My tomato plants leaves were turning yellow, I suspect due to aphids, but; now they are turning black and the black is moving downward from the leaf toward the stem. What is it? They are definately dying as they are not producing many tomatoes anymore.
joy
What is wrong here?
I'm stumped. Even in the extreme wet-hot summer months down here, mine merely become unproductive and attempt to grow all known molds, but they don't die off. The first thing that comes to mind I've had close to that is when a mold took hold and I was slow to spray daconil, but even then they got healthy new growth again. That's when I cut the happy growth and root them, starting all over.
ALTHOUGH, I think when I used translucent e-buckets, the green slime that formed inside those buckets did something like you describe with the black leaves and stems. How slimy are your lower buckets? (that isn't supposed to sound personal).
They are not too slimy. I think it might be one of the wilts, caused from rain, heat, and aphids and stinkbugs biting my plants. The stinkbugs ate my ladybugs like they were snacks just for them, so I lost that war. My brandy wines are the only tomatoes left that are doing well. I called Ace Hardware, as I plan to buy the clear large heavy bags and remove about the first top two inches of potting mix, putting the rest of the potting mix in the clear plastic bags, so as to try and salvage it for my fall/winter crops. I will use serenade in it too. The EBs and buckets will get a good scrubbing with warm water and soap, and I was thinking perhaps a little bleach???? Is the bleach harmful or not? Suggestions are welcome here.
joy
Just dilute the bleach (I use about 10 parts water to 1 part bleach) and spray the EBs in and out, and then rinse well. I do this to my EBs and other pots before I reuse them each season.
To that bleach mix, add 1 capful per gallon of mouthwash (cheapo from the Dollar Store) and Lemon Ajax .
The mouthwash does the same thing as in your mouth and smells WONDERFUL over the bleach. the Ajax deters the buggies that don't like citrus smells, and it does a wonderful cleaning along with your bleach.
Now Gymgirl, those are great tips!
Incidentally, I've always wondered if it was really necessary to rinse non-porous surfaces like plastic so thoroughly after spraying or dipping them, because I'd heard long ago that bleach dissipates quickly. So I looked it up on the net and found that as long as you have allowed the wet bleach mixture to dry thoroughly, you don't really have to worry about it remaining on the surface to harm your plants, or whatever. But I'll probably still rinse them off ;-)
http://www.blurtit.com/q2339887.html
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker
Bleach (clorox) is one of the best and least expensive ways to disinfect nonporous surfaces. When mixed with the right amount of water (check a bottles label) Hospitals, child care facilities, schools, malls, grocery stores, etc use it to clean stuff like the floors, toys, tables, display racks, etc. I use it to clean my cutting board and they add it to the tap water in most if not all city's water to make it safe to drink.
Bleach dissipates quickly, meaning it disappears from the surface it's used on. As long as the bleach has dried completely the surface is safe to use. Where as Lysol and the Clorox wipes leave a residue.
Bleach can eat through some of the rubber parts of some things and can wear them down quicker, that would be my main concern.
I find that putting bleach in a heavy duty sprayer bottle (like you get at lowes) is easiest for me. I use much less and have some control over it. Bleach is fine for disinfecting garden pots. e-buckets and stuff, just rinse it off somewhere you don't want much to grow (and wear cruddy clothes).
That great tomato forest and you're down to the brandywines? I'm sorry! At least you're left with a darned fine tomato.
Thanks ya'll, the FL extension office said to use 1/10th bleach and I will look for the lemon ajax. I had to pull 15 of the tomato plants, the rest still have fruit on them, the brandywines seemed to have fared the best; but they were the last ones planted, my mountain bells and sweet 100's are coming up in a day or two, as they aren't producing fruit anymore. I picked up the solarization bags at Ace's Hardware yesterday. The tomatoes in the EBs weren't affected as bad as the ones in the buckets, probably because they had mulch covers on them? Will have to check the dollar stores for the bonnets for the buckets this fall.
I was also told not to plant cauliflower but that broccoli would be fine. Never planted collards, mustards before but, am planning that one this fall. The potting mix will be solarized for 6 weeks with my taking the top 2 inches of the potting mix out and throwing in away.
joy
Joy,
On another thread you said your were getting rid of some of your eBuckets and getting more EBs. Why?
Gymgirl: I have 40 e buckets, and prefer EBs; but, changed my mind and decided to just redo the garden layout.
joy