her gardening blog

We all love the taste of a fresh, homegrown tomato.  But sometimes tomatoes can be tricky when you are growing them.  Some of the most common challenges include wilting leaves, foliage turning yellow and fruit that is cracking.  In order to keep your tomato plants looking their best, here are some helps for identifying, preventing and treating the most common problems in your tomatoes.  

Sunscald

Sunscald is most often found on green fruit that is overexposed to the sunlight.  It begins as a light spot.  As the tomato ripens, the spot then becomes larger and is a grayish white color.  Quite often these spots will be attacked by decay causing organisms.  In order to prevent sunscald from affecting your tomatoes, you should avoid overpruning your tomatoes.  The foliage of the plants helps to protect and shade your tomatoes.  If you have tomatoes that are exposed, then it would be a good idea to cover them with shade cloth.

Hornworms

These green worms are quite fierce looking and will grow to be up to 4 inches long and will have a horn on their rear end.  They will defoliate your plants and leave giant bit holes in your tomatoes.  You will notice these worms by the black droppings that they leave on the leaves of your plant.  To treat and control hornworms, you will want to pick them off of the tomato plants or use a natural insecticide containing Baccillus thuringiensis.  However, it is important to note that if you see worms covered in white sacs, you will want to leave them alone.  These white sacs are the cocoons of parasite wasps that will eventually kill the hornworm.

Early Blight

You will most often see this fungal disease during periods of frequent rain, high humidity and warm temperatures.  The bottoms of the leaves of the tomato plant are affected first.  You will see irregular dark brown spots and concentric dark rings that will look like a bull’s eye.  These spots are surrounded by leaf tissue that is yellow.  Eventually the leaves will all turn yellow and fall off of the plant, leaving the tomatoes exposed to sunscald.  Fruit that is older will develop sunken spots that are leathery with concentric markings.  Mulch your plants in order to prevent disease spores from splashing up during irrigation.  Avoid watering overhead, especially during the latter part of the day.  Remove any fallen leaves and parts that are diseased.  Do not plant tomatoes, peppers or eggplants in the same spot for at least 3 to 4 years.

Cracking

Are you finding that your tomatoes have radial or concentric cracks?  This most often happens when the fruit grows quickly during a period of rapidly changing weather conditions.  These conditions are most likely things such as high temperatures with drought followed by a rainy spell.  You should always maintain consistent irrigation during dry periods and mulch the plants to conserve moisture.  

Blossom-end Rot

This tomato affliction gets its name from a water-soaked spot at the bottom of the tomato or blossom end.  This spot eventually becomes a brown scar that is leathery.  It most often occurs when tomato plants receive moisture that is fluctuating.  When water levels are uneven, a calcium deficiency occurs in the developing fruit, even if the soil actually has enough calcium in it.  In order to treat and prevent this problem, you will want to maintain moisture levels which are consistent and avoid the use of fertilizers that are heavy in nitrogen.  You can also add a liquid calcium supplement that is mixed with water and given to the plants.

I have only addressed the first five problems that are the most common in tomatoes.  Tomorrow I will cover the other five problems.

Have you experienced any of these problems in your tomatoes?  Leave me a comment and share.

Photo provided by jeltovski

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