What is this, please?

[javafxnoob]

Hi Tomatoville friends,

This morning I was removing grass from my little jungle and noticed something disturbing. It looks like white spots on a leaf, it is only on one plant, I am not panicking, but still don't like it at all. Is it something to be worried about?

What could be the source, fungus, virus, overwatering? What shoulkd I do, just remove that part of plant or it requires some other solution?

Can you please give me some info how to stop that, possible organic way. Thank you all.

IMG_20160709_071727.jpg

[ginger2778]

Looks like a tiny bit of chemical spatter. I wouldn't even think twice about it. I don't think it will cause harm

[javafxnoob]

Probably that plant didn't liked my NaHCO3 solution I used as prevention against blight. Or it was too strong. Maybe next time garlic tea again will be my weapon of choice. Didn't had any problem with that.

Thanks for answering.

[gorbelly]

Could also be minor pest damage, such as from flea beetles. I would check the underside of the foliage to make sure, as it's always good to catch things early. But sometimes, pests will take a taste before moving on to a preferred plant. If I didn't see any pests, I wouldn't worry about it unless it gets worse.

[Nematode]

Originally Posted by javafxnoob

Probably that plant didn't liked my NaHCO3 solution I used as prevention against blight. Or it was too strong. Maybe next time garlic tea again will be my weapon of choice. Didn't had any problem with that.

Thanks for answering.

First I have heard about sodium carbonate as blight prevention please elaborate.

[javafxnoob]

That is something I was reading on several sites dedicated to organic gardening I am reading on my language. In short, recipe is: in 2 liters of water put 2 small spoons of sodium bicarbonate, few drops of edible oil (we mostly use sunflower oil here) and few drops of washing detergent to boost spreading when spraying plants. Important is detergent to not have traces of bleach or NH3 inside itself .

I wasn't sure about detergent we have in house, so I didn't included that, just soda in water solution with some sunflower oil, mixed it and sprayed my plants after last big rain we had.

According to site, solution would cause alkaline reaction on leaf and prevent fungus to spread and killing them. I didn't noticed any blight signs before treatment, I used it as a prevention after rain.

Closest article in English that is similar to that I was reading would be this:
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/baking-...oes-71626.html

And this is interesting:
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=126

[chlorophile]

It's either over spray from ferts/etc. or flea beetle damage. I'm leaning towards the latter

[javafxnoob]

Thanks for answering, kind people, it was helpful.
Fortunately no new white spots.

I have one more question. Can you look this picture and tell me why are leaves so curled? Can it be over-watering? Strange, but not all plants have this, just few.

[gorbelly]

Physiological leaf roll. It's something that happens when the plants are stressed. Lots of things can trigger it, but this time of year, hot, dry weather can do it. As can pruning in hot weather. Usually not harmful, usually doesn't affect production. When conditions return to more pleasant levels, the plant may recover or the leaves may stay rolled. If the sun is really strong this time of year, you might put up some shade cloth in the afternoon, if it bothers you.

EDITED TO ADD: Some varieties are more susceptible to this than others. That's why some have it and some don't.

[ginger2778]

Physiological leaf roll- I agree with gorbelly. You will notice your soil is very dry and cracking.
As gorbelly also stated, it isnt hamful, but I think you made need to water more.

[Nematode]

yup PLR.
not injurious to production apparently.


Someone posted earlier with similar photos, it was a ph problem 8, can't hurt to test that.

[javafxnoob]

I was afraid that I am over-watering, lol.
I will try to add more water in the evening on daily basis and see how that will go.

Thanks for explanations.

[gorbelly]

Overwatering and/or poor drainage can also cause PLR, so if you're watering on a set human schedule instead of according to the real-life conditions in your garden you may be overwatering.

Even if water levels in soil are fine, PLR in hot weather may not be because of lack of moisture in the ground but that transpiration through the leaves is greater than what the roots can take up, even if there is plenty of water in the soil, because of high heat. This could just be something you can't control except through helping plants out with some shade during the hottest part of the day, or it could be something aggravated by watering that has been too frequent and shallow, which has caused your tomatoes to develop a shallow root system.

So the problem could be overwatering. The problem could be not enough watering. The problem could be unrelated to watering.

What's the solution? Check how much water is in the soil before you water. Nature doesn't follow our human schedules. When your tomatoes need water is something dependent on their size, variety, soil type, temperature, ambient humidity, when it last rained, etc. Formulas like [x] volume of water added every [y] days cannot account for this.

As you get more experienced with the conditions in your garden, you can usually get an idea for how often to water. I like to dig down into the soil in my tomato beds if there is doubt because you can't go by how the soil looks on the surface. If it's still moist a few inches down, I don't water.

When you do water, it should be infrequently and very deeply, i.e., a lot of water so that it penetrates deep into the ground to encourage tomatoes to develop a deep root system.

So, as ginger2778 says, checking to make sure your watering is adequate should be your first step. But just scheduling watering every day without checking to make sure water is actually lacking isn't a good idea.

[javafxnoob]

Thanks gorbelly. I will have to check deeper in the soil in future.
I was watering deep every two days, so probably gave tomatoes more water than they need.

I will correct that from this point forward.

[javafxnoob]

I am satisfied how my plants growing, production is great. Satisfied with my blight-fighting results too. I think I have manage to prevent blight on most of my plants. That is about 60 of them.

There is few plants that losing battle but they are still producing, I am pinching off leaves with spots and they are still producing tasty tomatoes.

But that is ok, provided rest of garden is in relatively good shape. But, I am curious, is this blight or some kind of virus? Please help me identify it.

On third picture is walnut tree I blame most for this situation. It is in really bad condition and I am forbidden to perform euthanasia on it.