Farming: Feed the hungry world: Tomato

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Gardening Talk: Tomato Pest control using IPM

Ric Bessin, Extension Entomologist, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture

Processing and fresh market tomato acreage has been gradually increasing in Kentucky during the past few years. Growing a new crop often means dealing with a different pest complex. Fortunately, insect problems on tomatoes in Kentucky are light to moderate when compared with that in other production areas. This publication provides information on the biology, identification and integrated pest management (IPM) guidelines of tomato pests.

EARLY SEASON PESTS

Flea beetle

As soon as the plants are set, they are vulnerable to attack by two species of flea beetles, the tobacco and potato flea beetles. The potato flea beetle is about 1/10 inch and brownish black in color. The tobacco flea beetle is about the same size, but is yellowish brown with a dark band across its wings.

These beetles infest Solanaceous crops such as tobacco, potato, tomato, and pepper. Flea beetles attack the foliage leaving small round holes in the leaves; large numbers may destroy entire leaves. Potentially they can be serious pests early in the season when the plants are less than 4 to 6 inches tall. As they grow, larger plants can withstand substantial flea beetle damage without loss of yield.

Aphids

In the early spring, winged aphids migrate into tomato fields from wild hosts and begin to establish colonies on the plants. Two species of aphids are common on tomatoes, the potato and green peach aphids.

Although similar in size, about 1/8 inch, these aphids vary in appearance. The potato aphid is pear-shaped and may be solid pink, green and pink mottled, or light green with a dark stripe. It has a long slender pair of tail-like appendages (cornicles). The green peach aphid is pear shaped and pale yellow to green in color. The cornicles are much shorter on this species.

Aphids remove sap from the plant with their piercing-sucking mouthparts. Tomato plants can tolerate large numbers of aphids without suffering yield loss. However, severe infestations can cause leaves to curl and may stunt plants. Decreased leaf area can increase sun scald to the fruit. Aphids are also vectors of certain plant viruses. However, there are many predators and parasitoids that can aid in controlling aphid populations. These include lady beetles, syrphid fly larvae, damsel bugs, and tiny wasps.

Colorado potato beetle

Colorado potato beetle is an infrequent pest of newly set tomato plants. The half inch, convex beetle is yellowish black with 10 black stripes on its wings.

Adults that have overwintered in the soil emerge and migrate into tomato fields and frequently begin their feeding on field margins. The adult and larva feed on the leaves and terminal growth of tomato plants, but typically only cause serious damage to young plants. Once plants reach eight inches, adult or larval feeding, regardless of the apparent severity of damage, does not reduce fruit yield.

INSECT PESTS DURING FRUIT SET TO HARVEST

Tomato Fruitworm (=Corn earworm)

The tomato fruitworm is potentially the most damaging insect pest of tomato. The larvae are variable in color, ranging from pale yellow, to red, to green, to brown with pale stripes running lengthwise. The larvae have four pairs of prolegs and are densely covered with microscopic spines that makes the larvae feel rough.

The moths lay eggs at night on leaves near green fruit at the outer edges of the plant. The dome-shaped eggs are white when first laid and develop a reddish brown band before hatching. After the egg hatches, the larva feed for a short period of time on the foliage before attacking the fruit. They prefer to feed on green fruit and usually do not enter ripe fruit. Damage consists of deep watery cavities frequently in the stem end of the fruit. During its development, one larva may injure several fruit.

The tomato fruitworm has a wide host range and the attractiveness of tomatoes for egg laying vary with the time of year. Early fruitworm generations attack corn, particularly when it is silking. But tomatoes are preferred for egg laying over corn when the silks turn brown and dry.

Stink bugs

Stink bugs have a distinctive shield shape and produce an odor when handled. There are several species of stink bugs that feed on tomato fruit, but the brown stink bug is the most serious. Stink bugs feed with piercing-sucking mouthparts which cause whitish-yellow corky spots underneath the skin of the fruit. This damage is serious for fresh market tomatoes and whole pack processing tomatoes because they render the fruit unmarketable.

Adult stink bugs migrate from weedy areas into tomato fields, particularly when the plants begin to decline. On green fruit, stink bug damage appears as a pin prick, surrounded by a light discolored area. This may turn yellow or remain green on ripe fruit and the tissue below these spots is corky.

Cabbage looper

Cabbage loopers are common in tomato fields in Kentucky, but they rarely cause serious damage.

The cabbage looper larva is pale green with two pairs of prolegs in addition to the anal prolegs.

It is a foliage feeder, and very rarely directly attacks the fruit. When large populations are present they can lower yields by reducing plant vigor and increasing sun scald of fruit through foliage loss. Typically, insecticides used to control tomato fruitworm keep cabbage looper under control.

Pest Monitoring

Groups of 10 plants should be randomly selected at each of a minimum of 4 locations per field. An additional 10 plant sample should be added for each 3-acre increase in field size over 5 acres. It is not necessary to sample more than 10 locations regardless of field size. Samples should be evenly distributed throughout the field so that plants near the edges and middle of the field are examined.

TOMATO INSECT IPM GUIDELINES
Crop Stage: Transplanting through flowering
Insect Pest	What to look for:	How to sample:	Action Threshold:
Flea beetles	small round holes in leaves, small brown beetles that jump	record the number of beetles per 10 plants at each location and estimate defoliation	Only when the plants are less than 6 inches and an average of 40 beetles per 10 plants or 30% defoliation.
Aphids	wingless aphids on the undersides of leaves and new in the new growth	Record the percentage of infested leaves. Only include leaves infested with wingless aphids	When 50% of the leaves become infested with wingless aphids regardless of plant stage
Colorado potato beetle	adult beetles or larvae on young plants	Record the number of adults per 10 plants at each location	An average of 5 beetles per 10 plants ONLY when the plant is less than 8 inches tall.
Crop Stage: Fruit set through harvest
Insect Pest	What to look for:	How to sample:	Action Threshold:
*Tomato Fruitworm (KEY PEST)*	Damage fruit and larvae; eggs on the leaves near green fruit and at outer edges of plant (stop looking if any eggs are found); moths in pheromone trap.	Record number of damaged fruit and larvae; note any if any eggs were found on foliage; record number of moths in pheromone trap.	ONLY when the plants have green fruit and an average of 1 infested plant (larvae or fresh feeding damage) per 40 plants or when any eggs are present on foliage. Monitor for eggs carefully when trap catches exceed 7 moths per trap per week
Aphids	See above "Aphids -- Transplanting through flowering"
Stink bugs	Adult stink bugs and damage to fruit	Record number of stink bugs per 10 plants at each location	ONLY when the plants have green fruit and an average of 0.25 stink bugs per 10 plants
Cabbage looper	Fecal pellets on leaves or below plant; looper larvae	Record number of cabbage looper larvae per 10 plants at each location	An average of 5 cabbage looper larvae per 10 plants at any plant stage

CAUTION! Pesticide recommendations in this publication are registered for use in Kentucky, USA ONLY! The use of some products may not be legal in your state or country. Please check with your local county agent or regulatory official before using any pesticide mentioned in this publication.

Of course, ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS FOR SAFE USE OF ANY PESTICIDE!

Photos courtesy Ric Bessin, University of Kentucky Entomology

Source:

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Top 5 pests of tomato

Agriculture 10:44 PM

The following pests are considered the most common. Pictures of each of them are available on the web and can be obtained by doing a web search using the name of the pest. Additional tomato pests not covered here include cutworms, flea beetles, grasshoppers, spider mites, Colorado Potato Beetles, thrips, and root weevils.

1. Aphids - tiny, green to black soft-bodied, winged or wingless insects that cluster on the underside of leaves or on stems. They are sucking insects that can cause curled and distorted leaves & stunted plants. Localized aphid infestations can be hand-picked or pruned out or blasted off the plants with water. Applications of insecticidal soap, horticultural oil, or Neem oil may also be effective. Aphids are a favorite food of lady beetles. Damsel bugs and the larvae of lacewings and flower flies are also effective predators of aphids. Many tiny wasps act as parasites of aphids as well so use even organic pesticides with care.

2. Blister Beetles - slender gray, black, or striped beetles, 1/2 to 3/4 inch long. They eat the leaves of the plants but the larvae ( the gray ones) feed on grasshopper eggs and are therefore somewhat beneficial. They usually arrive late in the season (July-August) as mature adults that overwintered in the soil (fall tilling kills many). They begin to eat and breed, lay 50-300 eggs in the soil which hatch 10-21 days later. The larvae eat and molt thru 7 stages before returning to the soil for the winter. They can be hand-picked but wear gloves as they extrude a caustic fluid in self-defense. Chemical controls include pyrethrins and 5% Sevin.

3. Tomato Hornworm - are 3-4" long green caterpillars with diagonal lines on sides, prominent horn on rear end. Eat foliage and may take bites out of green fruit. Tomato hornworms are the larvae of 2 large moths: the Hawkmoth and the Sphinx moth and overwinter in the soil in the pupal stage. Adult moths appear in late spring and lay single,
pearl colored eggs on the undersides of plant leaves that hatch in about a week. Larvae feed on foliage for about a month before they enter the soil and pupate. They can be difficult to spot as coloring matches plant. Look for them on the undersides of leaf-stripped branches. They can easily be hand-picked and destroyed or if infestation is severe, use Bt (Bacillius thuringiensis) dust. Braconid wasps will kill these caterpillars by implanting rice-like eggs on their backs and Trichogramma wasps parasitize the eggs.

4. Stink bugs - there are several species. Adults: Brown, green, or black; with or without markings; shield shaped; up to 5/8 inch long and 1/3 inch wide. Nymphs: Resemble adults but are smaller. Stink bugs discharge a foul odor.
Adults and nymphs suck sap from the plants and from the fruit. Plants are weakened; buds and young fruits are malformed. Yellow-white spots appear under the skin of the ripe fruit (Cloudy Spot). Control of weeds in the area of the garden helps to prevent some species of stinkbugs. Organic/Biological Control is to dust with sabadilla.
Chemical Control: Sevin 5% dust (Do not apply within 5 days of harvest.)

5. Tomato Fruitworms - are also referred to as the Corn Earworm. They are green, brown, or pink with light stripes along sides and on back; up to 1 and 3/4 inches long and are the larvae of various moths. The moths lay eggs near the stem of the green fruit and within 1 week the hatched larvae bores into the fruit where it feeds. It may move from fruit to fruit until it is ready to fall to the ground where it pupates till the following spring. Discard portions of fruit that have earworms in them. Disk or rototill plants immediately after harvest. Organic/Biological Control:
Parasitic Trichogramma sp. wasps parasitize tomato fruitworm eggs. Bt, (Bacillus thuringiensis) can be used for control of tomato fruitworm. Birds may feed on larvae. Moles and tilling destroy the pupae. Chemical Control:
Sevin 5% dust. Treat every 5-7 days when fruit begins to set as once inside the fruit the pesticide has little or no effect. Continue as long as fruit is present, if needed.

Gardening Talk Tomato Top 5 pests of tomato

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Light Requirements For Tomatoes

Agriculture 8:52 AM

By Heather Rhoades

Growing tomatoes and sun go hand in hand. Without enough sun, a tomato plant can’t produce fruit. You may be wondering how much sun do tomato plants need and does my garden get enough sun for tomatoes? These are important questions to answer if you will be growing this popular garden vegetable. Let’s look at the answers to how much sun do tomato plants need.

Light Requirements for Tomatoes to Grow

The simple answer to questions on light requirements for tomatoes is that you need a minimum of 6 hours to produce fruit, but 8 or more hours of sun will produce the best results in terms of how many tomatoes you get.

The reason that light for a tomato plant is so important is that tomato plants convert sunlight into energy. Tomato plants need energy to make their fruit. Therefore, the more sunshine they get, the more energy they have and the more fruit they can produce.

Light Requirements for Tomatoes to Ripen

So now that you know the light requirements for tomatoes to grow, you may be wondering how much sun do tomato plants need in order to ripen their fruit.

Ah-ha! This is a trick question. Growing tomatoes and sun is necessary, but the fruit themselves do not need sunlight to ripen.

Tomato fruit actually ripen fastest in the absence of sunlight. Tomatoes ripen because of heat and ethylene gas, not because of sunlight.

So remember, the answer to the question how much sun do tomato plants need is simple. They need as much as you can give them. If you make sure that there is enough light for a tomato plant, the tomato plant will make sure there are enough tasty tomatoes for you.

Source:http://www.gardeningknowhow.com

Gardening Talk Tomato

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Verticillium Wilt of Tomato

Agriculture 9:56 PM

by Arden Sherf Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University,Ithaca, NY

The soilborne fungus Verticilliurn albo-atrum is present in most cool soils of the Northeast and can attach over 200 plant species. especially tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, strawberries, and black raspberries. Other susceptible vegetables include artichoke, beet, broad bean. chicory. cucumber, dandelion, endive, horseradish, muskmellon, okra. peppers, radish, rhubarb, salsify, and watermelon. Corn, other cereals, and grasses are resistant.

Symptoms

In spite of the name verticillium wilt, a true wilt seldom occurs in tomato, at least not until late in the season. Rather, under good conditions of moisture and nutrition, yellow blotches on the lower leaves may be the first symptoms, then brown veins appear, and finally chocolate brown dead spots. The spots may be confused with alternaria early blight, but they are not definite, nor do they develop concentric bull's-eye rings.

The leaves may wilt, die and drop off. The disease symptoms progress up the stem, and the plant becomes stunted. Only the top leaves stay green. Fruits remain small, develop yellow shoulders, and may sunburn because of loss of leaves.

Infection takes place directly when the fungus threads enter the root hair. It is aided in its entrance if rootlets are broken or nematodes have fed on the root system. The fungus grows rapidly up the xylem, or sap-conducting channels. Its activity there results in interference with the normal upward movement of water and nutrients. The fungus produces a toxin that contributes to the wilting and spotting of the leaves. Diagnosis involves making a vertical slice of the main stem just above the soil line and observing a brown color in the conducting tissues under the bark. This discoloration can be traced upwards as well as downwards into the roots. In contrast to fusarium wilt, verticillium wilt discoloration seldom extends more than 10-I2 inches above the soil, even though its toxins may progress farther.

The Causal Fungus

Its wide host range permits Verticillium to persist in soils for long periods. It remains alive by means of darn resting threads, which form in great numbers on dying diseased underground plant parts. It can attack and multiply in many common weeds, including ragweed, cocklebur, and velvetleaf. One form of the fungus produces tiny black resting bodies (microsclerotia), which help it survive over winter.

Controls

Long rotations (4-5 years) with nonrelated crops, well-drained soils, and soil moisture kept at the minimum for good growth are advisable.

In greenhouses or with plastic-strip mulch, soil fumigation gives good control and is feasible on high-value crops.

By far the most feasible and economic control is the use of Verticillium-tolerant tomato cultivars of which there are many with varying maturities and excellent horticultural qualities. These include the following:

The pathogen is sensitive to soil moisture and temperature. Tomatoes and potatoes must have at least a day of saturated soil before infection occurs. Soil temperatures must be moderate or cool for infection to take place: 75° F (24° C) is optimum with 55° F (13° C) minimum and 86° F (30° C) maximum.

New Yorker (V)
Springset
Pic Red
Jet Star
Supersonic
Heinz 1350
Heinz 1439
Westover
Royal Flush
Floramerica
Veebrite
Veemore
Veegan
Veeset
Burpee VF Hyb.
Starshot

Earlirouge
Supersteak
Campbell 1327
Fireball (V)
Beefmaster
Better Boy
Bonus
Gardener (V)
Monte Carlo
Nova (Paste)
Crimson Vee (Paste)
Veeroma (Paste)
Veepick (Paste)
Ramapo
Moreton Hyb.
Spring Giant

Basket Vee
Campbell 17
Big Set
Setmore
Small Fry
Terrific
Big Girl
Mainpak
Early Cascade
Jumbo
Wonder Boy
Rutgers 39
Ultra Boy
Ultra Girl
Rushmore
Jetfire

Source:http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu

Plant Pathology Tomato Verticillium Wilt

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Tomato price registers record 84 percent hike in July

Agriculture 5:20 AM

September 03, 2013

Price of tomatoes increased by 84 percent in July as compared to June 2013. Heavy rainfall and flood in various parts of the country are said to be the factors behind low tomato yield leading to its import and thus a higher price, says a Free and Fair Election (Fafen) report released here on Monday.

Tomato price registers record 84 percent hike in July

Fafen governance monitors visited 188 retail outlets in 105 districts and reported increase in the prices of other vegetables as well. Price of potatoes increased by 21 percent and onions 10 percent. A high increase was also registered in the price of fruits; dark red apples 38 percent, golden apples 35 percent and bananas 12 percent.
Prices of condiments went up with that of ginger increasing 12 percent, garlic eight percent and turmeric four percent. Among poultry products seven percent increase was observed for eggs while broiler chicken live went up one percent. Other meat items including beef and mutton also registered increase of three percent and two percent.
Similarly, prices of all the sweeteners- Gur, Desi Shaker- three percent each, and sugar one percent, dairy products eg fresh milk and yogurt one percent each and wheat (flour) three percent and grain one percent registered rise. An increase was also observed in the price of kitchen fuels; LPG three percent, firewood two percent and kerosene oil one percent.
Prices of pulses were also increased, washed Moong pulse five percent, white beans four percent, washed Masoor pulse three percent and red beans two percent, while price of chickpeas five percent, gram pulse four percent, washed Mash pulse and black gram one percent each went down. Of the rice varieties, Irri-6 went down two percent and Basmati broken one percent. The average price of Basmati-386 remained unchanged. Moreover, prices of mustard oil, branded cooking oil, and branded vegetable ghee dropped by two percent each. Except for the price of a plate of cooked beef that went down one percent all other cooked items experienced increase; eg a cup of hot tea four percent, a plate of Dal and a plate of vegetables one percent each.

Source

AgriNews Tomato

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How to Grow Hydroponic Tomatoes

Agriculture 10:06 PM

Hydroponic tomatoes are grown in a nutrient solution rather than soil. Growing tomatoes hydroponically allows the grower to raise them in a controlled environment without weeds, insects or soil-borne diseases. Hydroponic systems recycle water and nutrients, and optimize space. Hydroponic tomato plants grow faster than soil-grown plants, and their yield is greater.

Raise your tomato plants from seed. If you bring plants in from the outdoors, you will introduce pests and diseases. Start seeds in a nursery tray with a rock wool starter. Soak the rock wool and adjust the pH to 4.5 before adding the seeds. Put on the domes.

Place seedlings under a metal halide light source for 12 hours per day as soon as they sprout. Take care not to let the light shine on the roots because this can damage them.

Transplant seedlings into the hydroponic system. Wait until their roots start to protrude from the bottom of the nursery tray. You can move the plant and the rock wool together.

Grow tomato plants in individual pots. Fill the pots with haydite (a reusable, porous rock) and connect them to an automatic drip-irrigation system. You can also place the plant and rock wool into holes spaced about 1 foot (30 cm) apart in a trough of rock wool.

Feed the tomatoes. Drip water and nutrients into the pots or trough during the hours when the light source is on. Mature plants need 4 quarts (liters) per day. Change the nutrient solution every week.

Expose growing plants to between 16 to 18 hours of light a day. Then turn off the lights and let them sit in total darkness for about 8 hours.

Maintain pH level between 5.8 and 6.3 for growing tomato plants. Adjust the pH levels as needed. Use phosphoric acid to lower the pH or potassium hydroxide to raise it.

Control the temperature. During "daylight" hours, the temperature should be 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 24 C). At night it should be 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit (12 to 18 C). Use thermostats and fans to regulate the temperature. Fans also allow for air exchange.

Stake and pruning the tomato plants. Tomato plants need support to grow upright, but they are somewhat fragile. Prune them by breaking off stems with your hands rather than cutting them off. Use plastic ties that won't damage the plants when staking.

Pollinate the tomato plant blossoms. Touching a soft paintbrush to the pollen and then touching the stigma of the flower. Do this several days in a row as soon as you can see the stigma.

Leach the pots when changing the nutrient solution. This is necessary to wash out salt buildup around the roots.

Source

Hydroponics Tomato

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Organic Pest Control for Tomato

Agriculture 1:47 AM

Important Note: © Copyright to Agriculture Information Bank (www.agrinfobank.com), Without Publisher and Author Permission Reproduce/Reprint/Republished by any means, of this article is strongly prohibited. In case of copyright violation, strong action should be taken.

By: Barbara Nadeem

Tomato, tomahto... no matter how you pronounce it, the tomato is probabaly the most widely grown vegetable. The tomato relative ease of culture is top choice by the home gardener because of its food value and many uses.

Health benifits of Tomatoes:

One medium-sized tomato has only 35 calories. The tomato is rich in vitamins C and A, and contains small amounts of the B vitamins and potassium. Tomatoes are also very well known for their high carotenoid content. Nine different carotenoids have been identified in tomatoes, two of them are beta-carotene and lycopene. Carotenoids are thought to have a number of health benefits, such as reducing the risk of developing cancer, cardiovascular disease, and macular degeneration. There has been a lot of medical and nutritional research on lycopene; incidentally, lycopene is responsible for the red color in tomatoes. About 80 to 90% of lycopene consumed by humans comes from tomatoes. Surprisingly enough, lycopene is absorbed better from processed tomato products than from fresh tomatoes. Tomato plants are very productive. When grown as staked plants, tomatoes require a relatively small amount of space, yet are capable of producing 8 to 10 pounds or more of fruit per plant. Some of the more compact tomato cultivars can be easily grown in containers. Hence, gardeners who have limited space can still grow tomatoes.

Grab a pot, some soil and some tomato seeds and start a tomato garden.. One thing about tomatoes is that garden pests enjoy the fruits of our labors before we can... So to deture some of these un invited guest pests here is a few organic recipes to help aid in keeping your plants healther and your harvest of your urban garden safe..

Organic Pest Control:

Tomato plants, as members of the nightshade family, contain toxic compounds called alkaloids in their leaves. When the leaves of tomato plants are chopped, they release their alkaloids. When the alkaloids are suspended and diluted with water, they make an easy to use spray that is toxic to aphids, but still safe around plants and humans.

What You'll Need:

1. One to two cups of tomato leaves

2. Two cups of water

3. A strainer or cheesecloth

4. Spray bottle

To make tomato leaf spray, simply soak one to two cups of chopped tomato leaves in two cups of water. Let it steep overnight. To make the spray, strain the leaves out of the liquid using cheesecloth or a fine strainer. Add another one to two cups of water to the liquid and add it to a spray bottle.

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Garlic Oil Spray

Organic gardeners have long relied on garlic as part of their pest-fighting arsenal. Garlic contains sulfur, which, besides being toxic to pests, is also an antibacterial and antifungal agent. The dish soap in this mixture also breaks down the bodies of soft-bodied pests, such as aphids.

What You'll Need:

1. Three to four cloves of garlic

2. Mineral oil

3. Strainer or cheesecloth

4. Liquid dish soap

5. Water

6. Spray bottle

To make garlic oil spray, mince or finely chop three to four cloves of garlic, and add them to two teaspoons of mineral oil. Let this mixture sit for 24 hours. Strain out the garlic pieces, and add the remaining liquid to one pint of water. Add one teaspoon of liquid dish soap. This mixture can be stored and diluted as needed. When you need to spray, use two tablespoons of the mixture added to one pint of water in a spray bottle.

To use your garlic oil spray, first test by spraying an inconspicuous part of the plant to see if your mixture harms it at all. If there are no signs of yellowing or other leaf damage after a day or two, it is safe to use. If there is leaf damage, dilute the mixture with more water and try the test again. Once you have determined that it won't harm your plant, spray the entire plant, paying special attention to the undersides of leaves.

Warning: Garlic oil is a non-selective insecticide, which means that it will kill beneficial insects (such as lady bugs, who are natural predators of aphids) just as easily as it kills the bad guys. It's best to keep as many beneficials around as possible. This spray should only be used if you haven't seen any beneficial bugs in your garden. The tomato leaf recipe, above, won't harm beneficials, so you should use that if you're lucky enough to have some beneficials in your garden.

**********

you can also spray the plants with any of a number of homemade insect deterrents. While this isn’t as effective as manually removing them, it will kill quite a few bugs and won’t hurt the plants, the environment, or you.

Some things to try:

Soapy water. Any biodegradable liquid soap will do. Use about a ¼ cup of soap per gallon of water, and rinse the plants with clean water an hour or so after you spray them so that the soap doesn’t burn their leaves.

Oily water. Blend about a ¼ cup canola or olive oil with one gallon of water and spray on plants. Remember to shake the spray bottle frequently to keep things mixed up.

Hot pepper spray. To make your own, puree four or five chili peppers with a gallon of water, strain, and spray. This is even more effective if you let the puree age for a day or so before you strain and use it.

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Gardening Talk Going Organic Pest Control Tomato

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Planting Tomatoes

Agriculture 9:31 PM

To get a bumper crop, stagger planting dates to extend the tomato harvest. Staggered transplant times will also reduce pest and disease problems, though it may not be an option if you live in an area with a short growing season. For people with longer, warmer growing seasons, start with a small crop -- just one or two plants -- and then add plants as the season progresses. That way, you'll have an early, mid and late harvest rather than having your crop come in all at once.

Wait until soil temperatures are at least 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit and days are in the 60s before transplanting your tomatoes. You can get them out earlier if you keep them warm using something like an insulated cloche, cold frame or row covers, but if you put them out too soon, you won't gain anything.
1. Hardening off: preparing the plants
Whether your seedlings are store-bought or home-grown, you'll need to harden them off before transplanting them into your garden. Hardening-off means getting them accustomed to the colder and more changeable outdoor environment by setting them outdoors in the shade during the day, and bringing them back in (or at least covering them) at night.
Many people who know about protecting young plants from night's chill are unaware that they also need to be protected from the shock of full-sun. Putting them in direct sunlight before they are ready can give your tomatoes the equivalent of plant sunburn. So start with shade and progress to partial sun before subjecting them to full sun.
Hardening should take anywhere from seven to ten days. This transitional time should leave the plants ready for transplanting.
2. Cultivating: preparing the soil
The term cultivating may bring to mind heavy machinery, but that isn't what we're discussing here. The other image that leaps to mind -- hoeing in the heat of mid-summer to keep the weeds back -- is also not at issue. Mulches and close spacing pretty much make hoeing unnecessary. No, the only cultivating recommended here is pre-season soil preparation. If you're planting, for the first time, in an area of loose, super-rich, well-drained soil, you can skip this step. If, however, you are mortal, then your soil will benefit from additives.
That said, it should also be noted that the days of mandatory deep digging are on their way out. Improved understanding of soil structure has led to a decreased enthusiasm for breaking up that structure and disturbing highly beneficial earthworms. A good rule of thumb is therefore to dig only on a need-to-dig basis. You need to dig if:
• you are starting a new plot
• you are working an old, tired plot that has not received soil amendments regularly
• your soil is heavy and clayey
• your soil is extremely sandy
• your soil is extremely anything -- alkaline, acidic, stony, dry, heavy.
But if you have an established plot with good, light soil, you probably only need to mix your soil amendments with compost and spread them on top of the plot.
The single, key, always helpful addition is compost. Not only is it rich in nutrients and beneficial micro-organisms, but it also improves soil texture, and that means that it increases both moisture retention and drainage . Note that not all "organic matter" is compost. Peat moss, wonderful for helping soils hold moisture and for making it lighter and easier to work, does not contain many nutrients, and coconut fiber, a similar additive, contains none. Undecayed vegetable matter (kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, fallen leaves) contain many nutrients, but most are not readily available to plants until they have been broken down. Some manures, wonderful for gardens after they've been allowed to stand for a year or so, can actually damage plants if applied too soon. Mature, fully decomposed compost is the way to go.
Beyond the "use compost" dictum, most soils benefit from materials that add the three main nutrients plants need. One easy trio is blood meal (nitrogen), bone meal (phosphorus) and greensand (potassium).

Quick Guide to Amendments for Problem Soils

For very sandy soil: Sandy soils drain very quickly, so you need to add material that help the soil hold water long enough for plants to get at it. Organic matter in any form will do this, but coconut fiber, derived from the coarse outer fibers of a coconut, or peat moss, harvested from bogs where it acts as a giant sponge, are especially effective. The other obvious candidate would be the old standby compost, which provides a complex array of nutrients as well as improving water-retention.

For very clayey soil: Clay soils consist of very fine particles which first resist absorbing water and then retain it tenaciously. Like sandy soils, heavy clay soils tend to be low in organic matter, so again, compost is the first line of defense, followed again by coconut fiber or peat moss. If your soil is neutral to acidic, coconut fiber may be the better choice of these two, as it tends to have a higher pH (5.5-6.3, as opposed to peat moss's 5-5.3). In very heavy soils, however, adding sand may be as important as adding organic matter.

For acidic (low pH) soils: (below 6 -- i.e., you are planting under a pine tree) First, do not despair. It isn't true that nothing will grow under a pine tree. Even tomatoes will grow under a pine tree if they receive adequate compensation in the form of high-alkaline additives like lime or wood-ashes. "Under," however, is a relative term: if you're talking about a blue spruce whose branches sweep the ground, then the dictum holds true. If, however, you're talking about a lodge pole pine whose branches start eight or ten feet up and grow almost straight out, then yes, you can probably plant under it about ten feet from the trunk. The problem is as much water and light as it is acidity.

For alkaline (high pH) soils: (you live in the west, where rainfall is low): Once again, start with compost, as alkaline soils generally lack organic matter. Beyond that, any of several additives will help correct this problem, and you can choose between them on the basis of their other qualities. Elemental sulfur, which is sold in the form of small "split-pea" pellets, will add the essential plant nutrient, while peat moss will add organic matter.

3. Planting
Seedlings are ready to plant outdoors when they are about six inches tall. Cloudy days are best for transplanting tomatoes (video), as seedlings are less likely to dry out or to suffer from sharp temperature changes. To transplant, pinch off the lower leaves. For those of you who started your plants from seed, this is just what you did when transplanting seedlings into larger containers.

Bathe plants with weak compost tea before transplanting. Dousing them with a super-strong fertilizer can send them into some botanical version of shock, so go light.

Compost Tea

Compost tea, as its name implies, is a liquid organic fertilizer made by soaking or distilling compost. Various methods of making it are offered by different sources. One method is to put compost into a very water-permeable cloth such as fine muslin or an old nylon and soak it in a bucket of water. Alternatively, one can soak manure in a barrel and strain off the liquid. Either method creates a nutrient-rich solution which can now be used either to spray foliage or to water plants.

Before you put your tomato plants in the soil, put one cup of kelp meal and one cup of bone meal into each planting hole to give them a turbocharged start. Kelp is an excellent all-around plant nutrient, which is rich in micronutrients, while bone meal is rich in phosphorus, which promotes flowers and fruits. These are both slow release fertilizers which will provide nutrients over time, without sending plants into shock as might too much chemical fertilizer. Both are also rich in micronutrients. One trick old-time gardeners use is to add Epson salts -- one or two tablespoons per hole -- when transplanting tomatoes. Epson salts add magnesium, an important plant nutrient.

Handle plants gently when transplanting. Any bruising or damage will set them back or leave them vulnerable to viruses or pests. Be careful to keep leaves free of dirt, as many fungi and viruses live in soil.

In the north, both the roots and most of the stem should go into the hole. Only the top leaf cluster should protrude above the ground. Since tomato roots will grow from the stem, the plant will have a larger root structure, which has two advantages: it gives the plant a more stable base, and it allows the plant access to more nutrients. In the south, it's best to keep the same soil level, as the buried stem can be vulnerable to fungus. The longer growing season in the south also lets the root structure reach an optimal size without the deeper planting.

If the plants you are transplanting are tall and leggy, or if you are growing tomatoes in the north, you can use trench planting instead of the traditional hole method. The trench offers two advantages, neither of which is always relevant: you don't have to dig as deep a hole, and the entire length of the plant's root system is in the upper layer of soil, which warms up first in the spring and which usually contains the richest nutrients. Dig a horizontal trench as long as the roots and stem together. Remove all the leaves from the plant with the exception of the top leaf cluster. Lay the plant on its side in the trench and cover the root system and bare stem up to the top leaf cluster with two to three inches of soil mixed with kelp and bone meal. When you've filled in the trench, the part of the plant above ground will be lying on the dirt, but not to worry; it will become vertical within a few sunny days. If you want, you can gently push a rock under it to get it started in the right direction. This is an especially good idea if the weather is likely to be cloudy or rainy.

A third transplanting method involves digging a fairly large, deep hole (a foot wide at the top, tapering to eight inches or so, and up to a foot deep), and then planting the seedling at the bottom of it. As the plant grows, remove lower leaves, and gradually fill in the hole. This method makes maximum use of the tomato's ability to root its stems, but it also puts the seedling in much colder earth than other methods do. To alleviate that problem, dig the holes a week in advance, and put a bottomless milk jug with the top still on in the bottom of each. The jug, acting like a miniature greenhouse, will speed the heating of the soil as well as preventing its collapse into the hole. When you transplant the seedlings, cover them with the jugs, but as soon as day temperatures reach seventy, remove the tops to avoid cooking your plants. Between the hole itself and the jug, a seedling is well-protected from wind, and as the exposed soil warms, it radiates warmth around all sides of the plant. This is an excellent technique to use in barrels and containers, where digging deep holes doesn't involve much labor.

Because tomatoes love sun and heat, you can solarize their soil, covering the entire plot with plastic for the entire season. Soil solarization helps curb or prevent disease, especially verticillium wilt. It's easiest to do this before transplanting, so that you're not wrestling wads of plastic around delicate seedlings. Dig in your compost and nutrients, then wet the soil, lay down your plastic, and cut slits or Xs where you plan to set plants. If you are preparing holes with individually measured nutrients, it may be best to do that preparation before laying the plastic, keeping out only enough earth to cover the seedlings. Digging a hole large enough to hold two cups of fertilizer, then refilling it through holes in plastic can make an unholy mess. Just be sure to mark where the holes (and nutrients) are, so that you can cut your slits just above them.

In a warm climate, mulching with straw (not hay!) is another option. Charles H. Wilbur, who has spent his life producing record-sized vegetables using organic methods, including a Guinness Book of World Records tomato plant in 1987, uses wheat straw, and describes his method in detail in his book How to Grow World Record Tomatoes. In the north, though, straw and other insulating mulches are a poor early-season choice, as they keep the soil from warming up.

If you plan on staking tomatoes, it's a good idea to put in the stakes at the same time you transplant. This pretty much eliminates the chance that you'll drive a stake through the plant's roots at some later time. Put the stakes on the downwind side of the plants, so that when the wind blows, plants are not straining against narrow bands of material, but instead lean into the long vertical support of the stake.

In a cold area where there are any doubts about the possibility of frost, it's wise to give seedlings some sort of cold-weather protection. This can take many forms. A plastic gallon milk jug with the bottom cut out can be set over each plant, providing a personalized greenhouse with a natural vent at the top. An old tire acts as a wind break. Floating row covers provide frost protection.

Source:

Gardening Talk Tomato

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Growing tomatoes in growing bags

Agriculture 10:46 AM

The compost in vegetable growing bags is specially formulated for optimum growth, but it can dry out quickly. To overcome this problem, increase the volume by inserting open-ended pots into the holes in the top of the bags, and then fill them with good-quality multi-purpose compost. The extra compost gives the plant roots more space to develop, and holds more water.

1 Using a knife, make drainage holes in the base of the bag and cut three large circles in the top. Insert bottomless plastic pots (make your own or buy ready-made) into the openings and fill with extra compost.	2 Transfer your tomato plants to the growing bag when their first flowers are about to open. Plant one tomato per pot, positioning the root ball just below the top of the compost, and water them in well.

3 Add canes for support, and pinch off all fast-growing side shoots that appear between the leaves and the main stem, as they divert energy away from fruit production. Apply a weekly dose of liquid tomato fertilizer.	4 As the main stems grow, tie them to the canes with soft twine. Prevent the plants from growing too tall by removing the uppermost tip, two or three leaves beyond the last cluster of fruit on the stem.	5 Keep your tomato plants well watered throughout the growing season; the fruits may either split or succumb to disease if they do not receive sufficient moisture. If you are growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, or you have a number of containers to care for, consider installing an automatic watering system