This is my 1st ever tomato plant. It stopped growing a month or so ago & I posted & a few dg friends said it should be OK & to wait. But now the plant is starting to look sick. Can anyone give me some advice? Should I Yank it & try again? I live in Clearwater FL & its been a wet, humid & hot summer already but I make sure it has water, fertilizer & mulch weekly. All my other (younger) tomato plants are thriving. Thanks for any help.
looks like you may very well have a plant infested with Blight:
http://www.tomatodirt.com/tomato-blight-early.html
Yes thats definetly early blight. Can use Bravo(clorothalonil) or another fungicide on a weekly schedule to prevent its further spread. Tank mix or alternate sprays with copper. Both products can be purchased at Lowes or Home Depot or any garden center.
I pulled the plant cuz I have about 15 other tomato plants nearby but now they're starting to do the same thing. I guess I.ll get the copper stuff. Such a bummer. What causes this blight?
I believe that it is a fungus disease. Water the ground not the plant and use varieties of plants that are resistant to the different blights. Rotation of crops helps also. I sprinkle corn meal around each plant.
Thanks jeri11!!
brownthumb78,
Early blight is most common in spring and early summer when tomatoes first become productive, early blight is caused by the fungus Alternaria solani. The fungus first attacks the foliage lowest on the stem, causing brown, yellow or black spots to form before the leaves eventually die. Early blight may also infect early-setting fruit, causing the area around the stem to shrivel and sink. The fungus thrives in warm, wet weather such as during hot, rainy springs and summers. So yes you do not want to wet the foliage.
Some tomato varieties are resistant to early blight. Potatoes also get the disease. It would be good not to grow tomatoes or potatoes in the area where you have the disease for a few years. Fungicides are most effective if you use them before the disease develops.
