Solving tomato problems
Tomatoes are everyone’s favourite home grown food but they’re popular with pests too. And they can be susceptible to a number of diseases, especially during hot, humid summers. The Yates website features a pictorial problem solver that helps home gardeners solve tomato problems. The problem solver can also be downloaded as an App for iPhones.
Yates Garden Guide, too, has a chart of tomato problems/ solutions. Here are some of the main suggestions:
Problem: Fruit splits when heavy watering or rain follows a dry period. Or fruit may develop a sunken, blackened base.
Solution: Mulch plants and water regularly through dry periods. Add Yates Garden Lime to soil before planting
Problem: Tiny white insects cluster under leaves and fly away when disturbed.
Solution: Spray whitefly with Yates Fruit & Vegie Gun or Nature’s Way Pyrethrum. Set sticky yellow traps (which can be made from yellow plastic smeared with petroleum jelly) near the top of the tomato stakes. Many whiteflies will be attracted to these and become firmly stuck.
Problem: Green caterpillars tunneling holes in fruit.
Solution: Apply Yates Success, a low toxic caterpillar control.
Problem: Blossom drop.
Solution: This can be caused by low temperatures in spring or high temperatures in summer. As conditions improve the problem will usually go away but a variety like Grosse Lisse can be a better choice for early or late cropping.
Problem: Papery brown patches on fruit.
Solution: This is caused by sunscald and can be prevented by shading plants on very hot days.
Problem: Leaves become mottled and dehydrated and tiny mites are visible under leaves.
Solution: Apply Yates Tomato Dust to control mites. They can be particularly prevalent in dry conditions or in glasshouses.
Problem: Spots or patches on leaves.
Solution: Regular applications of Yates Tomato Dust will help protect from most leaf spot problems.
Problem: Plants stop growing and wilt. Tops may become yellow/purple and bunched together. Or stems can turn black.
Solution: Generally, once tomato plants wilt in this way, there is no way to save them. Plants should be destroyed and replaced in another part of the garden. Plant tomatoes in a different place each year, make sure drainage is good and use Yates Tomato Dust regularly.
Comments (7)
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This area is for general comments from the Yates Garden Club community. Questions posted here will not receive a reply from Yates. For specific product advice Contact Us
john
Yates site member
09:07, 10 December 2011
I have problems with a white powder forming on the leaves, do you have any suggestions. Regards John
Donna
Yates site member
04:22, 12 December 2011
Hi John, It sounds to me like you may well have mildew, which is rampant in the hot, muggy weather we have been having recently. Try spraying with Yates' Copper Oxychloride solution. It comes as a powder which you simply mix with water and spray on. The solution is a blue colour, so it's easy to tell if you've got good coverage. Make sure to spray both sides of the leaves, as failure to do so can mean you still loose your plants to this horrid disease. While you're about it, I would suggest you check any curcubits (cucumbers, zucchini, melons, pumpkins or similar) you are growing also, as these are also prone to mildew and it doesn't take long to loose the whole crop if you don't keep on top of it. Good luck and happy gardening. Regards, Donna
Paul
Yates site member
11:25, 12 December 2011
The leaves on my tonatoes plants grown in hanging basket are turning yellow and then died off which by then is brown in colour. When I picked these dead leaves off it has a powdery substance on the leaves. Is the plant affected by disease ? have ohet tomsatoes plants growing in the same glasshouse but dont seem to have this problem. Comments suggestions ?
Merewyn
Yates site member
13:59, 12 December 2011
The biggest problem I have faced in recent years have been powdery mildew, and stem rot, neither of which you have covered in this article.
Tiffany
Yates site member
20:38, 12 December 2011
My toms look fantastic, accept for the bottom leaves which are turning yellow with brown spots. There seems to be no sign of bugs and the tomatoes whilst still green are abundant and clean. Is this a fungus or mildew? I have parsley and lettuce in the same bed. Organic solutions well recieved
Andrew
Yates site member
05:44, 13 December 2011
When growing my tomatoes I have found Yates Bravo product the best for controlling fungal diseases and most important the dreaded blight which we must spray for in North Auckland or totally lose your tomato crop. As long as you spray with Bravo very 7 to 10 days you should have good control of blight and fungal diseases. You only use 3mls per litre of fresh water for the spray mix so 1 200 ml bottle which I find if I buy a bottle early in summer it lasts me all season and part of the next. Regular spraying is the key to control of blight in my tomatoes I have found.
ian
Yates site member
04:09, 17 December 2011
hi ,how do we rid the garden of these green round stink bugs that suck the moisture out of the tomatoes please.cheers Ian
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