By Lauren Goldsby
Tomatoes are my favorite plant to have growing in the garden. The smell of their trichomes (those small hairlike structures they have on their stems) always brings a smile to my face. However, success with your tomatoes can depend on a few factors, and it can feel like a constant battle with unknown intruders. This article will cover the most common problems your tomatoes may face.
Blossom End-Rot
Brown circular spots on the bottoms of tomatoes are due to a nutritional deficiency of calcium rather than a pest or disease. Once the spots have appeared, there is nothing you can do for the affected fruit, but adding a calcium supplement to the soil will help new fruit that the plant makes. Save your eggshells for the compost pile! Calcium from eggshells will not break down fast enough to be available to your plant. A calcium-based fertilizer supplement is best to use here.
Hornworms
There are two moth larvae, tobacco and tomato hornworm, that can cause serious damage to your tomato plants. They have great camouflage and can be hard to spot until they get larger in size.
Adults are commonly considered hawkmoths. They lay eggs on tomato leaves in the evening. Regular scouting of plants can help you to catch hornworms while they are small and cause relatively little damage. If allowed to grow to a larger size, they can defoliate an entire plant and eat into green tomatoes. Hand removal is a safe and effective method of control. In larger plantings where hand removal is not possible, the biological insecticide, Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) is recommended. Bt is a bacterium that kills the caterpillar when ingested and does not negatively affect beneficial insect populations. Follow label instructions.
Tomato Wilt
Tomato wilt is one of the more frustrating problems to have with your tomato plants. It can be caused by both bacterial and fungal pathogens that live in the soil. It is more common when tomatoes are overwatered in high-heat environments. Symptoms usually start with a small portion of the top of the plant wilting, even though there is adequate soil moisture. This wilting continues, and eventually the whole plant will wilt. There is no treatment for wilt once it has started, and plants should be removed and discarded to help reduce spread of the pathogen. Make sure to clean tools, shoes, and other equipment that came in close contact with infected plants. Rotate your crop location next season to avoid growing tomatoes in the same location every year.
While Spring tomato season is coming to an end here in the Panhandle, it’s the perfect time to plan for Fall tomatoes in your garden! Keep an eye out for these common tomato problems.
An Equal Opportunity Institution. UF/IFAS Extension, University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Andra Johnson, Dean. Single copies of UF/IFAS Extension publications (excluding 4-H and youth publications) are available free to Florida residents from county UF/IFAS Extension offices. Contact our office at (850) 248-8091 or email legoldsby@ufl.edu. Follow us on Facebook @bayifas and Instagram @ufifasbay.
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