Garden Q&A: Tips to keep tomato plants strong
Editor’s note: Tomato season in Central Texas brings beautiful red fruit and lots of grower questions. McLennan County Master Gardeners provide help on some common problems.
Q Why are my tomato plants’ leaves turning yellow from the ground upward?
A When the leaves develop yellow thumbprint-sized blotches, it’s a fungal disease called early blight.
Apply a general-purpose fungicide that is labeled for tomatoes. Spraying before the disease shows up might be helpful after all the spring rains this year. If you prefer an organic approach, use a solution of 1 to 2 tablespoons of baking soda per gallon of water.
Remove and destroy yellow leaves from your plants to help prevent the spread of the blight. Remove the bottom leaves from tomato plants to allow more air circulation. Never water a tomato plant with a sprinkler; use drip irrigation. Wet leaves invite diseases.
Q Why are my tomato plants’ leaves turning tan, then brown from the ground upward?
A Spider mites are almost microscopic pests that show up two-to-three weeks after early blight. The leaves turn tan in tiny blotches, then dry and brittle. Thump a suspect leaf over a sheet of white paper. After a minute you will see little black specks moving around - spider mites. The best chemical, Kelthane, is no longer available. Malathion will give you about 60 percent kill rate. Mites may be set back by regular blasts of water directed upward from beneath the foliage. This must be done weekly.
Send questions about your lawns and gardens to ask.mastergardeners@gmail.com. McLennan County Master Gardeners will provide answers in this column every Friday. You can also call Ask a Master Gardener Help Line at 254-757-5180, 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.
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Ask a Master Gardener Help Line
Spring gardening brings many questions, such as when should I fertilize my lawn, or which are the best vegetables for Waco? Get answers to these and other questions by calling the Ask a Master Gardener Help Line at 254-757-5180, 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.
