What are common tomato diseases? There are many common tomato diseases which affect the tomato plant, some are more serious than others. Some of the more common garden disease of tomato plants are: Black spots (anthracite), Brown spots, fruit rot, leaf spot, tomato fruit flies, tomato aphids, tomato scale, tomato weevils, and tomato warts. Some can appear just after the other, or at various times during the growing season. What are the symptoms to look for? Some of these symptoms include:
Black Spots – this appears as black spots on healthy plants and leaves. They appear in groups and tend to spread rapidly, destroying entire plants. They are usually found during hot, dry weather. What are the common causes?
Brown Spots – This is a disease of the root system which results in distorted and crumbled growth of the plant. It’s commonly found in southern states in warm climates. What are the common triggers? They are usually due to excess calcium entering the soil with rain water or as a result of overfeeding. Causes: Overfeeding or too much calcium in the soil
Maternal Mistakes – this is a disease of plants caused by what is called maternal inheritance. The disease is caused by a specific type of fungus. What are the symptoms? They are red lesions on the leaves and flowers. This is a fairly easy disease to recognize, however it has the potential to spread quickly throughout an entire field. What are the causes?
Mosaic Disease – this is a fungal disease which results from not enough sunlight or too much water. What are the triggers? They are excessive watering, lack of nitrogen or phosphorous in the soil and too much water in the soil. Causes: too much water or the lack of nitrogen or phosphorous in the soil.
Calcium Deficiency – what are the triggers? Too much calcium in the soil or a plant disease such as blight. Calcium deficiency usually occurs during the winter months when fruit is not developed or ripening. What are the causes?
Botrytis Blight – this occurs when the fruit reaches the stage of ripening and starts to appear with the skin breaking away from the fruit. What are the triggers? They are diseases or bacterial infections of the tomato plant. This bacteria can affect any part of the plant. What are the symptoms?
Botrytis blight can affect all parts of the plant. The leaves will be dark green with yellowish edges and the fruits will be pale yellow in color. There will be little or no sign of foliage on the affected leaves. The affected plants will develop distorted, curled leaves and the fruit will fail to ripen. There will be little or no fruit growth. Treatment should be done before the leaves develop yellowed, curled or distorted leaves.
Leaf Curl – this happens when the tomato plant develops what is called a leaf curl. When there is an imbalance in the plant’s hormones, it could cause leaf curl. What are the symptoms? The leaves will grow curl outwards and they could become yellow, red or purple in color. There could also be stem breakage, wilting and death of fruit.
Yellowish Tinted leaves – this is a disease that can appear on both the bottom and the top of the tomato plants. Symptoms? Well, the leaves could become yellow-green in color. There will be little or no sign of foliage on the affected leaves.
What are the causes? This is a disease of indeterminate tomato varieties that can be caused by the appearance of misshapen flowers. So, to try and prevent this from happening you must attempt to avoid planting any indeterminate varieties of tomatoes.
Fertilizer – this is an important part of caring for your tomato plants. Without fertilizer for your plants will not have enough nutrients so you will see stunted growth. You should provide them with a good soil mix that contains a good amount of organic matter. You can also use a good blend of compost, bone meal and vermiculite. And, if you wish you can try using a commercial fertilizer.