Garden Doctor > Tomato Pests

One of the most satisfying crops to grow for summer are tomato plants. They are easy to grow and produce masses of delicious fruit, perfect for salads, snacks and all manner of dishes. To get the best from your plants you need to be aware of one or two tomato dilemmas and what you can do to resolve them.

Good growing practices
Many of the problems that occur in tomatoes are not initially caused by pests and diseases, but may simply be the result of the way that you care for and tend your plants. To get the very best results you need to provide the ideal growing conditions. This means everything from using the right growing medium to regular food and water. Plants that are deficient in certain trace elements display symptomatic problems such as chlorotic leaves, split fruit, green patches and blossom end rot. Almost all of these are avoidable with proper care and attention, which means the right compost and the very best in plant fertilisers.

If you are serious about growing tomatoes then choose the very best compost to suit their needs. Westland is an expert in growing media and has produced a definitive range of top quality composts to suit the needs of all your plants. For tomatoes choose Westland Multi Purpose Compost with added John Innes or the new West+ Advanced Compost for all plants. Alternatively grow them in Westland Instant Planters that have a generous depth of compost well suited to growing tomatoes. Organic growers can choose the Organic Multi-Purpose Compost. All of these composts are specially formulated to support strong healthy roots and vigorous, sturdy plants. If you are investing time and effort into growing good tomatoes then it makes sense to give them everything that they need.

When it comes to fertilisers only the best will do. Tomato plants have very specific requirements to keep them healthy and strong. For example, if you feed them with a normal feed for flowering plants they are much more susceptible to a disease called Bblossom End Rot. This disease is usually caused by a deficiency in calcium, which normal flowering plant foods do not contain in sufficient amounts to satisfy tomato plants. Westland’s specially formulated Tomato Concentrated Plant Food has just the right levels of NPK to promote and sustain healthy green plants with trusses of tasty fruit, and it also contains trace elements to ensure the plant has access to every additional requirement to keep it healthy. More than that it is enriched with added calcium and magnesium to give your plants the best possible chance to avoid common tomato diseases including Blossom End Rot. In essence it contains everything tomatoes need for strong, healthy growth. Organic gardeners can use the Organic Tomato and Vegetable Plant Food with full confidence that its natural ingredients provide your plants with everything that they need for excellent results.

Little bugs
When plants become stressed and lacking in certain essential elements they are less able to perform to their full potential and quickly become susceptible to all kinds of pests and diseases. Sap suckers such as aphids and whitefly are a menace indoors and out.
When growing edible crops it is essential to ensure that any pest controls you use are approved for use on fruit and vegetables. Westland Bug Killer is approved for use on edible and ornamental plants growing in gardens and greenhouses. Crops can be harvested and used the day after treatment if required. This fast acting, ready to use product controls a range of pests including greenfly, black fly, whitefly and caterpillars.

Water Babies
A proper watering regime is essential, especially when the fruit have set, irregular watering can lead to split fruit and may also encourage red spider mite in the greenhouse. Fruiting plants will need a good long drink especially in hot weather, keep the water off the leaves and soak the compost thoroughly.

Fungal foes
There are one or two fungal diseases that can affect tomatoes including Tomato Leaf Mould that causes purple brown patches on the underside of leaves and yellow patches above. This is generally the result of too much warmth and humidity and usually occurs on greenhouse tomatoes. Remove and destroy affected leaves.
The worst fungal disease on tomatoes is Blight, which when present attacks potatoes and tomatoes with great speed. There is currently no effective control. Affected plants should be uprooted and destroyed. For future crops choose to grow varieties which show resistance to these problems.