Protect Your Tomato Plants From Disease And Pests – Preseason Tips
People love growing tomatoes in the summer. They are inexpensive and usually simple to grow but they are a target for pests, disease and fungus. When they strike, it can be very frustrating to a gardener who was looking forward to fresh, juicy, home grown tomatoes.
Many factors affect how vulnerable your tomato plants are and the good news is, you can control most of these things and effectively prevent or control damage to your tomato plants from pests and disease.
The first things you can do to prevent problems with your tomato plants start before the plants are even in the ground. Don’t worry if you are past that point in the season. There are still things you can do once the tomato plants are growing.
The preparation begins when the previous season ends. After the tomato plants die, make sure you dispose of them in the trash. Do not leave them on the ground over the winter or add them to your compost pile. Tomato diseases can weather the winter on the ground or in the compost pile and are easily transmitted from old plants to new ones. Disposing of them in the trash will break the cycle and give the new plants next spring a fresh start.
Plan the location of your tomatoes carefully. Crop rotation should be used whenever possible. Ideally, you should not plant tomatoes in the same spot in your garden if they’ve grown in that same spot any time during the last three seasons. This allows you to replenish the soil with the nutrients necessary for proper tomato plant growth.
If you have a small space and can not practice proper crop rotation, make sure you mix mulch into the soil before planting to replenish those necessary nutrients.
The next thing you can do before planting season is carefully select seeds or seedlings. Many people have their favorite varieties of tomatoes but giving serious consideration to selecting disease-resistant varieties will prevent problems in the future. Look at the seed packet or the seedling tag, It should contain most or all of the following capital letters (VFFNTA) which corresponds to the diseases and insects the variety is resistance to, ie Verticillium wilt, Fusarium races 1 and 2, root knot Nematodes, Tobacco mosaic virus, and Alternaria stem canker.
If you start your tomato plants from seeds, be sure you start them at the proper time according to the seed packet and give the seedlings the proper amount of water and sunlight (this is really important). Starting healthy tomato seedlings from seed can be difficult for the home gardener and if you have trouble, you always have the option of visiting a local nursery and selecting healthy, dark green seedlings.
Be sure not to plant seedlings in your garden too soon. The cold soil too early in the season will weaken seedlings and cause phosphorus deficiencies… not a good start for your tomatoes.
If you do grow or purchase tall, thin, lanky seedlings, you can plant them in the ground all the way up to the first set of established leaves. Tomatoes have an ability to grow additional roots from any part of the stem. Planting your seedlings deeper in the ground will give them stability and strength from the extra roots.
The last suggestion before planting seedlings is to space them properly. Depending on whether you will be staking your plants vertically or letting them grow inside a cage, tomato plants should be given a minimum of 18 inches to spread out. Air circulation around properly-spaced plants will help fight diseases that thrive on moist conditions.
If you follow any or all of these suggested pre-season tips, your tomato plants are sure to benefit from your hard work and you will be rewarded with fresh, healthy, juicy home-grown tomatoes.
Visit the author’s detailed, illustrated article 10 Tomato Plant Problems for more free tips and tricks on growing tomatoes… and make sure you spend a little time in Suzy’s Garden – a great place for more gardening, craft and cooking information and fun !
Suzy is a mom of three from New Jersey (yes, the Garden State!) and is an avid gardener. Growing “Jersey” tomatoes, in particular, is one of her favorite summertime hobbies. Besides being a full-time mom and gardener, Suzy is also a teacher’s aide in a special needs class, a great shopper and author. She is also an advocate for the rights and needs of disabled children.
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