what is wrong with my Tomato Plant !!

[Pathfinder]

Hey guys, I pruned my tomato following the praxxus method on youtube in order to make it tree like and give a thicker stem with main shoots as new branches, no sooner said than done, the stem became thicker and the shoots became new branches, the flowers literally doubled in size and the tomato was standing firm without support and that was by the end of April but it didn't have any fruit yet.

3 days later, I transplanted the tomato from its original 10L pot into a 20L pot, the transplant didn't went smooth, while removing it, the root ball dropped on the floor while I was tapping the pot. I thought the stem broke but it didn't so after putting it in the new one and soaking it with water, the tomato wouldn't support itself, so I put a cane to support it and after 3 days it was standing firm again, however after that things became bad and we're 26 of May.. here take a look you can zoom the pics. what's wrong ? is it done for ?

notice it is pale yellow not deep green as the stem should be.

[applestar]

I have heard of Praxxas method and it has been discussed here, but I thought that was a technique used to prune PEPPERS. Is he advocating it for tomatoes as well now?

My first impulse is to say that tomatoes are technically VINES and the indeterminate varieties are not likely to respond well to this method/be easy to manage, and you could be cutting off potential blossom trusses from determinate varieties, reducing yield. For short stout bushy growth, there are specific dwarf varieties that grows like this all on their own. So how well this would work may depend on variety.

That hole in the pruned cut may indicate an insect has burrowed in -- have you seen any sawdust around the hole and stem? What about near the base of the plant? I first encountered a pest called "tomato stem borer" last year and lost one plant to it (the other plant managed to live)

...I'll see if I can find the photo I posted before...

Other possibilities are that there might have been greater damage to the main trunk structure than you had originally thought when it had been dropped, or that the soil medium used for this container may be too dense and there is inadequate drainage, etc.

[applestar]

Found it -- it was two years ago.

Subject: Container gallery

Thanks.
Yes, the little pots are just waiting around for their permanent beds to be prepared.even at this size, they are constantly harassed by cabbageworms, and it's easier to pick them up and inspect.

I found a photo I took of the tomato stem borer damage:


This is a Yellow Pear tomato planted in the ground. It's actually still producing fruits in spite of the borer.

[PaulF]

I think the main problem is that you pruned the plant. There are many who feel this is a problem more than helpful. I am a non-pruning tomato grower.

[Pathfinder]

@ applestar, yeah Praxxus has a tomato that he pruned it at the same technique as peppers and his lived !! and healthy and I don't think it was a cherry.

@PaulF, may be the pruning, but I put the word " hollow tomato stem" on google images and I got " necrosis " ... does my tomato have necrosis ?!

did you guys zoom at each pic ?! what about the purplish veins ?

[applestar]

Necrosis was a new one for me -- quick look, but they seem to have "black pith" -- did you try splitting a suspect branch open?

Purplish veins are typically considered sign of nutrient (phosphorus) deficit, but you just uppotted with presumably fresh potting mix with plenty of nutes. That's why I asked about the mix. I normally make the aggregate larger as pot size increases, but try to use composted materials so as not to create N tie-up.

Stem borer caused general lack of growth and wilting, generally unwell appearance. Which clued me in that something was wrong before I discovered the bored out "sawdust"

Generally brownish cast from bottom up could be caused by russet mites too. Not sure if
I'm seeing that -- have you closely examined the bottom if the leaves preferably with dome kind of magnification for mites?

Some of the leaves look crumpled and beat up but I thought that was from the fall. I might be seeing at least one with leafminer damage.

...Did Praxxas mention the variety of tomato? Not sure where your ref. to cherry variety comes from...(?)

[imafan26]

Tomatoes can be pruned but I have only pruned indeterminates. I only take off suckers and lower branches The leader is not cut off on purpose. I have only done this type of pruning when training tomatoes up a string trellis. Taking off the lower branches off any tomato helps to keep the fungal diseases at bay. Pruning should also be done when the branches are still small and can be pinched off without leaving a large area to callus off.

I prefer to grow tomatoes in cages instead of on string or wire trellises. It means I cannot grow as many tomatoes because cages take up more space than wires, but it is less work to keep the tomatoes in the cage than to train a tomato up a wire and I don't lose any fruit from the lower trusses.

As far as peppers go. I only top older plants to rejuvenate them. Younger plants may get pinched to induce a bushier plant.

[Pathfinder]

please put your power into it !! I wanna see some tomatoes pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase

Alright I saw this on my other tomato, maybe you can help here, no pruning no damage .... this branch I think it started developing something similar to the first one ... is it a deficiency ( phosphorus maybe ) or a virus/ disease ?!

this pic is from 1 tomato look at the difference between the 2 branches. the lower branches a vivid green the top are vivid green but the middle ones are pale and developing brownish/blackish tint at the base of the leaves.

Please zoom in. If you want me to get close with my camera no problem, but please please help me, I wanna see some tomatoes.

[imafan26]

I don't see what it is the branch looks a little purple but it could be the lighting.

Tomatoes are heavy feeders.

[Pathfinder]

here's a closer look, I hope it can give a better perspective. Notice the difference between the two, and no it is lighting .... I am standing next to it

notice the difference between the leaves at the right side and those at the left sides, the right side are a higher branch with leaves looking normal vivid green while the leaves on the left are pale looking with purplish / brownish at the base of the leaves and washed green leaves

[Pathfinder]

I am growing organically by the way, I know it is difficult but I am taking up the challenge.

[applestar]

Where are you located (be sure to edit your profile and put this info in so it appears under your name/avatar) .

Take a look at this thread and the photos posted in it. Compare with your plants. What do you think?
Subject: Unidentified tomato desease -- maybe russet mites?

[rainbowgardener]

I am growing organically by the way, I know it is difficult but I am taking up the challenge.

Congratulations on growing organically, but honestly I don't think it is more difficult than the chemical way. We have people write in here about their chemical regimens and fertilizing every two weeks and spraying with this and that on different schedules. Way more fussing than I do.

You should keep an eye out for the russet mites; applestar is way more knowledgeable than I am about that. But really you can worry too much. Nature is not uniform. Could be the middle branch is more shaded than the other ones or all kinds of random factors. I don't start worrying unless I can see significant identifiable damage. Remember nature expects a certain amount of loss to predation etc and provides for that, so healthy plants can have quite a bit of damage and not be slowed down.

[Pathfinder]

it is progressing !! here's another pic and I am starting to doubt mite things, I can notice just 2 minutes ago some saw dust around the affected leaves. By tomorrow the whole branch will be dead ?! is it over-watering? need a bigger pot ? my mix drains well.

I don't know this makes them two tomatoes !! I am not a business gardener, just someone who wants to grow tomato. I am sorry for wasting your time but I am gonna throw everything at it.

Truly this is as good as it can get, kindly zoom on it after you press the photo at the left upper corner ( I am not teaching you, I am desperate )

Regards.

[imafan26]

Turn the leaf over and what do you see? Mites are hard to see unless you have a loupe or lens. But you should be able to see the stippling from their feeding. Look along the stem if you see any holes that might be from borers or anything that might be affecting the stem.

Does the plant wilt during the day?

It is strange that the discoloration begins at the stem end instead of the tip.

A nutritional deficiency like phosphorus shows up as purplish leaves and stems, but it would affect the whole plant.

[applestar]

Did you read the thread I linked to? I think there might have been another informative reference link in the thread too. You CANNOT see russet mites with your eyes without at least 60X magnification. 100X is better.

Another species I had to deal with was two-spotted mites. They can be seen if you look really really close as two minuscule black spots close together on nearly transparent body.

I get red spider mites on other plants but not tomatoes, but I've heard they do attack them in the hot/dry regions.

Both two spotted and red spider mites can also be discovered by holding a piece of white paper under the leaf while flicking/tapping it. Tiny dust like particles will land on the paper and if you hold the paper on flat surface and press and swipe, they will leave red or black/brown streak/smear.

Honestly this looks like mite damage to me. I only get them indoors during winter which to me indicates pests that are more common to zone 8 or above. That's why I asked where you are located.

Mites are best dealt with by their predators. It's possible I don't see them affecting my tomatoes outside in my non-chem/organic garden because the Garden Patrol keeps a lid on their infestation.

[Pathfinder]

Thx for your input AppleStar, I killed two mites on it, I saw them fleeing after I foliar fed them after sun set. Will the mites cause my tomato to die and yeah there's saw dust as you can see in the last picture I posted, all around those leaves.

Even though we have a garden but my mom doesn't allow me to plant in it because she says it is only for roses and besides it is made of clay soil.

So as a conclusion, will my tomato die even if I kill the mites ?! I know that white flies are common annoying visitors but I never see some beneficials at all ... even bees don't approach to pollinate the tomato flowers, ironic isn't it .... just my luck

What do you mean by ZONE ?! I don't live in the US ... which zone are you referring to ?

[Cola82]

You remind me a lot of myself last year, Pathfinder.

The most important lesson I learned was to take cuttings and have back-ups. I had four back-up tomatoes in my yard when I started seeing signs of infection in my tomatoes. I was pruning them often, but it spread nonetheless, resulting in inedible fruit, but the cuttings I'd taken from healthy branches turned into productive plants by the time I had to scrap their parents.

You back-up your hard drive, you should back-up your tomatoes.

ETA: don't worry about bees pollinating your tomatoes. You can do that yourself by tapping the flowers and causing them to release the pollen into the cluster. Or if you're crazy like I was last year, use a paint brush to move pollen around.

ETA2: They mean your hardiness zone. You can find information here.

ETA3: Sorry for all the edits.

[applestar]

Cola is correct. We often talk about zones because it's an indicator of coldest average temp in winter, which can indicate the survivability of some plants outside and, as well, certain pests. It can, to some extent, also be an indicator of high/low temperatures during each season.

I searched to see if anyone had come up with worldwide equivalent for the USDA Hardiness Zones... Well, I found this. I have no idea how accurate the information at this link might be, but it may give you at least a broad range, and you could tell us what equivalent zone is listed for your area.

https://treesandshrubs.about.com/od/tree ... szones.htm

[applestar]

About the sawdust -- I think some kind of borer has made it's way into that broken top of your tomato plant. If your mom has roses everywhere, then it's possible it's one of the rose cane borers that got confused.

In any case, my advice is to take a pair of pruners and cut a little bit from the the browned tip with the hole in it ...maybe 5mm-1cm... at a time, as long as there is a hole in the middle. I think you will find an insect (you'll probably end up chopping it with the pruners unless you manage to cut just above it and it crawls out).

Keep cutting a little at a time until there is no hole.

Alternatively, you could first put a drop of oil in that hole first to suffocate the insect -- maybe with an eyedropper or pipette. But I would still trim down to healthy un damaged stem because the hole will just collect moisture and invite mold, bacteria, or other bugs/pests.

[applestar]

If you do have mites but no predators -- my understanding is that sulfur is the best course of action. (It will kill predatorial mites, too but it may be necessary to treat your plant). It's often used for roses too so find out if your mom has any.

Is she does and let's you use some, don't apply right away because the way to apply for tomatoes may be different from the way to apply to roses which are shrubs and have tougher foliage.

[Pathfinder]

@AppleStar, I live in the middle east and the zone isn't mentioned in the website you gave me, however right now we are in May ( spring ) and the temp fluctuation is between 18-24 C (64-75 F) however yesterday it reached 30 C ( 86 F ) during the day then 23 C ( 70 F) at night, today it is between 24-22 C no rain whatsoever during this month.

During Winter it drops max to 10 C (50 F), frankly this is all I know.

I am sure it is a Mite problem, the saw dust, the spreading, I SAW the mites !! ... I killed another two of them in the morning while I was foliar feeding the tomato. ( I hate SPIDER MAN never liked him !!)

I don't want to use oil, last year I used oil and water to solve the powdery mildew on the roses, in order to get rid of white mites and aphids and ended up burning roses leaves, but they lived I don't know if tomatoes can even tolerate this ... I really doubt.

So if I soak the tomato shoot in a bucket full of water will that kill the mites ? will these dead branches, recover or should I prune them ?! The thing if I scratch one of these branches, under it would appear the vivid green color as if the saw dust is being sprinkled like a virus.

Just to clarify, I have two cases here not the same tomato, the mites problem is on the tomato that I never pruned !!
However, the first tomato that I pruned, I decided to remove it from the pot and find out what's the problem is about. again it was hard to remove it and it fell on its head, broke two branches out of four but that is OK since I will be losing some roots ... and truly my doubts were in place.

the first time I transplanted and it fell, it did indeed break the main root but a portion of it was still attached so when I removed the broken part it was soft and soggy with white fluid. however, since it was pruned before it did make new lateral roots, I cleaned them with water and they still looked a bright white ,,, so they're still alive. I transplanted this part into a smaller pot and cut most branches, left only 2, hoping it would recover.


@Cola82, I was being ironic about the bees pollination thing, usually soft wind pollinates them, they do a pea like tiny tomato then the next day, the stalk dies and it falls or it remains but the tomato stay like peas.

[imafan26]

If you saw the mites, they were probably spider mites. They like hot dusty conditions. Water will blast some of them off, but it takes a good hard rain to do any good.

Sulfur or oil will work. You need to choose one or the other. If you use both or either within a couple of weeks of each other they almost always burn the plant. If you use them on a hot day that exceeds 80 degrees can still burn the plant.

Whatever you use, spray it thoroughly over and under the leaves. When my plants are still small and in pots. I mix up a solution in a 5 gallon bucket and cover the soil with newspaper so it won't fall out and dunk the plants head first and keep it under for up to a minute to make sure everything gets covered. On a hot day, I would keep the plant in a shadier spot and put it back out the next day. Keep the bucket of solution, and cover it. You may have to use it again in about a week.

Another recipe that works pretty good is 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon insecticidal soap and 1 tablespoon horticultural oil. You can also add up to 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol for good measure. The alcohol and baking soda are dessicants and the oil and, soap irritate and smother the mites breathing apparatus.

I get spider mites almost every year on my eggplant and tomatoes, and I usually let the predatory mites take care of them and just keep the plants watered and fed. I would water under the leaves every day. When push comes to shove, I just feed the eggplant heavily, take off all of the fruit and cut it back to the main branches. Young eggplant will come back with clean leaves. Except for alcohol once in a while, I am reluctant to use anything except preventive fungicides in humid weather. Predatory mites will be killed by the cure as well and that just puts me on the pesticide treadmill.

My biggest problems are thrips, but same problem. They have so many host plants, I would have to spray everything and then I would have to keep spraying to control them, so I tolerate most of the damage and let the predators control them. I just try to make sure the plants are as healthy as I can get them and cull the weak ones.

If you want to garden organically, you have to be able to tolerate some damage as inevitable. Otherwise, you will be on the pesticide treadmill and have to take a lot of cimetidine.

[applestar]

According to this chart and the temperature info you mentioned for your area, I think your zone equivalent would be 12a

USDA Hardiness Zone minimum winter temperature table

Which means a lot of what imafan posts about pests and their treatments will be relevant to you.

Another recipe that works pretty good is 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon insecticidal soap and 1 tablespoon horticultural oil. You can also add up to 1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol for good measure. The alcohol and baking soda are dessicants and the oil and, soap irritate and smother the mites breathing apparatus.

-- is this per 1 gallon of water? Also for my personal curiosity, do you always use horticultural oil and insecticidal soap? Can you (have you ever tried to) substitute any other culinary oil or household soap? What makes them different/special? (Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol... I usually buy the 91% but they also sell "seventy something" %....)

[imafan26]

Yes it is per gallon of water.

Looks like we are in the same zone. I am in Hawaii. In Mililani elevation around 603 ft. I have a rainy season and a dry season and humid most of the time. My growing season is 365 days long, so is my bug season.

I plant a wide variety of plants and I have flowers blooming pretty much all of the time so that provides nectar for bees and beneficial insects. I used to fertilize every two weeks and use sevin or malathion on just about everything, but I have learned a few things along the way

1. It is survival of the fittest. If the plant isn't doing well, it probably really does not want to be here.
I just pulled out a Robert Strauss rose because it constantly had black spot and couldn't make it without systemic insecticides. I am replacing it with another rose that I have had in a pot for a year, if it can stand that, it can stand being in the ground.
2. Less is more. If I water my plants every day, they expect it everyday and do poorly if I miss even half a day. But, if I train the plants early on to only be watered once or twice a week, less if it rains, the plants develop a lot more tolerance and stronger deeper root systems. Orchids are the exceptions they do better with no media and more water.
3. The more I try to control bugs the more out of control they get.
I only use preventive fungicides for mildew susceptible plants because fungal issues are easier to prevent than to
cure.
I spot treat only. If I see aphids, I put out ant traps.
I am committed to slug bait. No toad, no Chickens and birds that prefer peppers and papaya to slugs.
Alcohol and a ziploc bag is my weapon of choice. Alcohol works on just about everything and ziploc for slugs,
snails and a few bad leaves. I take them along with me every time I water, so I can look at the plants to spot
trouble early.
The more I spray insecticides, the more I have to spray insecticides. When I spray less and just use water,
alcohol, prune off diseased or infested plant parts and pull out the weak plants, I have a healthier garden. It is
not pest or damage free, but the plants produce and the predators keep the damage to an acceptable level.
Some things are inevitable. Erineum gall mites will attack my hibiscus every year. Since, I don't want to get rid of
it and there aren't any good predators for it, I do treat it with systemics.
Either get rid of the problem plants or learn to predict and deal with the inevitable problems as they come along.
Don't mess with mother nature. If the environment is in balance, it will even things out. The plants will not be
perfect or pest free but they will survive and produce.
Weeds are inevitable and will be here long after I am gone.

[Pathfinder]

Guys, do you happen to know if the magnesium in molasses is soluble and available to the tomato ?!

Should I drench a molasses solution via roots or foliar feed the tomato ?! which is more effective ?

will my tomato leaves burn the next day if I apply them at night ?! some told be foliar feeding the tomato is not a good idea because its leaves have hair on them, for peppers it is OK, what do you guys think

[applestar]

I only use molasses in a solution when making AACT (actively aerated compost tea) -- approximately 1 Tablespoon molasses and 2 cups of compost per 5 gallon bucket (probably works out to 4 gallons since I never fill the bucket) and use it after letting it aerate for 24-36 hours.

For foliar feeling, I then dilute the strained AACT and dilute 1:8 with rainwater or de-chlorinated water. I don't worry about burning the plants but avoid direct sun to protect the good microbes.

Not sure what the tomato hairs had to do with foliar feeding and burning... Maybe droplets forming to create lenses for the sunlight or drying and concentrating salt-based fertilizers?

[Pathfinder]

applestar, you bombard me with multi-streams of information, ^____^ I am only a beginner, I understand you've been forever on this forum so it must be a little boring repeating the same info several times but please bear with me and answer my questions 1 by 1 so I can follow-up and don't get confused.

1 - I used 1 tablespoon of molasses with 5L of water which is a 1 gallon and a half ....was that the reason why I burned my leaves ?! I don't have buckets, I have those small nestle 5L water gallons. Must be confusing between conversions LOOOOOOOOL, I always have google conversion ready when I read garden posts.

2 - got some epsom-salt today, put a small table spoon ( or tea spoon ) of epsom into my 1L sprayer and sprayed the tomato just now as the sun began to fade, was that too much epsom salt ?!

3 - what about the beneficial microbes ?! I thought aerobic microbes are only for hot composting, where do they fit into the molasses / epsom salt spraying thing and why you don't worry about burning leaves, will the parts of the unburned leaves still make photosynthesis ?!

[grrlgeek]

Hi Pathfinder! I have been reading this thread and was hesitant to jump in because I am still learning a lot myself. But if you would be open to a little sage wisdom from a fellow student, I can tell you that you are really over thinking this! Here's what I got from this thread so far...

You transplanted your tomato and in the process, it fell and was damaged. You said the main root (stem, or root?) was damaged. You pruned off the primary growing tip of the plant along with a lot of branches (growing stems, or leaves?) You have seen some bugs on your plant. You have fed them (what? how often) and sprayed them with epsom salts and some other things.

My observation, is that your plant is in deep stress and barely hanging on in survival mode. The last thing you want to do is feed it right now. Feeding it will force it to grow, and while that is what you so very badly want it to do, right now it just needs to heal.

1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons. For foliar feeding of magnesium (epsom salt) when it is truly needed, you would use 1 tablespoon maximum in a gallon (3.78 litres) of water. You sprayed a very strong salt solution on your plant's leaves. This can stress it even more.

You showed a picture of a leaf with some purple veins, which was discussed as usually a sign of phosphorus deficiency. That doesn't 100% mean to give the plant more phosphorus. A few purple leaf veins wont kill the plant. I had 50 purple seedlings riding out the cold and they are now over a meter tall, dark green, and making tomatoes and peppers with no intervention at all.

If you broke the main root system of your plant, or damaged the main stem below where you cut it, the plant could be having trouble uptaking a variety of nutrients. But "throwing everything at it," is only going to stress it more.

Take a deep breath! Trim off the worst leaves. Trim leaves that are touching the soil. Give your plant only water for a couple of weeks. Water only when the top 4cm of soil have dried. Don't let any water splash on the leaves.

It's entirely possible that bugs that love roses have also been visiting your tomato. Check it daily and pick off any bugs or rinse with clean water.

But for at least a couple of weeks, just use water, and let it heal.

While you're letting it heal, can you tell us:

+What kind of soil/potting mix did you put in the pot?
+Did you add any fertilizer? How much? What was its nutrient analysis? ("N-P-K")
+Besides the epsom salts, what else are you spraying the leaves with?
+How many times did you spray and how often?

I think you're just giving your plant too much love! They do better sometimes when you don't. (Believe me! I am living proof of that!)

Don't stress...!

[Pathfinder]

@grrlgeek, I think you're giving me too much love ^____^, let me drought a little bit ^____^

Well first off thanks for your interest in my thread/problem, I didn't do all these all at once as you understood, they were done in a cronological order and I took the next step after seeing the effects of the one before it.

So let me start by clarifying some things:

1) I have no idea about the potting mix, I have been given 2 bags of them by a friend of mine and have used the same mix for my aubergines and peppers which are doing great compared to the tomatoes. The first thread I created here was about composting, so I got this potting mix while I was waiting for my compost to finish which, literally I only benefited from a handful of it before my grandma asked me for the majority of it and gave it to her.

and I only used this handful of my own made compost for my only aubergine plant and I can tell you guys, I have never seen such huge leaves before compared to our neighbor's 3 year old tree like aubergines planted in clay soil.

so for the same mix, peppers are doing great, aubergines and green onions even okra too, so it isn't the mix.

2) in this thread there are 2 tomato plant cases not one !! ,,, the first tomato was doing great after pruning via praxxus method, even the flowers were double sized, became a tree like and was happy until,
I saw the roots coming out of the 14L Pot ... so I decided to move her into a 20L one, it wasn't easy because the holes at the bottom were too small for me to put my fingers, hence why it fell, THE STEM WASN'T damaged but it took me a cane to make it stand its ground in the new pot, back then I didn't want to meddle with root ball that's why I didn't check the main root, simply a 14L root-ball isn't a joke ... but I over-watered it back then in order to make it stand firm again and it did after 3 days.

after that the top and underside of the leaves became purplish in color and the stem pale yellow, then I decided to open this thread for assistance in the case, later on I said, what the heck let me remove it clean the root ball in a water tank and see what's happening to the roots and so my fears were true, the main tap root was half broken from transplanting, it seems water found its way to the broken main stem and it created that look, even the hollow stem effect ( could be verticulum or fusarium or simply rotting from water logging

The good thing however from trimming the stem via praxxus method, helped create lateral roots which were thick, when I cleaned the root ball, I took off the broken part and set it to dry in a moist plastic bag until the next day, the lateral roots where white in color so not rotted. The next morning, I broke most of the leaves leaving 3 branches only which were more than a enough for the lateral roots to support the plant and transplanted it into a small pot.

for now it still looks over all yellow with some green being regained on leaves, purple veins still persistent on some leaves and no signs of wilting can be noticed, just an overall yellowish color of the plant. If it doesn't recover in June, I will start a new one.

Sorry for the long post and wasting your precious time, you tried hard helping me but I think what happened wasn't a symptom that occurs usually, it was a physical man made damage.

[Pathfinder]

@grrlgeek, I panicked for the second tomato, simply because I was unhappy with what happened to the first one, this one was transplanted without any problems and I trimmed the main stem to make the transplanting shock easier, don't yell at me because it had 3 main stems of the same thickness ... I trimmed the one that was yellowish and had mites on it and saw dust.

Today, as I said, I bought epsom salt and was asking for the concentration because I decided to spray the tomatoes as a precaution, also that's why I was asking will it be enough time from evening until the morning to for the foliage to absorb the epsom salt solution or I should spray it again with water if any residue still sticks on the leaves ?!

I am also leaving the pot to dry out so I don't get into the situation of the first one ,,,, I don't think spider mites can cause the stem to become pale yellow, only the leaves can wilt but I could be wrong.

[applestar]

applestar, you bombard me with multi-streams of information, ^____^ I am only a beginner, I understand you've been forever on this forum so it must be a little boring repeating the same info several times but please bear with me and answer my questions 1 by 1 so I can follow-up and don't get confused.

1 - I used 1 tablespoon of molasses with 5L of water which is a 1 gallon and a half ....was that the reason why I burned my leaves ?! I don't have buckets, I have those small nestle 5L water gallons. Must be confusing between conversions LOOOOOOOOL, I always have google conversion ready when I read garden posts.

US measured tablespoon is about 15 ml. The way I use molasses in the AACT, the molasses are added to feed the beneficial microbes in the compost as they propagate in the "tea"
Even just by measurement, I'm using 1Tbs in let's say 4 gallons of water, THEN diluting the result further 1:8. I haven't tried using dissolved molasses directly to feed the plants.

Here's a thread that's relevant to your question. This was rainbowgardener's response to a question that was asked in this thread, but it had some good info in it so I quoted it.
Subject: Molasses For my Garden

Molasses is beneficial to feed the micro-organisms in the soil, the same way it does in the compost tea.

I think it is a myth that it is insecticidal.

By floral spray, maybe you meant foliar. I have read very mixed reports about use of molasses as foliar spray. Leaves aren't well adapted for taking up nutrients. I think the main point of foliar spraying molasses would be to increase micro-organisms on the leaf surface, which should help prevent fungal infections, but that is sheer speculation. It would leave residue behind.


Re feed mill, perhaps you are talking about this:

Feed Grade Molasses: Commercial grade molasses has sulphur and possibly other preservatives and antibiotics added to reduce fungal growth. Sulphur in most inorganic forms make excellent fungal inhibitors. Antibiotics will inhibit, kill and prevent the growth a wide range, but not all bacteria and fungi. Thus feed grade molasses is not a good choice for a biological stimulant. Care must be taken to read about the ingredients so no ugly little surprises confront you and you don't get the response you want to see.
https://www.thesoilguy.com/SG/Molasses (this is a good article about the use of molasses generally)

That is why I specified UNSULPHURED blackstrap. If what you are working for is feeding the micro-organisms, sulphur is in the wrong direction. If your Feed Mill carries the unsulphured blackstrap molasses, you can buy it. If it is feed grade, sulphured molasses, it is not what you want.

2 - got some epsom-salt today, put a small table spoon ( or tea spoon ) of epsom into my 1L sprayer and sprayed the tomato just now as the sun began to fade, was that too much epsom salt ?!

1L is a little more than a quart. But I have heard of people using fairly strong solution of Epsom salts, so it may be OK. I only use about 1 rounded measured teaspoon (about 5 ml) per gallon (or 1 measured tablespoon per 2 gallons) and I don't put any Epsom salts directly in the planting hole like some people do. I'm concerned that it may repel or injure earthworms. This is not to say it doesn't work. Some people swear by Epsom salt. Hopefully someone else will join the discussion to elaborate.

3 - what about the beneficial microbes ?! I thought aerobic microbes are only for hot composting, where do they fit into the molasses / epsom salt spraying thing and why you don't worry about burning leaves, will the parts of the unburned leaves still make photosynthesis ?!

AACT is a whole another topic. There is a rather long and verbose sticky at the top of the Compost Forum. But I said I'm not worried because it doesn't burn leaves. Foliar application of diluted AACT increases biofilm of beneficial microbes on the foliage. BTW I would not combine or apply AACT and Epsom salt solution at the same time or on top of the other, but would probably do the Epsom salt first -- I have heard that it unblocks the nutrient uptake pathways (bio-chemical process) in the plant so that already present nutrients in the soil can be utilized by the plants. Then next week, or few days later, apply the AACT foliar spray to repopulate the phytosphere in case they were affected by the Epsom salt.

I'm not bored when answering interesting questions. I like your enthusiasm and it feels worthwhile to see you take such interest in what I said. I know it's a lot of information to absorb. Just stop me -- like you did here -- and ask for clarification if I ramble on too much. and I know what you mean about conversion app. I do that too.

[grrlgeek]

Sorry for the long post and wasting your precious time, you tried hard helping me but I think what happened wasn't a symptom that occurs usually, it was a physical man made damage.

Root-bound in a small pot, transplanted and weak , parts of the root system removed , then put back in a small pot. If part of the root system disappears, that pathway for nutrients to the plant disappears. You mentioned you also overwatered for a few days after the transplant. That will cause yellowing of the leaves as well. That's a lot of stress for a plant to deal with and I am learning that sometimes one needs to take a step back to let the plant deal with it. Plants have been around a long time, and they are pretty good at what they do. It will put out new roots, pick up fresh nutrients, and you will see improvement in the new growth.

I don't know enough about mites and borers to comment on those, and bow to the wisdom shared by applestar and imafan, but a stressed plant is very attractive to pests and the pictures of your plants look very stressed.

Please don't ever feel like you have wasted anyone's time. We all learn things from each other. Sometimes from our hardships, but also from our success. I am cheering for your tomato plants to get well so you can enjoy their delicious fruit.

[imafan26]

True, a stressed plant sends out signals to bugs to attack and sometimes the cure can be worse than the problem.

If I foliar feed, I usually do it early in the morning when the stomata are open. Later in the day or evening, you need to make sure the tomato leaves have a chance to dry out before nightfall or you will just encourage more disease.
I read somewhere that foliar feeding only gives the plant a small boost, roots are better designed to take up nutrients.

Like apple I only use blackstrap molasses with EM-1, compost tea or cowpea inoculant. The plant was not showing a magnesium deficiency, so I would not have given it any more magnesium. If you need magnesium though, epsom salts and water is the way to go.