Help: tomato trouble

[R.R.]

I'm very happy with how my tomato plants are growing and they're full of tomatoes. Today, though, I saw the first group of bugs under a leave sorry, the camera didn't focus on the bugs) and then I found this tomato and I don't know what's wrong.

 

[Chuck]

View attachment 2778 View attachment 2779 I'm very happy with how my tomato plants are growing and they're full of tomatoes. Today, though, I saw the first group of bugs under a leave sorry, the camera didn't focus on the bugs) and then I found this tomato and I don't know what's wrong.

The first picture is of leaf footed stink bug eggs. Go thru your plants with a fine tooth comb and smash them. When they hatch they will be little bity red bugs with black legs and when grown will destroy everything in your garden. Spray everything in your garden, top and bottom of the leaves with neem oil. In 7 days spray heavily with 2 oz spinosad and 1 oz molasses per gallon of water. Watch your plants closely. If you see any of those little bugs spray them directly with spinosad. The second picture is what is called blossom end rot. Sprinkle a handfull of epsom salts all around the base of your tomato plants and water it in. It won't fix the tomatoes that already have BER but it will stop it from affecting any more tomatoes

 

[R.R.]

Thanks, Chuck. The only thing I had in hand was the garlic and hot peppers tea and I sprayed them, but I'll try to get the spinosad, the neem oil, and the epsom salts a.s.a.p.

 

[Chuck]

Thanks, Chuck. The only thing I had in hand was the garlic and hot peppers tea and I sprayed them, but I'll try to get the spinosad, the neem oil, and the epsom salts a.s.a.p.

The garlic pepper tea will take care them but lets not take any chances. I found them on my squash yesterday. All during the winter leaf footed stinkbugs somehow kept getting into my house by the dozens. This has never happened before. I am afraid that this year is going to be terrible because of these things. They don't hurt the plants, they just ruin the fruits. When ever in the garden keep a spray bottle of diluted dishwashing soap with you. One squirt of this on a stink bug and he is DRT. I am going to spray my entire garden today with neem oil and I might spray again in the morning. If I can coat all of those eggs with neem it will stop this menace or at least slow them down enough to be managable. You can't take these bugs more seriously. Be super aggressive or they will take over

 

[firelily99]

Really good advice Chuck...as usual. Uneven watering patterns with tomatoes and other veggies can cause BER. Even brief fluctuations in the watering will impact the calcium levels in the plants.

 

[R.R.]

We had 4 inches of rain a few days ago. Maybe that did it. I will take them bugs seriously, because I want my tomatoes!

 

[Chuck]

We had 4 inches of rain a few days ago. Maybe that did it. I will take them bugs seriously, because I want my tomatoes!

I wasn't just the rain it is something in our soils that does this. It looks like the tomato in the pic and the ones behind it are Roma varieties. I have found that Romas are much more prone to BER than other varieties. Interestingly cherry tomatos hardly ever have the problem. Anyway, from now on when you plant your tomatos scatter a good handfull of ES around them right after you stick them in the ground and you will never see this again.

 

[R.R.]

It's only happening to my San Marzano tomatoes for now, but I'll do it with all the others, too. Are there any other plants that could benefit from the epsom salts?

 

[headfullofbees]

Crush up a few calcium carbonate tablets and put a pinch of the resulting powder around each tomato.
Blossom end rot is primarily caused by calcium deficiency.
Epsom salts helps your plants take up calcium in the soil, but if levels are depleted, you'll need to add some.

 

[R.R.]

This is not BER, is it? To my non-expert eyes, it looks like it's starting to color, but from the bottom. Am I right?

 

[Chuck]

I don't think that is BER but it could be. I think a better bet would be insect damage. A lot of times there will be a tiny hole somewhere on the fruit and it causes premature ripening. Just have to wait and see.

 

[R.R.]

We'll wait then.

 

[R.R.]

This is the only plant that is already giving me tomatoes. It's a Better Bush. What is wrong with its leaves? I've done a little research and I'm thinking maybe spider mites? I keep them sprayed with neem oil and spinosad.

 

[Chuck]

To check for spider mites turn the leaf over and look for little tiny reddish spots about 1/2 the size of ground black pepper. I don't think that is spider mites though. It looks more like early blight and there isn't much you can do except spray with peroxide and plant wash. Distributing whole ground corn meal at the base of the plant helps and so does spraying with cornmeal tea. Early blight gets us all and I haven't really heard what causes it or how to completely stop it. It usually starts at the bottom of the plant and works its way up. It usually precludes spider mites by about a month. There isn't a chemical fix either.

 

[headfullofbees]

Chuck's Epsom salts looks like the answer to me.

handful in a spray bottle, and it'll green them up in no time.