My tomato plants leaves are turning brown from the bottom up and then falling off. Is this aphids?

Question

I sprayed a couple different times for aphids and I don't see any sign of them. I also don't know why the bottoms are turning brown on the tomato itself as the blossoms are long gone. ... Confusing... I've been told to much water.. I know thats not it. I have been told the nutrients in the soil.. I need help as I'm losing them all...

Answer 1

No dear, aphids are little green bugs. your tomato leaves are doing what leaves are meant to do... feed your tomatoes. your plant is not an ornimental, it's a veggie. the new fruit is taking what it needs to grow from your leaves just like mother nature wanted them to do.

Answer 2

Tomato Plant Leaves Turning Brown

Answer 3

Hi there!
Now......I may not be a master gardener, but then....I don't really consider myself a chicken little either....Just someone who has learned through the years of trials and tribulations......and you know.....if your whole planting of tomatoes is doing this....it can feel like the sky is falling.....don't dispair, and don't you dare let anyone make you feel silly if you fell panic at the idea of no wonderful little orbs decorating your majestic green towers......it's a legitimate question and concern.

But no one actually gave you a "how to fix it and with what" type of answer now....did they??? SO......
It's not aphids.
It's not leaf eating catapillars.
It's not cut worms.
It's not root rot.
It's not anything that poisen/on can cure....so stop it!! :-)
Combine all of the previous answers, and then take it a step further...

First: the leaves turning brown from the bottom up is natural to a point. Part of the problem can be a form of wilt or fungus.....but that can be handled by not watering from the top....and make sure that if you smoke...you wash your hands before entering the garden.
Now.....If you have them caged too tightly, they may not be getting enough air/ventilation. Thin out some of the branches that don't have blossoms so that the plant can breathe. There are two different types of tomato plants. One grows only so many branches and only so tall and then stops as it starts to produce fruits. This is a "determinate" type. The other continues to grow as many branches, as quickly as possible to whatever height, no matter how stringy it's branches get until it topples over your cages, cascades down the next plant, over the fence into your neighbors yard and would eventually take over the planet exept that it WILL DIE!!!! when the frost hits....all the time blooming and growing the most wonderful (if somewhat smaller) tomatos and driving you to desperation to off load some and is the more likely to develop the god awful brown leaves that send gardeners into panic!! These are called "in-determinate"....they can be a pain, but they have sooooo many wonderful varieties I end up fighting them every year.....
So.....get out your pruners and start training it back....snipping it back.....clip off the tops.....show it who is boss!! Don't be afraid to cut back some of the inner branches too....that will help with the circulation.

Now......as to the fruits themselves turning brown. That's probably a calcium deficiency. Sometimes the blossom has already started the rot and it just doesn't show up until the center ripens. Eggshells. Ground oyster shell. Wipe off the blossom by hand as soon as the fruit starts to form.
This can also be caused by little critters taking nibbles and then leaving you to find the special "surprise" .....I had that one year...from the top the tomato was lovely, ripe and oh...my....yuck....when i'd slide my hand under to pick the lovely fruit and the fingers would get all gooped..... I call this the snacker syndrome. Cages usually keep this away, but...I stake...so....
The other critter that can do this is the wasp. They take a "sip" when it's really hot or dry. It's not done on purpose, but......nothing to do about this really....

So....air, bottom water, calcium, cages, and....well....to keep away the snacker, pour human urine(or spray if you have the proper.....uhm....accessories.... besides.... male urine actually works better....go figure....)... around the outside perimeter of your garden.....sounds gross, but....it's organic...and it works!!

Good luck and happy gardening!!

Answer 4

MASTER GARDENER TO THE RESCUE

Boy I hate to say it but why is everybody at answers all such chicken Little's? The sky is falling, the sky is falling! Everyone passes up the obvious and goes for some big problem.

Roger.went above is 100% correct. I couldn't have said it better myself. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR TOMATO PLANT! die back is a normal part of a tomatoes growth cycle. the little guys are getting fat by sucking the good stuff out of the leaves. that's what leaves are for.

P.S. Aphids do not eat holes in leaves or anything else. they have no teeth. they SUCK juices from plants.

Answer 5

Oh that's nothing to worry about it is common for tomato plant bottoms to do so, I really don't know how but it's normal for t to happen so ya. it could be that the bottom was getting more water since it is on the bottom and water may splash alot onto the leaves. All the time this happens but my tomato's never die just the leaves. =()

Answer 6

Maybe it's not enough sun. I have found that tomato plants like a lot of sun and a lot of water. During the hot part of last summer I was giving my plants about 2.5 gallons of water each per day and they loved it. I was using close to 300 gallons of water per week for 24 plants. I ended up with bushy plants almost 8 feet tall.

One year we had rain all the time, and the lack of sun was devastating. So I know from experience that without a lot of sun almost every day you will not have good results at all.

Answer 7

It sounds like you might have blight. I don't know if you can do anything to save them at this point. I was told to add more calcium to the soil and it seemed to have worked. I never plant them in the same spot in the garden each year either. It can lead to blight. Water can also do that by simply watering them from above. They prefer something like a soaker hose so the leaves stay dry. Doubt this helped but good luck with them

Answer 8

I don't think you have aphids...they usually eat little holes in the leaves. Not turn them brown. I am not sure...but I wouldn't spray too much poison on them anymore..that might be the cause of the problem?

Answer 9

Don't worry about it. Water consistently. In spring, be sure to fertilize with high P high K fertilizer (Espoma tomato tone or bulb tone), add Epsom salts and egg shells. During the season, repeat the Espoma every 2 or three weeks.

Answer 10

Listen to Miss Priss, I could not have said it better myself, Master Gardener indeed! Old lady Miss Priss did right by you. I am also a master gardener, Massachusetts Hort., but my Old Grandfather, and all the long gone old flower growers taught me more than any University,or Master Gardener course could have.
Listen to Her.