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It is commendable desire of everyone to provide the family with fresh healthy vegetables from their garden and preparations in the winter. The future harvest, no doubt, is laid at the seedling stage. Most gardeners grow seedlings on their own, or at least tried it.
Healthy seedlings are not only pleasing to the eye, but also hopes for a decent future harvest. And the more the bitterness of disappointment, when you put your strength and soul, and the result is not happy. Hands down.
Possible mistakes should be analyzed in order to prevent them in the future and exclude them in the present. It so happens that spots appear on tomato seedlings. Spots are different, as well as the reasons for their occurrence.
Sunburn
The presence of white spots indicates sunburn. It may even happen that the plant will completely turn white, and only the stem will remain green. Seedling tomato received a sunburn, resulting in tissue necrosis or necrosis. Unprepared plants were immediately exposed to the sun, another reason is improper watering during the daytime, in which drops remain on the leaves, and do not focus the sun's rays like lenses. As a result, the plants receive tissue burns. How to avoid getting burned?
Water the plants under the root in the early morning hours or late in the evening, when the sun's rays are indirect and cannot be harmful;
From the moment the sprouts appear, the seedlings should be on a sunny windowsill;
Before planting in an open ground or greenhouse, gradually accustom your tomato seedlings to the sun. Expose to the sun, starting from the hour, gradually increase the time;
The first time, after planting tomato seedlings in the ground, cover it with some material. For example, lutrasil, or just burdock leaves.
If tomato seedlings have already received a burn, then experienced gardeners are advised to spray the leaves with Epin. It not only stimulates plant growth, but is also an anti-stress drug and improves immunity. It will not be possible to reanimate the burn sites, but the plant will receive strength to get out of stress and will not receive additional burns. Dilute 40 drops of the preparation in 5 liters of water and spray the plants.
Dry Spot (Alternaria)
The disease manifests itself first on the lower leaves in the form of rounded brown spots, over time the spots increase and acquire a gray tint, their surface becomes velvety. With a large lesion, the leaves die off.
In warm, humid weather, with significant daily fluctuations, the disease progresses. To prevent the defeat of tomato seedlings with white spot, follow preventive measures:
- Ventilate the room, avoid high humidity and high temperatures;
- In greenhouses, remove all plant debris that feeds pathogens illness;
- Choose the seeds of tomatoes that are disease resistant;
- Observe the crop rotation;
- Treat the seeds before sowing.
Disease control chemicals: Kuproksat, Thanos, Quadris, Metaxil.
For tips from an experienced gardener, see the video:
White spot (septoria)
Dirty white spots with a brown border on tomato seedlings indicate that your plants are sick with septoria. The lower leaves are damaged first. Dark spots can be seen on the surface of the spots. The spots merge over time, forming necrotic lesions of the leaf plate. In resistant varieties, the spots are small 1 - 2 mm.The leaves turn brown and fall off, then the whole bush dies if the disease is not dealt with. Septoria develops if the agrotechnical conditions for growing tomato seedlings are not observed: high humidity and high temperature.
Control measures:
- Choose disease resistant varieties and hybrids;
- Observe the crop rotation;
- Avoid high humidity and temperature, ventilate the room, water in moderation;
- Disinfect greenhouses or completely replace all soil;
- At the first stage of the disease, spray with a fungicide: "Thanos", "Title", "Revus".
The sooner you start treatment, the more likely you are to save the plants and harvest.
Brown spot (cladosporium)
This is a fungal disease that develops gradually. The symptoms are as follows: light green spots appear on the upper side of tomato seedlings, on the back of the leaf they are covered with a grayish bloom. Over time, the disease affects more and more leaves, the color of the spots changes to dark brown. And from the inside, the plaque becomes brown, the spores of the fungus are ripe and ready to infect new plants. Despite the fact that clasporidosis does not affect the stem, tomato seedlings die, since the process of photosynthesis stops in the damaged leaves. Leaves curl and fall off.
The causes of the disease: high air humidity and high temperature over +25 degrees. And also the presence of rotting plant residues in the soil, which are home to fungi in winter. Preventive control measures:
- To prevent the development of the disease, keep an eye on the humidity, the greenhouses must be regularly ventilated;
- Affected bushes should be removed and burned;
- Observe the crop rotation, do not plant tomatoes in the same place for several years in a row;
- Avoid thickening of the plantings, which leads to high humidity;
- At the initial stage, you can tear off the affected leaves and burn them;
- Watering should be moderate. It is not necessary to water the tomato seedlings often and abundantly;
- Choose tomato varieties that are resistant to brown spot.
Traditional methods:
- Dilute milk whey (1 liter) in 10 liters of water, spray tomato seedlings;
- Watering tomato seedlings with a weak solution of potassium permanganate weekly saves from the appearance of brown spot;
- Garlic tincture (500 g of grated garlic in a bucket of water), spray the plants;
- 1 liter of milk, 30 drops of iodine per 10 liters of water. Make a solution with the indicated ingredients, spray the tomato seedlings;
If traditional methods do not help, and the disease is gaining momentum, then it is worth turning to chemical preparations. You will be helped by: "Hom", "Poliram", "Abiga - Peak", "Bravo". Or prepare a solution from the following mixture: take 1 tbsp. l. polycarbacin and copper sulfate, 3 tbsp. l. colloidal sulfur in a bucket of water (10 l). Biological means of control include the drug: "Fitosporin - M".
Black bacterial spot
On the leaves of tomato seedlings, the symptoms of black bacterial spot appear as small specks of light green color. But soon they enlarge and turn brown.
Bacteria enter the leaves through natural holes and through any mechanical damage. The bacterium begins to actively develop at high humidity and temperatures above +25 degrees.
Control measures:
- Cleansing the soil from plant residues in which bacteria can persist;
- Seed dressing;
- Do not thicken the planting;
- Observe the crop rotation;
- Remove affected leaves;
- Treat tomato seedlings with preparations: "Fitosporin - M", "Baktofit", "Gamair".
In difficult cases, go to chemical means of struggle: "Hom", "Oxyhom", Bordeaux liquid.
Mosaic
A viral disease that affects tomato seedlings. Dense planting of plants, high humidity and temperature lead to the development of the disease.At first, the mosaic appears in the form of mottling, then separate areas of light green and yellow - green appear.
The leaves are deformed, thinner, peculiar growths are formed on them, which can be used to diagnose the mosaic.
The virus can persist for a long time in the soil in the presence of plant debris in it; it is carried by insect pests: aphids and thrips.
Virus control measures:
- Observe the crop rotation;
- Carefully remove and incinerate all plant residues;
- In the greenhouse disinfect the soil by spilling it with a solution of potassium permanganate. Or replace the soil by removing the top layer by 15 cm;
- Disinfect the seed;
- Steam the soil prepared for tomato seedlings or roast in the oven;
- Destroy insects - pests in time;
- Disinfect tomato seedling boxes, garden tools;
- Treat tomato seedlings weekly with whey (liter per bucket of water);
- Choose resistant varieties and hybrids of tomatoes for planting;
- Avoid sudden temperature changes.
Mosaic is ubiquitous, simple agronomic techniques will protect your plants from infection.
Conclusion
In order to prevent disease of tomato seedlings, more often than not, preventive measures for plant protection and compliance with growing conditions are sufficient. Be careful when cleaning the soil from plant residues that retain pathogenic microorganisms.
