Help me identify my tomato disease?

aaiya 8/23/2012, 10:12 pm

A picture is worth a thousand words, right? What do you think I have going on here? I poked around on the Vegetable MD site...but I'm still too much of a newbie to make much sense of what I see vs what I read. So...as the pictures show...I have dying leaves and branches...powdery-looking stuff on some leaves. The fruit seems to be mostly ok...just the two tomatoes with tiny black spots that I've noticed so far....went back out to double check and now see at least one leaf with black spots (different from the powdery-looking stuff). Experienced tomato-growers, what do you think this is? (and how do I get rid of it?)

Help me identify my tomato disease? Dscf2711

Help me identify my tomato disease? Dscf2711

Help me identify my tomato disease? Dscf2712

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Help me identify my tomato disease? Dscf2715

aaiya 8/25/2012, 4:10 pm

I think I figured it out! Spider mites! I just watched a very useful little youtube video from Kansas Healthy Yards where the lady showed a leaf that looked JUST like mine that had spider mites....in a related video by the same folks, she suggested shaking the leaves onto a piece of paper and seeing if the little specks that come off the leaves start crawling after a few seconds. So I tried it, and sure enough, crawling spots! Now, I just have to get rid of the little pests!

**camprn** 8/25/2012, 4:16 pm

Great, I'm glad you figured it out! How are you going to treat the infestation?

aaiya 8/26/2012, 12:45 am

I pruned a bunch of the worst-looking areas this afternoon (primarily the branches that were already dead or on their way out). I was thinking of taking the hose to it and trying to blast them away...and then maybe making my own neem-oil solution to spray on them (I read something that said use about a gallon of water, 1 tsp neem oil and a drop or two of soap). Do you think that will work?

**camprn** 8/26/2012, 7:47 am

If you use an insecticidal product, please read and follow label directions. I have not ever used neem so I can't help you there.

Here is a fact sheet from UC Davis.
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7405.html

aaiya 8/26/2012, 11:27 am

Thank you for the link! It was very informative. My biggest concern with using neem is that I don't want to kill the good bugs that are around. I do think I'll give the water-blasting method a try this evening and re-evaluate in a few days. I couldn't find any pre-made neem-based stuff yesterday when I looked at the local Home Depot. So if I decide to go that route, I'm either going to have to try some other stores or make my own.

**camprn** 8/26/2012, 12:56 pm

Try a simple homemade insecticidal soap spray. that works pretty well and you can direct the spray right where you want it.

aaiya 8/26/2012, 7:47 pm

Do you have a recipe for homemade insecticidal soap?

Another thing I've just been reading about is spraying the leaves with some sort of garlic-in-water concoction. I sprayed the plant off a little while ago and I'm hoping just doing that every few days will keep them at bay. I was hoping to plant a cutting from this plant so I could have these tomatoes indoors this winter...but I'll have to see how this situation develops. Is it possible to be completely rid of spider mites? (or is good control the best possible outcome?) I don't want to be bringing spider mites into the house.

**camprn** 8/26/2012, 7:58 pm

I think it's
1 tsp liquid dish soap (not detergent)
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 quart of water

Shake vigorously and spray directly on the insect.

yolos 8/26/2012, 8:26 pm

Is there a dishwashing soap that is not detergent. My Dawn label says dishwashing detergent. My Joy label says dishwashing soap but in very fine print it says " detergente liquido". Which I assume is Spanish for liquid detergent. So can you name a specific dishwashing soap that is not a detergent. Or will I find one if I look on the aisle at the grocery store and read all the labels.

**llama momma** 8/26/2012, 8:29 pm

Liquid ivory soap should be pure soap.

Nonna.PapaVino 8/26/2012, 9:27 pm

In our greenhouse, we've learned spider mites are quite sensitive to spraying with water: it appears to drown them. I've kept them under control with daily water misting. In fact, I remember reading that some commercial greenhouses have mist systems set up on a timer to keep the leaves "wet" enough to discourage spider mites. You might look for updated info like this on the web. Good luck, mites are an icky thing to deal with organically. Nonna

bwaynef 8/27/2012, 8:51 am

camprn wrote:
1 tsp liquid dish soap (not detergent)
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 quart of water

I've also seen it recommended to add 1tsp of rubbing Alcohol. I believe it serves to make the soap/oil stick to the little boogers somehow.

**camprn** 8/27/2012, 3:48 pm

I personally would not apply alcohol to the living plant. I think the oil provides adhesive qualities to the spray.

bwaynef 8/27/2012, 4:01 pm

**camprn** 8/27/2012, 4:07 pm

Why not to put alcohol on the living plant? Because I was taught it was a disinfectant, to clean hard intact surfaces. Alcohol can disrupt cell structures and are indeed used in some insecticide solutions, but not in great quantities and those solutions have been tested. In short, it may damage my plants. I personally have never seen it in a recipe for homemade insecticidal soap.
http://www.ehow.com/info_12017884_can-spray-plants-alcohol.html

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