help identifying problems with tomatos and their leaves

[snorasaur]

I just bought 2 plants from my local store, and put them in my brand new garden bed. only to notice, upon further inspection, that they dont look good. leaves are curling, discolored, have brown and white spots. I'm pretty new at this, so any help would be appreciated.



Here are the pics:

tomato plants - Google Drive

drive.google.com

also i have a few questions.

-can these plants be saved?

-if not, whats the best way to remove them from my brand new raised garden bed?

-if i remove them, how much soil do i have to remove from the raised bed? its 96" long, 48" wide, and I planted the 2 tomatos on one of the far ends.

-can this infection spread to my other plants in the garden bed? (midnight eggplant, jalapeno, and "big daddy" sweet peppers)

-Also i got some good pictures of 2 different bugs crawling on the leaves. Are these little guys ok to be there? if not, any tips for removing them and preventing their return?



also, someone online mentioned to water the ground of the tomato plants at night, and if the morning the leaf curl looks better, than it may be due to heat or lack of water, but there was no change in leaf curl or discoloration.

again, any help would be much appreciated. I still have them in the planter for now. but may remove them soon, if i cant figure out a better solution.

thanks

 

[snorasaur]

I went back to the store, with pictures, but the guy couldnt see em to well in the sun, and gave us 2 more plants. its a local shop, they dont even have a website or phone.

sadly, there are similar signs on these 2 plants.

i thought i would update u guys with as much info as possible, so here are some more pictures of the 2 new plants, still in the plastic pots.

keep in mind, some of the leaf curl and stem bending on these could be due to the plastic pots being bunched up on tables where they are sold. i just got them from the store yesterday.

pics:

new tomato plants - Google Drive

drive.google.com

also i wanted to note, that the plants in the bed, have only been planted 2 days ago.

 

[snorasaur]

additional info:

-they have been in the garden bed about 2 days.

-i live in central jersey

-i bought the planting soil from costco
www.costco.com/whitney-farms-organic-planting-soil-50-qt..product.100572741.html

-the bed is about 18inches of this, over 1 layer of cardboard, over the lawn which i mowed down as low as i could.

-no fertilizer

-they should get a good amount of sun, but the last 2 days have been partially cloudy.

-ive been watering em often, i stick my finger in, and it comes out dark with moist spots sticking on to it, but not anywhere close to mud. (not sure if this is a good deescription) the soil is darker, because its what came with the pot. must be a diff mix, because it stays a darker color, with or without being recently watered. i try to water em a lot, and i water far around the plant too, even though im sure the roots havent gotten that far yet, but maybe they need more. ill try watering more in the future, unless i hear otherwise

again, any help is appreciated.

thanks

 

[Chuck]

Your plants are sick but not fatally so. Those specks are insects. Spray with Spinosad or Spinosad soap. Your plants need feeding. Get a good liquid fertilizer such as Hasta Grow. Get one with a high middle number. The Hasta Grow is 6-12-6.The purpling of the leaves is cause by a lack of phosphorus and the yellowing is cause by a lack of nitrogen and probably iron also. Just follow the directions on the bottle. NEVER EVER water your plants at night. You are inviting fungal diseases if you do. Always water in the AM. If the plant is NOT wilted in the morning hours it does NOT need watering at this time. Afternoon wilting is normal. The people where you bought the plants never fed them. All they did was water them and all of the nutrients leached out. Just feed them and everything will be fine.

 

[snorasaur]

Your plants are sick but not fatally so. Those specks are insects. Spray with Spinosad or Spinosad soap. Your plants need feeding. Get a good liquid fertilizer such as Hasta Grow. Get one with a high middle number. The Hasta Grow is 6-12-6.The purpling of the leaves is cause by a lack of phosphorus and the yellowing is cause by a lack of nitrogen and probably iron also. Just follow the directions on the bottle. NEVER EVER water your plants at night. You are inviting fungal diseases if you do. Always water in the AM. If the plant is NOT wilted in the morning hours it does NOT need watering at this time. Afternoon wilting is normal. The people where you bought the plants never fed them. All they did was water them and all of the nutrients leached out. Just feed them and everything will be fine.

thanks for the tips, i just ordered this a little while ago. as suggested by another forum poster, on another forum.

Amazon.com : Scotts Super Bloom Water Soluble Plant Food, 2 lb - NPK 12-55-6 - Fertilizer for Outdoor Flowers, Fruiting Plants, Containers and Bed Areas - Feeds Plants Instantly : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : Scotts Super Bloom Water Soluble Plant Food, 2 lb - NPK 12-55-6 - Fertilizer for Outdoor Flowers, Fruiting Plants, Containers and Bed Areas - Feeds Plants Instantly : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

do you think it will be alright?

also just ordered spinosad soap

 

[Chuck]

thanks for the tips, i just ordered this a little while ago. as suggested by another forum poster, on another forum.

Amazon.com : Scotts Super Bloom Water Soluble Plant Food, 2 lb - NPK 12-55-6 - Fertilizer for Outdoor Flowers, Fruiting Plants, Containers and Bed Areas - Feeds Plants Instantly : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : Scotts Super Bloom Water Soluble Plant Food, 2 lb - NPK 12-55-6 - Fertilizer for Outdoor Flowers, Fruiting Plants, Containers and Bed Areas - Feeds Plants Instantly : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

do you think it will be alright?

also just ordered spinosad soap

NO!!! Throw that garbage away. One slight mistake and you could kill your plants with that stuff. I told you what to get. It is the best for your purpose. Who ever told you to use this garbage on tomatoes doesn't know a damn thing about fertilizers or vegetables.

 

[snorasaur]

thanks, ordered it.

also, a third user in a third forum mentioned that if my soil says "for in ground use" that it should probs be mixed 50/50 with topsoil.

but theres like a million kinds.

can you please recommend a type of topsoil or garden soil that would be good to mix into this "for in ground use" planting soil
many are "enhanced" or have plant food in them, so it can be a bit overwhelming. I do know I want to get new soil though, because im afraid any soil i could dig up will be full of weed seeds.

I plan on using dried grass clippings to mulch it after 2 weeks or so though. this worked well in my last garden.

would u recommend something very plain like this, and just fertilize it
https://www.amazon.com/Michigan-Peat-55 ... =8-15&th=1

or something like this, and use less/no fertilizer?
https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Gro-7605 ... 50&sr=8-18

or even something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/Minute-Soil-Comp ... Q4KX6?th=1

thanks

also i have idea how im gunna mix the new soil in. i can try to mix it in around the plants, or i could take all 9 plants out, and replant em, idk

 

[Chuck]

thanks, ordered it.

also, a third user in a third forum mentioned that if my soil says "for in ground use" that it should probs be mixed 50/50 with topsoil.

but theres like a million kinds.

can you please recommend a type of topsoil or garden soil that would be good to mix into this "for in ground use" planting soil
many are "enhanced" or have plant food in them, so it can be a bit overwhelming. I do know I want to get new soil though, because im afraid any soil i could dig up will be full of weed seeds.

I plan on using dried grass clippings to mulch it after 2 weeks or so though. this worked well in my last garden.

would u recommend something very plain like this, and just fertilize it
https://www.amazon.com/Michigan-Peat-55 ... =8-15&th=1

or something like this, and use less/no fertilizer?
https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Gro-7605 ... 50&sr=8-18

or even something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/Minute-Soil-Comp ... Q4KX6?th=1

thanks

also i have idea how im gunna mix the new soil in. i can try to mix it in around the plants, or i could take all 9 plants out, and replant em, idk

Where are you located? Aren't there any garden centers or nurserys there? Anyway, stay away from Miracle Grow stuff. It is as bad as Scotts products. I am not a big fan of peat moss either. It has no nutritional values and is anti-microbial. Don't get topsoil unless it says it has been sterilized

 

[DirtMechanic]

So you need three things. 1) slow down. 2) learn about sanitation. Grass clippings for example almost certainly harbors leaf spot fungus. 3) Learn that insects are the vector for virus and bacterial infections.

You will have a spray program for tomatoes. You can choose to add things to sprays like insecticidal soaps, neem oil or other mild preventatives. Better to be slightly ahead of the curve on pathogens that like to eat tomatoes.

Also there are tomato specific fertilizers like @Chuck suggested. The NPK numbers stand for Up-Down-All Around. The low nitrogen prevents green growth when it is actually flowers you are after. The high phosphorus grows roots each of which will be feeding a branch above it that the niteogen helps grow, and the lower potassium ensures overall plant health and cellular energy. You can cover with a mulch later and not disturb sensitive feeding roots too small for you to see. Preferably a amendment that has been sterilized or composted away from the plants.

If you read the fertilizer ingredients of a gardening fertilizer you will see micro nutrients listed. Calcium is important for tomato. So are others like magnesium and sulfer for flavor. I won't go into why, but wanted to say do not over do them,and realize they do not all come in a form usable to a plant. This is why chuck recommended a certain fertilizer. If you were to buy something like raw sulphur, it would take the bacteria 6 months to digest it into a usable form in soil by which time your tomatoes would have fruited and gone by the season.

 

[snorasaur]

just an update, i fertilized the bed today with The Hasta Grow is 6-12-6. For now, i plan on not adding any new soil.

i put 1 oz in about 1 galleon of water, as instructed. but it just says to "water thoroughly". so i used the whole galleon on the 8' X 4' bed, watering around the 9 plants, giving the tomatos the most, because they are largest, and probs need it the most. it says to repeat this every 2 to 3 weeks.

heres what the bottle looks like, to any one wondering.

20210527_202325.jpg

drive.google.com

20210527_202336.jpg

drive.google.com

 

[Chuck]

just an update, i fertilized the bed today with The Hasta Grow is 6-12-6. For now, i plan on not adding any new soil.

i put 1 oz in about 1 galleon of water, as instructed. but it just says to "water thoroughly". so i used the whole galleon on the 8' X 4' bed, watering around the 9 plants, giving the tomatos the most, because they are largest, and probs need it the most. it says to repeat this every 2 to 3 weeks.

heres what the bottle looks like, to any one wondering.

20210527_202325.jpg

drive.google.com

20210527_202336.jpg

drive.google.com

I don't think you are mixing enough fertilizer. 9 plants per gallon=less than a pint per plant. I fertilize my tomatoes with about 1 1/2 quarts every 2 weeks.

 

[DirtMechanic]

To make this point relative to an in ground garden where 1 inch of water is used per week, one must understand there is 231 cubic inches of water in a gallon. Thus the 32 square feet you have would need enough water (and not all at once mind you) for 32sf X 144sq inch/sq foot for a total product of 4,608 square inches or closer to 20 gallons of your mix. Since 1 ounce is equal to 15 mL it is 20 ounces or 300mL of fertilizer.

For a raised bed I would follow the 1/2 oz per gallon instructions (or even 1/4 oz) and apply as often as needed in every watering as to keep the soil slightly moist. This would still be potent quantity of fertilizer, especially over time.

1/2 ounce is basically a tablespoon. 3 teaspoons in a Tablespoon for a finer division with convenient measuring tools.

 

[snorasaur]

rained the last few days. but ill try this. no visual change in the plants so far

 

[snorasaur]

I don't think you are mixing enough fertilizer. 9 plants per gallon=less than a pint per plant. I fertilize my tomatoes with about 1 1/2 quarts every 2 weeks.

per plant? and this is 1oz per galleon right?

 

[Chuck]

per plant? and this is 1oz per galleon right?

Yes, I mix 2 oz of Hasta Grow in a 2 gallon watering can and I water 5 plants. I have done this since transplanting them. The following pictures show 5 tomato plants in each group except for the one's in the center where there are 4 plants.