I am getting dead leaves on the bottom 1 to 1/2 ft of the plant. I had a problem with white flies up at the house but can't find any white flies on these in the garden. Had tomatoes there last year (different rows) with out any problems. Plants are mulched with grass about 3in thick and are staked. Tops are OK just the bottoms, we had a lot of rain in the previous months in Tennessee and now we are in a dry spell. Could this be a fungus as it is uniform over each plant?
Are your lower leaves touching the ground? Getting splashed with water when watering etc?? That could cause problems. I always take the bottom leaves off early in the season.
Blight, I guess.
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/publications/pm1266.pdf
Have to admit I made a mistake the other day, I only touched the plant to check for white flies. Today (fri) I was tying them up and saw many DEAD white flies on the leaves and a few still alive flying around. Guess these are my problem to correct. Thanks Jnette , bottom leaves are 6 inches from the 3 inch layer of grass mulch haven't had to water in this part of TN. Thanks Adam, I think it might be the white flies as this is a new spot for tomatoes (rotation),I till 3-4- times (clay soil) and my Dad always said tomato and potato plants have to be burned which I do. --joe
Not sure, but you might spray with some neem oil mixture.
On tomato plants do white flies favor older, tougher leaves over more tender ones?
Adam I think so as the worst are the bottom layers, the larva suck juice from the underneath so probably more food in older leaves or the eggs take a while to mature so the leaf keeps growing. I see my Roma are sending new shoots out from the stem by the damaged leaves. But I think the plant itself is fighting back as there is a lot of dead moths on the leaves just it can't handle the heavy numbers. i didn't see any beneficials on the plants so I am going to use a pyrtherin spray. We had lots of lady bugs the last few years- I wonder where they went.--joe
So I've just noticed white flies (never had them before so not sure if that is what the white tiny things are) and my tomato leaves are turning brown. They were doing so well when I first transplanted 2 weeks ago, not the plants are stalled. the white things are on my peppers and lemon cucumbers. I sprayed the undersides of all leaves with neem oil the other night, but the plants look worse today.
I tell ya, I've about had it with trying to grow tomatoes in Florida.
Jan
Jan, We have finished our garden and the tomatoes did recover after I sprayed them with Pyrthrin (organic). The problem with spraying for white flies is that the eggs and larvae are on the underside of the leaves. The adult moths that you see are on top and bottom of the leaves. I had to use a fine spray with a long wand and soak the entire bush top, bottom, and underside. Wear a filter mask so you don't breathe the spray and long sleeves. Safety, first ever though it is organic. after a day or 2 take off all leaves that have yellow/brown spots up to about 50% of the plant, then wait a week before pruning more. I was spraying about once a week for 3 weeks, got control down to about 30%. Also had white flies on the flowers, squash ( all kinds)( + stink bugs). Peppers, beets,broccoli were unaffected but the carrots were hit (couldn't spray so I left them and they did recover-won't dig for another 6 weeks. Hope this helps...Joe
