I don't know what is wrong with that store bought tomato plant but I would pull it and trash it in case it infects your good looking ws tomato. It looks wilted like it didn't get enough water.

Pepper is looking good also.

Ya know I posted this same picture on facebook and remy said the same thing. What puzzles me is that I have new suckers coming out and they don't seem to be doing the "curl". Wouldn't they be affected also?

Carolyn, we are having the same problem, but with the Peppers. I read in "The New Seed Starters Handbook" it could be too much nitrogen.

I think it's a mite of some sort.

Carolyn, Don't you put down any mulch around your plants? That soil looks awfully dry.

I was thinking the same as pippi- maybe that plant is just thirsty. The ground looks parched. You need some mulch!

Karen

That shot was actually taken 2 days after at the minimum of 4 days of heavy rain. This has been one of the wettest years. It never rains this much during the summer. The forecast this week is a chance of rain every day but saturday and sunday and yes it rained today.

So with that and the suckers are producing normally leads me to think it is something else other than lack of rain. Maybe the plant itself?

I don't use mulch anymore because it attracts ants and termites especially in this bed do I have a tendendcy to get huge any colonies. I don't spray for pest around my veggies and I really hate ants in my kitchen, LOL!! Therefore no mulch nor will there ever be mulch in this bed again.

Those were suppose to be!!

**...something else other than lack of water.

**...tendency to get huge ant colonies.

Many kinds of organic matter can be used as mulch, besides wood. Both fall leaves and grass clipping tend to be readily available. They would add organic matter to that soil, and it does look in desperate need of organic matter. Mulching with compost would probably be best.

I suggest you post those pics on the soil forum. I bet those folks will say the same. There are lots of helpful people there.

Karen

Thanks karen, but it also is not my soil!!

Leaves and grass also attract ants!!

Farmers around here do not admend soil! They till 1000's and 1000's of acres!! I can stand out in my parents yard and see 5 to 10 miles straight out, solid farmland!! Our soil is extremely fertile, but once it sets its set!

I am going to either cut back the limbs or I am going to yank it!

OK, I'll ask. Don't you have grass growing in your yard? A lawn? Does it attract ants? And I know leaves fall from trees in autumn in TN, because I go there every fall. Are you telling me these things attract ants?

Karen

Karen I was in pest control for years! I had to take a state exam in agriculture category 7. I also had to go to classes and take periodic test. I was laid off awhile back and now my license has expired. As the economy is going I doubt I will ever get back in it.

Now with that!

Yes leaves and grass attract ants! I am not talking about grass that is in your yard growing. I am talking about grass that is cut that no longer has life. Plastic, tires, shingles, cardboard, garbage bags, bags of mulch, any kind of garbage in your yard, mulch, logs, moss, rotted gutters, rotted fascia, landscaping rocks, rocks, blocks......ect ect ect. All attract ants!!

As far as coming to tennessee during the autumn wow you must be bored in ohio to come to my part of tennessee. Tennessee is a huge state! West Tennessee (hence the nwtn in my zone area) is farmland country. It is nothing like east tennessee, soooooooooo if you are visiting my side of tennessee in the fall you must really have no life. Now east tennessee is beautiful and plenty of mountains. Here I can see 10 to 15 miles out straight. There are many trees here that lose their leaves in the fall, but that is totally irrelevant to ants in the summer. 2 different seasons Karen!!!!!!

Just because you don't agree or you can not comprehend don't ever try to ridicule me by asking such a stupid and redundant question as "doesn't grass grow in your yard".

By the way, Ladyrose you were right!! I did find a little bug on the plant this afternoon. Tiny little booger! I mixed some soap and water this afternoon and treated it, so I will cross my fingers.

Ladyrose more specifically its thrips. I guess I didn't notice the damage to the tomato plant so bad at first but I did notice the blooms were falling off. Well then the leaf curl. Well on my winter sown plant the same thing is starting to happen, my blooms are falling off and I thought seriously I had suckered it to much.

Well my perennial petunias will go in bloom then a few hours later it will be totally gone. I have looked and looked for a bug but I couldn't find one. Then finally I just googled tiny insect attacking blooms. Thrips no wonder I couldn't see it they are 1/25th to 1/8th of an inch.

I just treated my entire area with neem oil!! We are due for rain almost every day this week and another huge storm tonight so I hope the "oil" factor works. I still plan to retreat!

I was telling you this cause you mentioned your peppers were doing this. Bigger plants are so hard to see the first attacks of these little bugs but they can totally destroy a bloom within a few hours of something delicate like a petunia.

I purchased an 8 oz concentrated form of the neem oil for like 7.95 it is suppose to treat fungus, pest and insects and safe for veggies.

Carolyn, yes, I was poking fun just a little bit. It was meant tongue-in-cheek. I won't joke with you any more. In fact I'll be happy to avoid your posts completely.

Karen

Sounds good to me karen, not like I will miss your negative comments!

Before someone else wants to be a smart tail and ask "if I was in pest control why didn't I notice the thrips prior to posting?" Well thrips is category 12 if I am not mistaken! Category 7 is home pest!

I always dig grass clippings into the soil in the tomato beds before I plant them. It attracts worms! And then the worms do their thing and leave behind their little worm poopies--nice wonderful fertilizer. The store bought mater looks like it's very stressed, I can't tell from the photo if it is diseased but if it creeps you out then by all means yank it--better to be safe than sorry. I cull anything that isn't thriving--sickly plants a pain in the butt to worry over and they rarely get better, I yank anything that is not up to par.

BTW, you can save the seeds of hybrid tomatoes--the offspring will reflect the traits of the plants that went into developing the hybrid. If those plants were very similar to each other it is likely that the offspring will be very similar to the parent plant. Sow the saved seeds each year and always save seeds from the best of the best plants--traits you choose for are vigor, cropping and flavor. Do it for a few years and you have a reliable batch of seeds that will thrive in your garden and perform as you like--good croppers, heathy and taste good too, in a word: reliable.

I'll paste in a very helpful link from TAMU, it's a great reference for tomato problems.

Here is a link that might be useful: TAMU Tomato Problem Solver

I doubt I will be saving seed this year, I have thrips that bad! From what I read they can even travel on people. My father has been having problems with his plants and after he came to look at mine that is when I started having problems! I don't know if he brought them here but it is ironic at the least.

If I am unsucessful at getting rid of the thrips by winter I wonder if they will over winter? Anyone have experience?