If you have a tomato plant at home, this article interests you. With the increase in urban gardens we find many clients who have doubts about the diseases and pests suffered by their plants, including tomato and tomatoes.
There are different aspects to consider when we talk about diseases and pests of tomatoes, peppers, aubergines or any other fruit or vegetable. If you have an urban garden or a garden at home and you have suffered this inconvenience, do not worry. Read this article by Quercus Jardiners and discover what may be attacking your tomatoes to know how to act. Although tomato pests or diseases are not as frequent in private homes (or if they appear, they are not as strong as in the field), it never hurts to know a little about the external elements that can damage our harvest, which we take care of with so much honey
Starting with the terrain, the climate, the hygiene and the preparation, up to the variety of the plant and its pruning. All these elements can contribute to the appearance of diseases and pests in our tomatoes.
Let’s take a closer look at some of these pests that can affect our tomato plants and how to solve the problem.
Types of pests on tomatoes
- Whitefly : Whitefly completes its life cycle in just two weeks. The whitefly is a virus carrier, in addition to damaging plants and tomatoes. There are adhesive traps and phytosanitary treatments to get rid of the whitefly infestation.
- Aphid : the above is applicable to treat whitefly pests.
- Tuta absolute or tomato moth: the name already makes us think of something bad. The Tuta infestation is quite complex, has a great capacity for movement and protects its larvae inside the plant tissue. To avoid the plague of Tuta absolute in your tomatoes, you must clean the garden well when you change crops and take preventive measures while performing phytosanitary treatments once you detect the plague. In greenhouses you can also play with Tuta’s pheromones to confuse bugs.
- Red spider : due to the increasingly warmer climate we have in areas such as Barcelona, Menorca, Badalona, Tarragona or Maresme, red spider pests are becoming more frequent. In this case, as in the tomato moth, it is very important to have a clean garden (especially if we change crops) since the red spider can stay on the plant remains or soil. Treatments for whitefly and Tuta usually have an effect on the red spider (limited, for that reason).
- Tan mite : multiplies very quickly in summer (its ideal temperature is 28 degrees). Another problem of the pest of this mite in tomatoes is that the effects are not noticeable until several generations of the bug have passed, which means that when you realize that your tomato plant has the pest, it has actually been there for days. A professional can control the tomato pest with sulfur.
Tomato diseases
- Virosis : this tomato disease can come from microorganisms or bugs that have been in contact with a sick plant and infect our tomatoes. Again, keeping the garden clean will help prevent this disease, for this reason, if we detect diseased tomato leaves, we must get rid of them without them touching the rest of the vegetables in the garden (it is usually transmitted by contact).
- Odiopsis : very common fungal disease in tomatoes. You will be able to detect it because the tomatoes start to yellow and even create a white layer on top. There are specific fungicides, but it is also important to control the humidity of the environment and choose less sensitive varieties.
- Gray rot : In this case, gray rot appears in cold environments with a lot of light and humidity. You may notice that your tomato plant is infected with this fungal disease when the leaves and flowers have brown spots and the tomatoes become soft. Use specific fungicides and clean the orchard and garden of vegetable remains that may be affected.
Conclusions: tomato diseases and pests
We have already seen different pests and diseases of tomatoes that can be found anywhere in Catalonia or the Balearic Islands, as well as in the rest of Spain.
If you have an urban garden or orchard with a tomato plant or tomatoes and you think that one of these diseases/pests may be affecting your vegetables or fruits, do not hesitate to apply what you have just read or contact us to help you.
