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Help with tomato plants #877388

Asked July 15, 2024, 8:32 PM EDT

Hi, i have several tomato plants that are all browning from the bottom leafs up. They were looking good, full and very green until about 2-3 weeks ago. There are some yellowing and spots on the leafs between the brown dried ones and the top green leafs that i haven't been able to identify myself. The plants have all set several tomatos and those do not look like they have any issues. The plants are close together, but i planted them the same way last year due to spacing issues and did not have these problems at all last year. I just got the dirt last spring so this is the second season of planting tomatos in this same soil, not sure if that has depleted the nutrients or if it's another issue. I did add 4 bags of manure to this 16'x4' bed, nothing else. I started all the plants from seed in Happy Frog soil and they looked exceptional when i planted them and for the following several weeks and now im not sure what to do as whatever this is seems to quickly be taking them over. Thank you so much for any advice you are able to offer!

Scott County Minnesota

Expert Response

I know this looks bad but it is actually a very common problem. Tomatoes can suffer from quite a few pests and pathogens. 

Early light and septoria leaf spot are very common. They do not affect the fruit.

These pathogens splash up from the soil  so it is important to remove the leaves as soon as they show yellowing.Put them in your city compost - do not compost them at home as most small compost piles will not get hot enough to kill the pathogens. 

While we can’t control the rain, when you water your tomatoes, do so at the bottom - not from the top. You can also lay a layer of straw to help keep down the splash. 

No is a good time to feed your tomatoes. All of the rain we’ve had can wash away nutrients. Use a general plant food formulated for vegetables. 

For the future, well composted manure should only be added to your beds in the fall. You want to make sure it breaks down before planting or it can burn your plants. 

https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-tomatoes#diseases-3182361

Deb Reierson Replied July 17, 2024, 8:41 PM EDT

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