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

DigitalVinyl wrote:

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.

Okay I recall someone mentioning a tomato horn worm so that was my
first guess.

Interestingly enough the stegosaurus spikes are wasp eggs. The page I
found recommends leaving the infected worm alone so the wasps will
hatch and kill more.

Is that what others do? Leave them to produce wasps/insects?

This worm is only half the full size of 4 inches.



Excerpt from :
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/dp_hfrr/ext...s/hornworm.htm

The larva is the damaging stage and feeds on the leaves and stems of
the tomato plant and leaving behind dark green or black droppings.

Recommendations: This insect is parasitized by a number of insects.
One of the most common is a small braconid wasp. Larva that hatch from
wasp eggs laid on the hornworm feed on the inside of the hornworm
until the wasp is ready to pupate. The cocoons appear as white
projections protruding from the hornworms body. If such projections
are seen, leave the hornworms in the garden. The wasps will kill the
hornworms when they emerge from the cocoons and will seek out other
hornworms to parasitise.

Handpicking is an effective control in small gardens. Bt (Bacillus
thuringiensis) and other insecticides may also be used to control
hornworms.


References:

1. Tomato Hornworm, Cornell University Extension Service

2. Ortho Problem Solver, Ortho Information Services, pg 776


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

"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
That's the good 'ol tobacco horn worm cat. (And it is the tomato horn worm
that attacks tobacco. Go figure.) And yes, those are wasp eggs on its back.
The only ones I allow to live are the ones with eggs. Those wasps apparently
feed only on those caterpillars.

The horn worm will do an amazing job destroying your plants and tomatoes. I
have has five-foot plants nearly stripped, and all tomatoes damaged, in just
a few days.

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

[Follow-ups trimmed to rec.gardens.edible]

On Fri, 08 Aug 2003 21:29:35 GMT, DigitalVinyl
wrote:



Is that what others do? Leave them to produce wasps/insects?

This worm is only half the full size of 4 inches.

(From my reading) I believe you are correct and this is a
tomato hornworm parasitized by something-or-other, most
likely a wasp of some type.

I've never seen a tomato hornworm in spite of having grown
tomatoes for many years, but if I saw one with eggs on it
like this, I would indeed leave it alone.

Ugh. Horrid things.

Pat

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.

Tomato hornworm with wasp eggs on it's back which will eventually kill
it after it eats half of your garden. I kill the ones without the eggs
and relocate the ones with.


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.

Looks like choriosis and fertilizer burn.

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

I am seeing two different things here. The dark spots in the first
picture look like bacterial spot, similar to the bacterial speck i
have had problems with this year. The second photo looks like some
choriosis but the circle on one leaf looks a lot like septoria blight
to me.

Lee Hall
Zone 6B - Tennessee

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

DigitalVinyl writes:

Okay I recall someone mentioning a tomato horn worm so that was my
first guess.

Interestingly enough the stegosaurus spikes are wasp eggs. The page
I found recommends leaving the infected worm alone so the wasps will
hatch and kill more.

Is that what others do? Leave them to produce wasps/insects?

That's what I did last year, and this year I haven't had a single
hornworm. Can't say for sure that's the reason, but maybe the wasps
wiped them out in the neighborhood. I've never had a year go by
without finding hornworms before.


--
Aaron