Another diseased tomato plant

[Talula Fairie]

Should I pull a tomato plant with curling leaves and purple veins? It seems to be producing kind of ok. I had a lot of issues with pest damage this year, so it got that. ALL the leaves are curling pretty badly. I moved it away from my other tomato plants (they are all in containers). Is that what I should do? A few of the other plants have purple/brown spots on their leaves (I think from pest damage?), but no severe curling or purple veins. I just don't want it to infect my entire tomato crop!

I'm not sure I have the heart to pull yet another plant.

[Nature]

Sounds like spotted wilt virus but its hard to tell without a picture.

[Buzzer Beater]

Purple veins in the plant leaves could be from phosphorus deficiency. Are you feeding your tommies?

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by Nature

Sounds like spotted wilt virus but its hard to tell without a picture.

I can take some pictures tomorrow. Will do.

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by Buzzer Beater

Purple veins in the plant leaves could be from phosphorus deficiency. Are you feeding your tommies?

But purple veins AND curling leaves?

I haven't fertilized...I could pick some up. They are growing in super rich soil, though.

[Buzzer Beater]

I'm not sure about the curling, depending on what it looks like. I'll have dh ask at work today-he's a soils guy at the university and if he doesn't know his plant friends will. yes a picture would help.

[goldfinches]

Do you remember my purple wilty tomatoes earlier in the summer? I left them, since I only had 3 total, and the worst one still produced 4 tomatoes. It only has 2 more flowers and no more green tomatoes, but the 4 were really yummy. And, the other 2 recovered in a week or so, and are producing okay and good. I wonder if yours is getting too much water? I know pot tomatoes need tons of water, but it's a possibility...

[Buzzer Beater]

That is a catch22 with potted toms, they need a ton of water which can leach nutrients.

[tayndrewsmama]

What would you add for phosphorus? I seem to be having this same problem with some of my tomato plants as well. It's not getting any worse as time passes, just not better. It's in a new part of the garden and we just really didn't have the time or the energy to enrich the soil. : Sounds completely stupid, but we really had good reason to believe it wasn't necessary in that location, but I guess we were wrong.

[Talula Fairie]

I really can't imagine this is phosphorus becuase the leaves are curling. But, here are the pics:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3487/...fd02f1ac_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2557/...f1808a20_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2588/...9e72b52a_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3575/...ca374064_o.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3483/...07f52677_o.jpg

A few other plants have the same vein/spotting thing going on, but their leaves are not curling. It's a mystery.

[Buzzer Beater]

The next to the last one looks like classic phos deficiency... the other pics make me think there may be other stuff going on.
My favorite product for corn and toms:
http://www.planetnatural.com/site/fish-and-poop.html
stinks like crazy but greens up a lot of problems.

Good luck!

[Talula Fairie]

I really don't think it's phos. Look at all the other problems going on! Does phos deficiency really cause a plant to be THAT sickly? But what do I know.

Anyway I really cannot afford yet another expense to this $100+ garden that is going to yield me MAYBE $20 worth of stuff if that.

[tayndrewsmama]

Originally Posted by Buzzer Beater

The next to the last one looks like classic phos deficiency... the other pics make me think there may be other stuff going on.
My favorite product for corn and toms:
http://www.planetnatural.com/site/fish-and-poop.html
stinks like crazy but greens up a lot of problems.

Good luck!

Thanks for the link! I ordered some right away. I was looking into the curly top stuff too, but the best I can tell is that my plants would be dead by now if that's what was wrong and I am getting tomatoes on them too. Can't wait to get it and use it!

[Talula Fairie]

Curly top virus takes awhile to kill the plant, and it stunts it but the plant will still produce for awhile. From what I read.

[Talula Fairie]

And, I guess I really will have to buy some fertilizer, cause some of the other plants have that vein thing going on but no curling leaves. I am just SO reluctant to spend more $$ on this garden. I've already lost so many crops.

[tayndrewsmama]

Originally Posted by Talula Fairie

Curly top virus takes awhile to kill the plant, and it stunts it but the plant will still produce for awhile. From what I read.

Mine have been funky for quite a while now. They have grown a good amount and had no flowers or anything on them when it began. I am also in an area that curly top isn't prevalent at all, so that may be why I am more optimistic that it's not that. No one I have spoken to has even heard of it, even the Master Gardener at the University Agricultural Extension office.

Originally Posted by Talula Fairie

And, I guess I really will have to buy some fertilizer, cause some of the other plants have that vein thing going on but no curling leaves. I am just SO reluctant to spend more $$ on this garden. I've already lost so many crops.

I am at the point where I feel like I have spent too much time and money on this garden to not try fertilizer. I am sorry things have not been going well for you with your veggies. It can't be any easier knowing that you are due any moment now either. I at least have until October to go in that arena. I hope that the fertilizer perks everything up quickly for you....and me!

[Talula Fairie]

Ok, so I bought some fertilizer (non organic, sorry I'm broke and way too pregnant to go to a store for this specialty item ) and my plant does look way better. I think it wasn't a virus after all, just a lot of pest damage (flea beetles I think? and some caterpillars too) and lack of nutrients.

[tayndrewsmama]

:

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by tayndrewsmama

:

I'm happy. I was able to take it out of quarantine and now my garden looks more organized. I'm glad I didn't pull it. It has several tomatoes on it, so I just didn't have the heart.

[tayndrewsmama]

It sure has been a bumpy gardening road for so many this summer. My stuff came yesterday to try out and I have to get out there and apply it. I am hoping my results are as good as yours.