Tomato Trouble Shooting

How to combat pesky bugs and fungus

Nothing beats the taste of a fresh, homegrown tomato - especially compared it to supermarket varieties, and this is often why 90% of home-gardeners grow tomatoes. Many gardeners encounter tomato growing problems however but here we show you what you can do about most common diseases, fungus and pesky bugs.

APHIDS

One of the most most pervasive of garden pests, aphids seem to materialise out of nowhere as soon as new growth appears in Spring. Sucking sap directly from the newest growth damaging the most important growing parts. Can be controlled with Yates Mayrik.

WHITE FLY

Like aphids, Whiteflies suck sap from the plant causing damage to new growth. Disturbing the foliage causes a little cloud of the insects to arise, but they usually fly back to that stressed plant, leaving the healthy ones alone. Control with Yates Mavrik, sprayed every three days for two weeks to break the cycle as the eggs hatch every three days.

SPIDER MITES

Like aphids and whiteflies, mites are sap suckers. Symptoms are leaves which appear bronzed and may wither and die, and/or a fine webbing is produced, often on the underside of the leaves
Control with Yates ‘Mavrik’

PSYLLID

This is a new insect pest is to attack tomatoes (and potatoes) in NZ. The Psyllid bug secretes a toxic saliva that severely damages the plant. First symptoms are a slight discoloration of the top leaves (ribbing and leave edges), then the entire plant top changes to a yellowish-green. Use ‘Mavrik’ or ‘Confidor’ to control.

LATE BLIGHT

This is caused by an organism similar to a fungus. Brown patches appear on the leaves and can spread very fast. Thrives in a humid, moist environment.
Use Yates ‘Copper’, ‘Bravo’, ‘Greenguard’ or ‘Tomato Dust’ immediately.

VERTICILLIAN WILT

Caused by a fungus attacking the roots or base of the stem, often in cooler weather. Leaves begin to turn yellow and wilt and soon the whole plant begins to wilt. Remove the whole plant immediately or else it will spread to your other plants.

TOMATO FRUIT-WORM

At the caterpillar stage, they eat into the green or ripened fruit leaving small tunnels and holes. Do not plant sweet corn near your tomatoes as this is the favourite food of their parent moths. Treat with Yates ‘Tomato Dust’ or ‘Success’.

BLOSSOM END ROT

A physiological disorder caused by the growing conditions - NOT by a pest or disease. Dark brown hollow patches form on the bottom of the tomato often caused by irregular watering. Once the problem develops, quick fixes are difficult. All you can really do is try to maintain regular watering as much as possible.

GREENBACK

While Blossom End Rot is something going wrong at the base of the fruit, Greenback is something going wrong at the stalk end - and, again, it is not a pest or disease. The fruit won’t ripen fully, remaining hard and green at the stem. This can result from being allowed to become dry followed by a spell of too much water, or too much direct sunlight and high heat.

FRUIT SPLIT

This is also NOT caused by a pest or disease. This can be difficult to prevent, as it is usually caused by fluctuating temperatures and/or water supply. Avoid giving nearly ripe tomatoes a long soaking.