Spots on my leaves...any advice? [Pics included]

4BangR · June 3, 2011

Hi all,

I just removed a grocery bag full of leaves from my precious Mountain Princess and Bing organic tomato plants. I'm guessing that they're being attacked by early blight or septoria. I've been reading a lot about tomato diseases, but I'm hoping that Tomatoville can help me get a handle on this.

I sprouted these plants from seed about 7 weeks ago and planted them in the ground about two weeks ago. My wife and I just bought a house this year so this is the first time tomatoes have been grown here. I made the beds about two weeks ago - I pulled up the grass, tilled about a foot deep and added a good bit of bagged garden soil, mushroom compost and peatmoss and mixed everything well. As you can see in the pics, I've employed raised beds and homemade trellises.

Pictures:
- Picture titled 'naked bottoms' shows how my tomatoes look after today's pruning. If a branch had leaves with spots, it was snipped and removed.

- Picture named 'spots on removed limbs' shows what the snipped branches look like (the one pictured is probably the worst looking branch...)

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

runner1212 · June 3, 2011

Take a gallon and mix two tablespoons baking soda and spray the un-affected areas to stop spread.remove damaged leaves.

bcday · June 3, 2011

That looks like damage from flea beetles. They are shiny black beetles about 1/16" long that hop like fleas and chew small round holes in the leaves as your pic shows. Look on the plants for tiny black bugs that jump when disturbed.

Apply the insecticide of your choice instead of picking the leaves off. Removing leaves will not get rid of the beetles or help the plant at all.

kath · June 3, 2011

I second the flea beetle diagnosis. They've been pretty bad here this year. They affect the lower leaves more than the uppers.

4BangR · June 3, 2011

First off, thanks for your replies!

I believe I have caught the culprit. Hopefully today's trimjob won't hurt my tomatoes too much...

See attached pictures. I'm pretty sure these are black flying aphids. See this link for reference: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...028151705.html

I'm considering mixing some plain dish soap, vegetable oil and water in my sprayer and hosing down my tomatoes tonight...thoughts?

Thanks again!

4BangR · June 3, 2011

I forgot we had picked up some Ortho EcoSense Insecticidal Soap a few months ago - I just hit my plants with that. While I was out there, I saw a green (wingless) aphid in addition to numerous black flying aphids.

Question: I have black landscaping fabric down under my tomatoes. Could this possibly be beneficial to pests? Should I remove it?

Thanks again.

runner1212 · June 3, 2011

Lady bugs are your best friend chummer

bcday · June 3, 2011

I would leave the vegetable oil out of the mix. Soapy water will take care of the current aphid population and adding oil is not only unnecessary but can be tricky since adding too much will further damage the leaves.

Aphids don't chew holes, though. Flea beetles did that.

Heritage · June 4, 2011

Yellow sticky traps will help reduce the flea beetle population but they are tough to control completely without resorting to some serious pesticides. I would go with the treatment bcday recommends, for now. Trap crops are another alternative.

Your landscape fabric won't attract pests any more than any other mulch..

b54red · June 5, 2011

I used the black landscaping fabric last year and actually had less flea beetle damage than with other mulches. When I use no mulch I have far more problems with them. A little permethrin sprayed on the underside of the lower leaves and on the soil under the plant a couple of times seemed to get rid of them for me.

June 3, 2011	#2
runner1212 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: northern Indiana (zone 5a) Posts: 7	Hurry Take a gallon and mix two tablespoons baking soda and spray the un-affected areas to stop spread.remove damaged leaves.

June 3, 2011	#7
runner1212 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: northern Indiana (zone 5a) Posts: 7	Lady bugs Lady bugs are your best friend chummer

June 3, 2011	#3
bcday Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NY z5 Posts: 1,205	That looks like damage from flea beetles. They are shiny black beetles about 1/16" long that hop like fleas and chew small round holes in the leaves as your pic shows. Look on the plants for tiny black bugs that jump when disturbed. Apply the insecticide of your choice instead of picking the leaves off. Removing leaves will not get rid of the beetles or help the plant at all.

June 3, 2011	#4
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	I second the flea beetle diagnosis. They've been pretty bad here this year. They affect the lower leaves more than the uppers.

June 3, 2011	#6
4BangR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 3	I forgot we had picked up some Ortho EcoSense Insecticidal Soap a few months ago - I just hit my plants with that. While I was out there, I saw a green (wingless) aphid in addition to numerous black flying aphids. Question: I have black landscaping fabric down under my tomatoes. Could this possibly be beneficial to pests? Should I remove it? Thanks again.

June 4, 2011	#9
Heritage Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: San Diego Posts: 1,255	Yellow sticky traps will help reduce the flea beetle population but they are tough to control completely without resorting to some serious pesticides. I would go with the treatment bcday recommends, for now. Trap crops are another alternative. Your landscape fabric won't attract pests any more than any other mulch..

June 5, 2011	#10
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I used the black landscaping fabric last year and actually had less flea beetle damage than with other mulches. When I use no mulch I have far more problems with them. A little permethrin sprayed on the underside of the lower leaves and on the soil under the plant a couple of times seemed to get rid of them for me.