Hi! Your first problem is a hornworm that eventually will destroy your
plant. They work very quickly! The best way to remove them, is to handpick
them. Or use a non-toxic spray such as Dipel or Thuricide, both are quite
effective. Also those white things are wasps eggs
Moving on i'm wondering if it's a rotation problem? I like to give at least
two years between crops. I do not plant tomatoes where i had potatoes or
eggplants, since some diseases attack all these plants. Or maybe it's
weather related? Too much rain, then a sudden hot, dry snap.
As far as the early blight thing, what about late blight? This is a serious
fungus disease that can hurt fruit production. They do have brown/black
spots, and stems to fall off easy. The fungus is caused by a rotted
vegetable from the year prior or so that has caused a disease. You might
want to try a all-purpose tomato dust. Might help??
Hope this helps you??? Good-luck!!!!
peppergirl
please check out my website. Click on below.

http://hotcuisine.esmartweb.com/

"DigitalVinyl" wrote in message
...
Got what I believe are two issues affecting two tomato plants and
found an interesting worm.

First the worm...my first thought was "stegosaurus" :-)
http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...saurusworm.jpg
. . . Friend or foe? I'm assuming foe..those white things on its back
can't be good.


first tomato prob...

My Burpee Burger had drainage probs, the lower leaves rotted badly
growth slowed. I fixed the prob and growth resumed rather healthy.
However I just cleaned off a dozen more dead branches. They yellow
then rot right down from the tip to the node where they attach to the
stem. They snap off cleanly at the node with very little pressure.
Lower leaves affected first, plenty of new growth(only on top though)
and new fruit. Haven't been able to spot bugs. The lower portion is
fairly nude and not branching out, but has 8 medium to large
beefsteaks on it and a new flush of small ones up top.

Here is one branch that is on its way.
http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...ngbranches.jpg
It will die completely back to the stem. Just a matter of time.


second tomato prob...

just spotted this on Burpee Healthy Kick. Otherwise very lush healthy
plant, dozens of roma tomatoes on it five feet tall bush. Lower
leaves showing probs. Blackish-brown spots developing between veins on
groups of leaves. At first I thought Early Blight, but the spots don't
quite the same as examples I'm seeing on the net. No concentric
circles and they don't border veins at all like Early Blight.
http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl66/tomatospots.jpg
On the underside of the bush, I'm spotting yellowing leaves and one
bigger blotch. Yellowing may be unrelated to spots. They have green
veins..so i'm thinking chlorosis from the heavy rains washing away
nutrients. We have had week+ of soaking rains and little sun.
http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...syellowing.jpg

Thanks
DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email)
Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound
1st Year Gardener