Knowledgebase
Tomato seedling problems #752073
Asked May 25, 2021, 2:50 PM EDT
I got several tomato seedlings last week and planted them on Friday. They looked beautiful when I planted them. By Sunday afternoon the bottom leaves were starting to look yellowed and withered and spotty. I've watering like crazy. Everything else in the garden looks fine except a new yellow summer squash seedling nearby that has yellowing leaves on the edges. I thought at first it could be sunburn because I guess I did rush the hardening off. But this looks more like some kind of moldy spotty something or other. I treated once with Organicide Bee Safe 3-in-1 garden spray which is supposed to be a natural insecticide/fungicide/miticide. I have had good luck with this in the past but in this case it didn't seem to help. Thoughts?
Washtenaw County Michigan
Expert Response
Hi Nika;
There are many things that can affect a plant - pathogens, cultural habits and environmental conditions. And more than one can be happening at the same time.
You appear to have more than one. The tan spots and curling leaf edges is likely sun scald, as you suggest. That will eventually dissipate as the plant acclimates, so don't worry about that one.
The black spots are a bigger concern - they could be fungal or bacterial. I cannot definitely tell you which you have, but bacterial leaf spot often originates in seeds and seedlings regardless of what you may be doing yourself, and that could explain why the fungicide did not help. But it could still be fungal b/c fungal diseases are difficult to fight even when you spray, especially if the weather is humid and you are watering a lot.
Read this article below b/c it has some really good tips on what to do right now. Primarily-remove all affected foliage soon (tomatoes are very forgiving and will grow back quickly with warm weather-no worries). If it gets worse, pitch it an buy a new plant. Tomato plants are easy to come by and it is not worth fighting a big problem?
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/bacterial-spot-of-tomato/#:~:text=Bacterial%20spot%20can%20affect%20all,brownish%2Dred%20as%20they%20age.
