New tomato problem....

[aclum]

Hi,

Well, it seems that I have some new and different problem going on in the garden now.. It involves what I thought might be a Sweet Linda (lost a couple of labels along the way), but the variety is sort of a moot point at the moment as the plant is no longer with us.

Perhaps 4 or 5 days ago (can't remember exactly), the leaves started getting lighter and turning sort of a light rusty orange-brown color. By April 30th, the color changes were very noticeable - as shown in the photo. Nearby plants were not affected (though some of them still have remnants of some different problems of their own that I've previously discussed in another thread).

I got around to pulling the plant this morning and you can see in the photos what I found. I couldn't see any insects with my 20x and 40x loupe, but I did see a bit of something on the leaves that looked a bit like cob-webbing or spittle (but very sparse). Looks like something's been eating the leaves and possibly also the stem near the root (unless the missing "bark" is due to disease rather than insect damage).

I find the red area at the bottom of the stem cutaway particularly interesting. I put the cut stem into a class of water and no noticeable milky (or other) discharge. The roots themselves looked OK to me.

Anne

[VC Scott]

My guess would be a cutworm. See the picture at this link: http://www.tomatodirt.com/Tomato_Dir...letter-43.html

[clkeiper]

Quick, "replant it". pick off almost all of the leaves, at least the yellow ones and just leave the top sticking out of the soil. It probably will reroot and you will still have a tomato. I don't think it is a disease either. it looks like something dined on the stem. Maybe those nasty little pill/sow bugs. I am not disputing the cutworm, just another thought.

[rnewste]

Anne,

You may have a couple of problems. The spider web type residue may be a sign of Spider Mites - the leaf destruction would indicate that to me.

Raybo

[dpurdy]

aclum,
I agree with VC Scott that it looks to be cutworm issues. You might get away with replanting them as was suggested. In the future try using a collar made of cardboard or a paper cup around the base of your plants. When planting your tomato plants be sure to extend your protection collars a couple of inches below the soil surface. You can make your collars 4 to 6 inches in length. Also, check your garden in the late afternoon or late evening. That's when cutworms start to become active and sometimes you can find them during this period. It's usually during the morning trips to the garden that you'll find a toppled plant that's been chewed on. It's not the way you want to start your day off. Any remaining plants that have not been attacked, you can still put some sort of collar around the base of the stem to protect them. I hope that you can protect the rest of your plants and still have a good harvest.
dpurdy

[aclum]

Hi.

Thanks for the responses. I've had prior experience this season with cutworms (see my Margaret Curtain tread in this section), and in those two cases, I had nice healthy plants one day and toppled over plants the next. They hadn't shown any signs of distress prior to the coup de grace (sp?). In the most recent case, the plant declined over several days and, in spite of the "missing bark." had a strong stem.

The pill bug/sow bug thing is interesting as I've got lots of those. I've never had problems with them before though. I noticed the thread on pill/sow bugs a while back but didn't read it. I'll check it out a bit later this evening.

In the meantime, I went out and double checked on my other plants, making sure the bamboo skewers were up close against the stem and putting split plastic straws around the stems of the smaller ones. Fingers crossed for no new garden fatalities!

Too late to replant the top section of the "Sweet Linda ?".... but I do have a back up seedling or two (correctly labeled) ready to go into the garden soon.

Anne

[rnewste]

Sorry Anne,

Mean't to say Tomato Russet Mites - not spider mites. We've had a big problem with them the past few Seasons in N. California.

Raybo

[aclum]

Hi Again,

Apparently Raybo and dpurdy posted while I was composing and submitting that last response.

I tend to agree with Raybo about more than one thing going on. The spider mite thing - or just plain spiders - makes sense to me. I haven't observed any spider mites but will take another look. I do have quite a few tiny black spiders scurrying across my silver mulch when I go out to check on things. Come to think of it, I've seen quite a few fine cobwebs in the garden as a whole this year. I wonder if I should spray things with a weak soapy water spray?

Hum.... well off to read up on sow bugs!

Anne

[aclum]

Raybo,

I know I've had russet mites this season and have sprayed with sulfur a couple of times, but maybe not enough. Steve at Heritage mentioned a possible different option to try - will have to PM him.....

Have you had russet mites in your garden, Raybo? If so, how did you treat them?

Anne

[rnewste]

Anne,

I have been using Take Down Garden Spray with good results:



You can get it at most Nursery stores, or on Amazon.

Raybo

[Sun City Linda]

I was gong to say russet mites also, which I have had too but you said you didn't see them with magnification. The rusty colored and then crunch leaves really make me suspicious. I have always used sulfur. We have had a horrible heat wave here, I am just waiting for it to break to apply Take Down, which I also use.

[b54red]

I had good luck treating spider mites with a combination spray of soapy water, Permethrin, and an insect growth regulator. The combo is very similar to what would be found in good pet shampoos for fleas or in flea spray. I would think it would work with russet mites because it even helped with whiteflies but it wasn't as effective on them as it was the spider mites.

I also agree that it looks like you might have had some cutworm damage to the stem and once a plant is weakened mites seem to find it. I know that when I have a plant suffering from RKN that it will usually be the first attacked by spider mites.

Bill

[ddsack]

That is the oddest stem damage I have ever seen. I wonder like Bill, if it might have originally been a small bit of cutworm chew, but then further damage to the weakened stem by other causes - possibly some fungal damage? It looks to me like the lumpy growths were caused by something irritating the plants tissues. It would be interesting to show the photos to your Ag extension experts and see if they have an idea.

[albfet]

hmmm if this happens to other plants it could be a decay of cervical root maybe

[kurt]

http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.corne...CrwnRt_Tom.htm
This link might move you toward some more diagnosis.If a worm cut the stem the plant would droop real quick and the fallen leaves will still be green.The red and yellowing progression took some time to occur.As mentioned above it seems like a fungal type issue with those irregular markings on the stem.Maybe the soil under the plastic is too damp and wet for the early stage of the young plant and encouraged a perfect medium for a pathogen to emerge.