ok - better bad picts

16 years ago

in response to doof, btw thanks!, figured I'd plop this in a new thread and let the old one die...

ok, couple of picts & questions if anyone has the time....

1) this breaking of stems is happening everywhere, is there anything I can do about it once it happens? can the stem be 'healed'? maybe tying a piece of cloth around it and keeping it damp?

{{gwi:1378277}}

another example... this breaking is fairly rampant... I'd just snip it off but there are still plenty of too-early-to-pick fruits growing on the broken stem...

{{gwi:1378279}}

2) same for the fruit trusses... anything I can do about it?

{{gwi:1378281}}

3) the entire front section of the garden looks like this... sun damage?

{{gwi:1378283}}

4) the entire inside looks like this (along with more broken stems and general crashing around of plants)

{{gwi:1378285}}

5) this looked like septoria weeks ago, but after the mancozeb, it morphed into what now looks like bacterial speck... so I'm going to treat for that, figuring alternating between a neem/seaweed spray and cornmeal tea.... any better organic advice is very welcomed!!!!!

{{gwi:1378287}}

6) aside from a few baby hornworms and the occasional leaf miner, only the outer plants are loaded with these guys... hopefully neem is a good solution?

{{gwi:1378289}}

7) finally, is this normal? its the stem of my yellow pear, every stem is coverd in these bumps

{{gwi:1378291}}

thank you all! hopefully this is a fun and good learning post, sorry my picts before made my garden look a bit more rosey than it actually is...

if you want to see more, I put up about 40 more picts here, some more death & decay and falling plants:

http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c54/buck1173/tomato%20garden%20disaster/

THANKYOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Comments (6)

digdirt2
16 years ago
Ahhh, now we see the problems. ;) Nothing really major tho I know it can be worrisome to you.

The stem breaks and bends are common for all of us regardless of the support system used and most all of them will heal themselves. No new growth usually develops but the fruit that is already there will still ripen as long as the break isn't complete. You can, if you wish, make an effort to mend some of the worst ones (duct tape, cloth wrap, string support, etc.) but in my experience it often does more damage trying to fix than if you just leave alone. This late in the season I sure wouldn't get too aggressive. ;) If all else fails, pick the fruit and cut off the branch. The fruit will ripen on the kitchen counter.

The "disease" - some is normal leaf death for the time of year, some looks like bacterial spot/speck to me. If I am correct the best fix is some aggressive pruning and thinning of the jungle leaf branches to increase you air circulation inside the patch. As already discussed, you are overcrowded so all those infected branches can easily be sacrificed along with alot of the healthy leafy branches. The patch won't look as nice but it will be healthier. Prune early in the AM or late in the evening, not in the heat of the day, and remove all the infected stuff from the garden.

I don't usually do chem sprays this late in the season but that's up to you. You are going to have plenty of good fruit to harvest befor frost so I would argue that aggressive chem treatments at this time will only cost you $$ and accomplish little. JMHO

The "worm" is a tomato fruitworm (aka corn earworm, etc.) just pick them off and squish them or drown them in a dish of soapy water. Might want to buy some BT dust (Dipel) to have on hand for them next year.

The "bumps" on the stems are normal. They are called stem primordia and may develop all along any tomato stem. Often it is a response to high humidity levels in the air. They are root initials and are not harmful to the plant.

I'm sure others will have even more info to share but i hope this is of help. Crank down your admitted "obsession" just a notch ;) and enjoy the fruits of all your 1st years hard work.

Dave
jbann23
16 years ago
Listen to digdirt, he's spot on. You've got to figure that later tomatoes will make those branches quite heavy and tie them up so the strain if on the stakes or trellis. Sounds like you're having a good year, wonderful.
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fishymamas
16 years ago
Only 1 thing to add, it looks like you used yarn (red heart I believe) to retie them, yarn will streach under the weight, and loses it's ability to "support", so maybe plan on zip ties (no streaching or breaking) or else something less streachy. Other than that, Dave's given you a soild plan.
buck1173
Original Author
16 years ago
Dave and all, thanks so much.

man, I'll probably have a stroke if I ever have 'real' problems : )

Wish I could get in to prune more, but as I mentioned, the further I try to reach in, the more branches break and tomatoes fall... so I'm just gonna learn from my mistakes and do better next year.

thanks a million!

oh, I used jute line to tie them up (its dyed green, which I hate, but its what they had left at the store),

There is a little stretching (or shifting) going on and I have to do a lot of re-tying. I just simply didn't know how to tie them up properly, then they grew like weeds out of control seemingly overnight. I'll do better in the future, but thats for the tip!
digdirt2
16 years ago
Just prune your way into the middle. As you clear from the outside it will be much easier to access the middle without any damage. ;)

Tying up branches - use a figure eight (8) pattern around the branch and then around the support - knot on the support, not the stem. Thin strips of fabric or old nylon stockings strips work better than string. Some use strips of velcro. But breaks/bends more than 48 hours old will have started to heal already so should just be left alone or you will do more damage.

Dave
buck1173
Original Author
16 years ago
great tip, thanks Dave....

you are like the Obi-Wan of tomatoing... is growing a hobby or profession for you?

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