Juicy, sun-ripened, easy-to-grow tomatoes are among the most popular edible plants to grow at home. This virus also attacks tobacco plants, and can be transmitted from them if you've handled cigarettes or other tobacco products recently. We used to grow tomatoes sprawling many years ago, and we’d lose 50 to 60 percent of the crop.” These days, Terhune Orchards grows their heirloom tomatoes on an 8-foot fence trellis. Scott Little, Credit: Don't let these potential problems scare you away, though. Cameron Sadeghpour, Credit: Tomato fruit will develop the best shape if the temperature is above the mid-60s. Otherwise healthy looking tomatoes split open before they're even … Lower leaves show brown or black spots with dark edges, almost like a target. Planting a little later, when temperatures are higher, will avoid some of these problems. Leave enough space so air can circulate and dry off leaves faster. All Rights Reserved. Prevent sunscald by maintaining enough foliage to shade fruits or shade fruits artificially with a shade cloth. Most can be halted or reversed. Water plants regularly to maintain moist, but not waterlogged, soil. Common Tomato Plant Problems and How To Fix Them. This fungus usually strikes after plants set fruit. It is best to ground-water your plants and avoid splashing lower leaves with wet dirt. It looks almost like frost damage on leaves, causing irregular green-black splotches. Many common plant diseases and pests lurk in the soil, so it's always a good idea to rotate where you place your tomatoes so they grow in the same ground only every four years or so. Prevent blossom-end rot by promoting steady, stress-free plant growth. A frustrating fungal disease, damping off causes sudden collapse of seedlings, or failure to germinate. Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. There are 3 sources of tomato problems: Tomato diseases Tomato … “There’s no 3-second rule in the garden. These wilt diseases are caused by fungi in the soil that enter through young roots, then begin to plug the vessels that move water to the roots and stems of the plants. We’ll help you set up a baking kit for beginners with 21 essential tools. This problem can occur when plants produce some flowers and very few tomatoes, and is caused by too much nitrogen supplied to the tomato plant resulting in a heavily leafed plant with too little nourishment for fruiting. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission. Leaves may also grow in misshapen forms, resembling ferns. Provide adequate fertilizer that nourishes a plant with sufficient organic matter. Hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the first time or need a quick refresher? Another tomato plant disease fungus, Alternaria, causes early blight. There's an easier way to avoid blossom-end rot. Building your essential baking toolbox starts here! Once the seedlings have started, they should be watered thoroughly then left un-watered to dry until they are almost ready to wilt, then water them again. Over-watering: Many growers harm their tomato plants by over-watering. It appears as a sunken, dead area opposite the stem (the blossom-end of the fruit). Apply your fertilizer carefully and according to instructions given throughout the life of the plant. Growing healthy, pest- and disease-free tomato plants is relatively simple. Once a leaf or tomato touches the ground, it may have picked up a disease spore. Also, water in the morning so wet leaves have time to dry before evening. Problems on tomato leaves can mean the onset of a disease, an attack from a tomato pest, a nutrient deficiency, or conditions that can lead to trouble. We reach for them after school and after dinner. Plant your plants with enough space between the plants to allow for sufficient air circulation. 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If this occurs for you I suggest you consider repotting the seedlings deeper in your pot, use a fan to improve air circulation and keep temperatures slightly cooler for stockier and hardier plants. One or two applications of very dilute fertilizer are plenty to get a seedling growing to transplant size. Presoak seeds to speed germination. Insufficient watering will result in a weak plant and inferior, dry fruit. Whether you choose to grow them in containers or an expansive garden plot, tomatoes usually give you a good harvest and often taste much better than what you can find in the store. Provide even and deep watering to encourage root development.