I have four different type tomato plants (one is heirloom) and three look bad like they are dying. Two of the three are loaded with tomatoes and the third just has one tomato but several flowers. I’m trying to stay organic and have only sprayed with neem oil (combatting tomato pinworms). Thought I had gotten rid of the pinworms and several weeks later, the leaves start turning yellow. The tomatoes are in containers and I’m watering nearly every day (Florida, no rain, and hot). I used an organic fertilizer at planting but hadn’t added anymore fertilizer until after 7 weeks. Any suggestions??
Tomato plants not looking healthy
Is it possible you are over watering them? Sometimes it can Cause Yellow Leaves
Also, a trick my granddaddy used was to plant the tomatoes with egg shells. It gave them Calcium that seemed to keep them healthier.
What are the ratios on the organic fertilizer you are using? Does it just provide the macronutrients or micronutrients as well? Supplementing container-grown tomatoes with calcium is a good idea, but eggshells will take forever to break down especially in a potting mix with little or no microbial life, so something like Superthrive or a quick release fruit and vegetable fertilizer (won't be organic)
All that said, it appears its the lower leaves that are affected, which is pretty typical for tomatoes, especially if you are getting rain or other sources of water on the leaves. I would simply cut off and discard the damaged leaves; tomatoes can take an insane amount of pruning without ill effect on fruit production. And, getting additional sunlight onto developing fruit helps it ripen faster (at least in my experience)
Good luck!
LA, your pictures show a fungus known as “early blight”. I live in TX. and have had my share of blight issues. Our hot and humid climate is the perfect environment for blight. It begins on the the lower leaves and works it’s way upward. Unfortunately once you have it you can only treat it, however caught early your plants can survive. The best organic approach is a solution mixed with the following natural ingredients:
-1 qt. water
-1 tbsp baking soda
-1 tbsp Neem Oil
-1 tbsp dish soap (earth friendly)
-1 spray bottle (1) qt. capacity
Place ingredients in a spray bottle in the order listed. The oil helps keep soap suds at a minimum while helping the solution stay on the leaves for a longer time. Spray the solution once per week to help control the affected plants. You should spray in the early morning or evening after the sun has begun to set. This will help stressing your plants too much. There are other tips I can PM you if you’d like.
Good Luck !
I live in Northern Ontario near North Bay and I also have the leaf blight. Everything I've tried hasn't worked so I have learned to live with it as once it is in the soil you can't get rid of it. It doesn't affect the tomatoes as I get more than I can handle every year and they are nicely formed tomatoes.. I tried copper spray, rotating and taking all the dead and dying leaves off the plants and bleach the frames that I have them tied to before I put them away for the winter and nothing seems to work.
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