Tomato plant bottom leaves starting to turn yellow

[Chuck]

Here is a flyer on their product. There are others but I went here because it is an ag product ready to go with other materials. I was reading coneflower works really well also but I just cannot find some of this stuff in a reasonable way.

You would think that the Promax people would list the most common soil pathogen in North America on their label, but, Alternaria Solani isn't there. I wonder if it works on EB. It seems most of the pathogens it controls are root related.

 

[DirtMechanic]

It is and it isn't. Early blight fungus is spread through the soil AND it's also windborn. So even if you did change soil you still might get it. If you were me I'd do what I do. I just keep the soil from splashing up on the plant by using about 3 inches of mulch and I keep the lower limbs that have leaves close to the ground pruned off. You might still get early blight from windborn fungal spores but the odds are greatly reduced. I grew 70 plants this year and 9 had EB. I did what I've suggested to you and kept the plants alive long enough for a total harvest.

I also have it trying to get into a few tomato. I have 32 plant and at least 5 have started showing a little at the bottom. But the plants are taller than I am an it literally is only on last the bottom branches so it is incredibly retarded compared to last and the previous years.

 

[DirtMechanic]

You would think that the Promax people would list the most common soil pathogen in North America on their label, but, Alternaria Solani isn't there. I wonder if it works on EB. It seems most of the pathogens it controls are root related.

Soil related more specifically. I actually went after the product because of nematodes and every thing else is a plus that has just been a pleasant learning experience this year. I will take some pictures in the morning and show you. I was not able to get into the garden today so it should be illustrative.

 

[Chuck]

I also have it trying to get into a few tomato. I have 32 plant and at least 5 have started showing a little at the bottom. But the plants are taller than I am an it literally is only on last the bottom branches so it is incredibly retarded compared to last and the previous years.

And some years it doesn't show up at all while at other times its rampant.

 

[Chuck]

Soil related more specifically. I actually went after the product because of nematodes and every thing else is a plus that has just been a pleasant learning experience this year.

You had root knot nematodes? And the stuff worked?

 

[DirtMechanic]

And some years it doesn't show up at all while at other times its rampant.

Very much related to moisture though. And here it has been wet enough I have only watered twice. But it is also prone to be in the plants in the yard and around the garden. Pretty much next to a forested area here so everything comes out of the woods.

 

[DirtMechanic]

Yep. Southern RKN. The plants I have pulled so far have healthy white roots. But it has to be an early program and in place to catch them as the change life cycle phases occur.

 

[Chuck]

Yep. Southern RKN. The plants I have pulled so far have healthy white roots. But it has to be an early program and in place to catch them as the change life cycle phases occur.

Well, it sure beats the old fashioned way of dealing with them which was too iffy and too weather related to be very effective.

 

[DirtMechanic]

You had root knot nematodes? And the stuff worked?

Here is a pdf on some testing of essential oils on Southern RKN. But like I said it has to be in place when they hatch. The eggs are some kind of hellspawn dragon scaled affair impervious to basically everything save the high end commercial ag poisons. But they hatch about every 20 days in the heat, and about every 90 when it is cold. So if one starts in the fall, and just fallows the field while treating, enough knockdown can occur over the spawning time to drastically shrink the population one needs to manage during the heat of the growing season.

 

[DirtMechanic]

@Chuck here are some cucumber and tomato shots. It is always soaking wet either due to humidity or rain or evaporation of the water by heat. Some insect action, leaf spot, you name it. They can move so fast it is hard to stay ahead. SVB have the zukini but I have some bt now.

 

[Annue]

and dry up. Is this a disease? Also I read that romos produce up to 200 fruits per plant I’m only counting about 45 per plant right now. Also how often do I fertilize, I used a liquid one last time and that was two weeks ago but today I bought some jobe organic spikes. Sorry for all the dumb questions but I got this far from seed, this is my first garden... I’d hate to mess it up now. We are going to have a dry spell for about a week should I wait till rain falls or water with the hose?

How about pubout a tablespoon full of Epsom salt under each hill an you can also prune your vines that heels it a

 

[DirtMechanic]

Sulfur in the epsom salts is useful as an antifungal, but these pathogens make so many particles they are aggressive. I use wettable sulfur powder during the season and pelletized sulfur when tilling.

 

[TomatoTango]

I just get a machete and lob off the entire bottom 1/4 of tomato plants. No disease guessing games for me. As fast as the bottom will degrade the tops almost always outpace it. If they don’t or the ailment spreads up the entire plant, I pull the plant up and toss it into the gutter as I don’t want it spreading. More often than not it’s the plant pulling minerals from the the leaves not being utilized for photosynthesis.