Newest tomatoes leaves wilt then dry. What's up with that?

Culture, Media, General Food Gardening, Foraging
#1

Does anyone know what this might be?

I have had a few problems with spider mites and dusted the bottom of some plants with bionide spinosad. I have hand picked a few hornworms, and found a few holes in stems suggesting boring, but no evidence on these plants…

Just a few of the newest leaves on a few plants wilt, then dry.

Doesn’t seem to be major, but I’ve never seen it before. I am in a very hot a dry climate, growing in Earthboxes ( sub irrigation planters), and growing Dwarf Project Tomatoes.

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I think I see an insect in this photo.

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And this one

I see these light brown rings on some of the effected stems.

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Otherwise the plants look good.

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Any ideas?

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#2

My local colleges (or their Agriculture departments) will accept photos and try to help identify issues - maybe yours will too?

Around here we’ve had a pretty bad white oak infestation with something or other killing off leaves and early on, a state college identified the culprit. Unfortunately the outcome was something like “wait it out and hope your trees don’t die”.

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#3

Good idea!

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#4

Did you ever find out what was causing the dead leaves and the brown band around the stems? That was interesting.

#5

I did not, but as of about three weeks ago, it seemed minor. I’ll have to see how things are going when I see my “babies” again.

P.S. I think I’m one of the people referred to above that “accept photos and try to help identify issues”. :no_mouth:

#6

Could be fusarium or phytophthora…

Could also simply having been too hot and the plants are struggling to take up enough water. Or too much fertiliser (salt) in the soil or substrate, again making it difficult for the plant to take up enough water

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#7

Thank you! What is your climate like? I’ve read the western Cape of South Africa has a Mediterranean climate.

Heat and fertilizer burn makes sense, but not the way I’ve seen it in the past, and the pattern doesn’t seem right for fusarium or phytophthora, but who knows?

My biggest foe at this time of year is usually spider mites, similar dry, grey appearance, but usually much lower on the plant, and with some webs by that time.

Stay tuned! I will see them tomorrow.

#8

Ah, my climate is not at all mediterranean.
Well, maybe the med will get a climate similar to ours in time.
We’re subtropic.
Winter season from about May to August, dry, around 25 oC day time / 8 at night
Sept/Oct hot & dry. 40 + oC. Today 42 oC
Rain from about mid November to about mid March. Yearly rainfall here in the valley (border between Zambia and Zimbabwe) is about 400 mm.

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