Tomato Pests Can Easily Be Controlled
By Dale Norrington, Master Gardener
A bright red, vine ripened tomato is
the ultimate goal for many gardeners.
Unfortunately, various garden pests and diseases can inflict your plants. Many cultural pest control practices
recommended for fruit and vegetable crops are applicable to tomatoes.
Proper fertilization promotes vigorous plants with sufficient leaf cover to
avoid sunscald on fruit. Improper
fertilization can contribute to increased aphid populations or blossom fall
off. Use a balanced fertilizer before
planting and twice during the growing season; follow the fertilizer's
directions carefully.
Appropriate irrigation techniques can help alleviate many problems, including
fruit cracking, blossom end rot, root rot, late blight, and wilt. Avoid overhead irrigation, and apply less
water more often to maintain even soil moisture.
If slugs and snails are problematic, stake tomato plants to keep fruit off the
ground. Eliminate nearby daytime hiding
places. Regular hand picking can keep
snail populations in check. Moisten soil
surface in the early evening, and patrol after dark with a flashlight. Traps and barriers may be deployed to good
effect.
Aphids can often be controlled simply by washing them off the plant with a
strong stream of water. Do this early
enough in the day to allow time for plants to dry before nightfall. Ant control can contribute to aphid control;
encircle trunks with a sticky substance and prune or tie plants so that
branches and leaves do not touch neighboring structures and provide access to
ants.
With an eye to the future, grow tomato varieties resistant to Verticillium and
Fusarium wilts, root knot nematodes, and tobacco mosaic virus.
Crop rotation is often an effective method of cultural pest control. To help thwart Verticillium wilt and potato
tuber-worm do not plant tomatoes where potatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucurbits
or tomatoes were grown the previous year.