Brown tomato leaves result of plant disease
Q. Each year the leaves on my tomatoes turn brown and fall off. It starts at the bottom and moves up the plant. By the end of the season there are only a few leaves, but I still have tomatoes. Rotating the plants to different areas in the garden has not helped. Any suggestions?
A. This sounds like septoria leaf spot. You first notice brown circular spots on the lower leaves with this disease. The leaves eventually turn yellow and then brown and drop off.
The disease overwinters in infected plant debris and the soil for as many as three years. So when you rotate plantings, be sure to follow tomato plantings with unrelated vegetables such as beans, onions, peas and lettuce for at least three years. Do not follow with related plantings of peppers and eggplants that are also susceptible to the same diseases.
Keeping your garden free of related weeds like jimsonweed, horsenettle, ground cherries and nightshade also will reduce the buildup of this disease.
Stake and cage the tomatoes, mulch the soil and avoid overhead irrigation to reduce the risk of this disease and others. Remove the lower leaves to increase air circulation and to avoid the spores splashing onto the plant. Remove and destroy infected leaves as soon as they are discovered, and do a thorough cleanup in fall.
Unfortunately, there are no septoria-leaf-spot-resistant varieties. You may decide to intervene with a fungicide next year, given that this has been an ongoing problem. Make the first application at the first sign of the disease and repeat as needed. Be sure to read and follow label directions carefully.
Q. I planted a perennial last summer. This year it grew 5 feet tall, had clusters of pink flowers and the bees love it. Should I cut it down in the fall?
A. Your mystery plant could be a garden phlox, bee balm or another tall perennial. These and other perennials grew taller than usual this year due to all the spring and summer rains. Do an image search on the Internet for tall perennials with pink flowers. This may help you accurately identify your plant.
Leave the plant standing for winter, as long as it is healthy. Perennials provide winter homes for beneficial insects, food for birds and winter interest for us to enjoy. Cut it back to ground level in late winter or early spring before growth begins and compost the dried material.
Q. I have a vine that has been beautiful for several years and usually blooms all summer long. It recently stopped flowering. I read somewhere online that adding 10-10-10 fertilizer will help promote flowering. I have some… but the label does not tell how much to add at this time of the year. Can you help?
A. Do not fertilize perennial flowers and vines, trees, shrubs and evergreens after July 31. This can promote lateseason growth that is subject to winter injury.
The fluctuating temperatures, cool nights and often cooler than normal days this season have impacted flowering and fruiting on a variety of plants.
Consider using Milorganite next spring to encourage flowering. Research found that when the microorganisms work on releasing the nutrients from the Milorganite pellets, they also make some of the phosphorous and potassium that is bound to our soil available to the plants. The phosphorous promotes rooting, flowering and fruiting and the potassium promotes hardiness and disease resistance.