skip to main content

Growing Tomatoes

Tomato leaf disease question

15 years ago

Help! 4th year of gardening...I have a tomato leaf disease...sort of looks like early blight, but I don't see all the spots on the leaves. Last year I had early blight like mad in the garden and spots were all over...I could have cried...Is it early blight w/o all the spotting on the leaves again? Or something else? I tried looking up tomato disease sites, but I can't find exact matches...

I put down about 10 layers of newspaper and grass clippings when planting--limiting any soil splash. Lower branches were pruned several times early in the season. I've sprayed with daconidil (sp?) multiple times, with limited success. We've had a very wet June and July is now drying out. Can anyone help before all is lost?? Any other suggestions??? I've posted a link to the pictures on Flickr.com. Thanks in advance!

Here is a link that might be useful: Flickr account--pictures of tomato leaf disease

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

johnny_tomato_seed
15 years ago
Noobie here. But I am going to take a stab at it. It looks like too much water to me. Get yourself a moisture meter ($10) from Home Depot. Pick one plant and don't water it at all. Wait about a week or better two and see if that one plant is doing better than the rest.
pepperjeremy
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks for the input. I have not watered at all this season...I've let the downpours have their way. I'm in Indiana...we've had plenty of rain, but not like Wisconsin or Iowa. I'm also gardening in a raised bed that drains fairly well...

The only thing that makes me think it's not overwatering is that I've seen the yellowing leaves slowly progress up the plant. Yellow leaves are now showing up about 3 feet on the plant...a few weeks ago, they were the ones closest to the ground. Do you still think watering is the issue?
Related Discussions
Tomato Curly Leaf Disease
Q
Comments (6)
They won't be poisonous, but they may not taste very good. None of the tomato diseases cause problems to humans to my knowledge but, depending on the disease, they can spoil the fruit. Also, depending on the disease, it may alter the pH of the fruit, thus you may need to take that into consideration if you are planning on preserving them and storing them for any length of time. For example, Late Blight causes this problem - it won't bother you if you eat fruits with Late Blight, but it's recommended that you not preserve fruits affected by Late Blight because the disease raises the pH of the fruits and you cannot trust the shelf life, since the shelf life of canned tomatoes and other tomato products is dependent on the lower pH of unaffected fruits. You might want to take a taste of the tomatoes and see if they are palatable. Sometimes they are and sometimes they are just horrible. It depends on the disease. Personally, I would just throw them out, but I'm overly sensitive about that stuff. You might be a braver soul. :-)
...See More
Daconil for tomato leaf diseases...Arguments?
Q
Comments (16)
All check out a blog called Tomatoville. It has lots of advice. If you have mildew or mold spray with 5 ounces of bleach to 1 gallon of water at dusk or dawn. Then 5 days later spray copper mix, then 5 days later spray Daconil Mix. Keep this schedule and never spray during hot or sunny periods. You do this combined with using resistant varieties and you will not have a problem. This also works on most all vegetables. Note while sulfur will help tomatoes it is poison to cucurbits so be careful. BTW Bayer Advanced has a great concentrate product that you add to a early spring watering and it absorbs through the roots. If any insects eat the leaves (leaf miners, white fly, etc) they die but it does not harm bees or butterfly’s. https://m.lowes.com/pd/BAYER-ADVANCED-32-fl-oz-Fruit-Citrus-and-Vegetable-Insect-Control/3170999?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA--LawnGarden--OutdoorPesticide-_-3170999:BAYER_ADVANCED&CAWELAID=&kpid=3170999&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=2371&k_clickID=5e2496f1-b1ff-4a7a-94ae-12538511d6a1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj7-krLnL2gIVlrrACh2cQAn5EAQYASABEgJ1zPD_BwE On Tomatoville search for a thread called Mite Mix. There are some good creations for fighting spider mites.
...See More
Tomato Leaf Disease
Q
Comments (4)
Where on the plant are those leaves? Toward the top or toward the bottom? This link may be of some help. http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/veg_fruit/hgic2217.html kimmq is kimmsr
...See More
Help! Tomato Leaf Disease!
Q
Comments (8)
I'm with donna_in_sask on this post for pic #2 it really very, very tenuous. I'm not sure whether "Brandywine leaf curl" refers to pic #1 or #2 as titled, and I can't tell a potato leaf from a regular leaf in the pics with the small fields of view. Closeups are essential but so may be wide-field views. We don't know where these plants are climate wise? Are they in California? We can't see if the plants are stunted, etc... we have to take the word of the OP that "everything is OK, first time grower" without the chance to look it over, so any help is going to be severely limited. It would be better to post pics of the plants in situ and a run down of the environmental conditions up front. Anyone with an opinion or fresh mind can then judge independently. Agree the leaf roll is nothing to worry much about with OP. However: as the second pic with the twisted curl, How could one know if it were the onset of beet curly top virus or tomato yellow leaf curl virus? These diagnoses are usually not simple things like a litmus test. Knowing little of the context for the pic: herbicide drift sounds good. But something new was added ... drought conditions. It is possible we are seeing a response to drought on the young leaves twisting up like that. PC
...See More
wvtomatoman
15 years ago
I don't think it's a watering issue. I suspect it is a disease brought on by wet conditions. It is most likely fungal based. On a couple of the leaves I thought I noticed the characteristic concentric circles of Early Blight. So, inspect the leaves more closely for that. A lot of these diseases can be hard to diagnose in person and substantially harder via the internet. You might want to consult your local extension service. Also, I've included a hyperlink below that may help with identifying your problem. Or you might want to google the various diseases and click on images.

Good luck.

Randy

Here is a link that might be useful: Problem Solver

Related Stories

EDIBLE GARDENS Summer Crops: How to Grow Tomatoes

By Marianne Lipanovich

Plant tomato seedlings in spring for one of the best tastes of summer, fresh from your backyard

FARM YOUR YARD Cool-Season Vegetables: How to Grow Lettuce

By Marianne Lipanovich

Leaf, butterhead, crisphead or romaine — lettuce is best harvested in the cool weather of spring and fall

FARM YOUR YARD Houzz Call: Home Farmers, Show Us Your Edible Gardens

By Stacy Briscoe

We want to see where your tomatoes, summer squashes and beautiful berries are growing this summer

SUMMER FRUITS AND VEGETABLES Summer Crops: How to Grow Tomatillos

By Marianne Lipanovich

Grow this Mexican native for the freshest salsa verde — and for fewer problems than its tomato cousins

0

GARDENING GUIDES Essential Watering Tips for Your Edible Garden

By Marianne Lipanovich

To give your edible plants just what they need, check out these guidelines for how, when and how much to water

FARM YOUR YARD 6 Things to Know Before You Start Growing Your Own Food

By Abundant City

It takes time and practice, but growing edibles in the suburbs or city is possible with smart prep and patience

FALL GARDENING 5 Ways to Put Fall Leaves to Work in Your Garden

By Therese Ciesinski

Improve your soil and yard the organic way with a valuable garden booster that grows on trees

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES Gardening for the Bees, and Why It’s a Good Thing

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

When you discover how hard bees work for our food supply, you may never garden without them in mind again

GARDENING GUIDES 10 Easy Edibles for First-Time Gardeners

By Marianne Lipanovich

Focus on these beginner-friendly vegetables, herbs, beans and salad greens to start a home farm with little fuss

EDIBLE GARDENS Garden BFFs? Why Your Vegetables Are Begging for Companion Plants

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Foster friendships among plants for protection from pests, pollination support and color camaraderie

Sponsored

CHC & Family Developments

4 Reviews

Industry Leading General Contractors in Franklin County, Ohio

More Discussions

Has anyone heard of a storage tomato? Looking at Giallorosso di Crispi

4

"Purple" tomatoes?

4

What tools and materials for planting tomato

0