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Tomato Insects and Disease
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Insects and Diseases
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| Condition | Appearance | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blossom End Rot | The bottom of tomatoes that are beginning to ripen turn black or brown. | Uneven water supply or calcium deficiency. | Side dress plants with lime, and water regularly during prolonged dry spells. |
| Splitting | Fruit splits open as it grows. | Too much water. | If overabundant rain is the problem there isn't much you can do. Try growing resistant varieties. |
| Catfacing | Swollen areas and creases on the fruit. | Abnormal development of the flower and cool weather. | --- |
| Blossom Drop | Early blooms drop off of plants. | Night temperatures below 55 degrees. | Plant resistant varieties. |
| Leaf Curl | Curled or rolled leaves. | Heavy pruning. | This condition will not effect the crop. |
| Sunscald | Yellowish-white patches on tomatoes. | Too much sun. | Plant varieties that develop heavy foliage and don't overprune. |
| Early Blight | Brown spots on leaves, surrounded by yellow. | Fungus. | Mulch to prevent splashing and use tomato dust. MN EXTENSION SERVICE |
| Condition | Appearance | Cause | Solution |
| Late Blight | Leaves develop large brown spots and wither. Brown spots on fruit. | Fungus. | Destroy affected plants and plant resistant varieties. |
| Leaf Spot | Leaves have small spots with light centers. They may turn yellow and drop off. Occurs mainly in the southeast. | Fungus. | Rotate crops and plant resistant varieties. |
| Aphids | Tiny (less than 1/10 inch) soft bodied pear shaped insects with whiplike antennae. Varied in color. Leaves turn yellow. | Insect | Plant alliums such as garlic and chives. Anise, coriander, nasturtiums, and petunias may be helpful. Use yellow sticky traps or yellow dishes containing soapy water. Soap-Shield and mint tea spray is highly effective. Lacewings will eat 100 aphids per day. |
| Flea Beetle | Notorious jumping insects, most under 1/10 inch long. Wide range of colors. | Insect | Keep the garden clean and free of debris. Wormwood Spray and Red Pepper Spray are effective. |
| Condition | Appearance | Cause | Solution |
| Colorado Potato Beetle | These predators will strip the plant of foliage. Adults are 1/3 inch long with a hard round outer shell. Creamy yellow with ten black stripes. Larvae are reddish with two rows of black dots, black head and legs. | Insect and Larvae. | Rotate crops in the Solanaceae family which include potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. Interplant with horseradish, dead nettle, catnip, coriander, nasturtiums, and tansy. Spray with cedar or basil tea or a solution of 2 tbs. Epsom salts in a gallon of water. |
| Hornworms | They devour huge amounts of leaves and sometimes fruits. They leave behind waste that resembles rabbit pellets. Caterpillars are 4 inches long and green with 7 or 8 white stripes down the sides, shadowed by black dots and ending in a false eye spot. Can't miss them. | Caterpillar | Fall
tilling helps to destroy underground pupae. Rotating
crops helps. Interplant with borage (this also
improves tomato flavor) opal basil, and marigolds.
Dill is a good trap crop. Spray with Bt |
| Stinkbugs | These hard backed gray bugs exude a stinking fluid when touched. Younger bugs are brown. Tips of leaves will wilt. | Insect | They drop off plants when disturbed. Try knocking them into a can with a stick. Lizards will eliminate them. |
