Everything is good when the tomatoes ripen together, the leaves are green and beautiful, and the tomatoes are red and appetizing, but this is not always the case. Why do tomatoes turn black? Now we will find out what kind of diseases they are suffering from and how to fight them. It happens that the green mass begins to turn black and wither, and the tomatoes gradually rot right on the bush. There are many reasons for this phenomenon.
Late blight
When the temperature constantly changes outside or in a greenhouse, fogs appear or leaves are watered, the disease Late Blight appears. This fungal infection is caused by the microorganism Oomycetes.A highly contagious infection that first affects the green mass and then the fruits of tomatoes.
A gray coating appears on the bottom of the leaves, and on top they are covered with brown spots, which gradually spread throughout the entire leaf. It turns black and falls off.
Spots also appear on the tomatoes, gradually covering all the fruits, and the tomatoes turn black. The pulp rots and the vegetables become unfit for consumption. The infection continues to develop on tomatoes removed from an infected bush and left to ripen. In this case, one diseased fruit will infect all healthy tomatoes ripening with it in the greenhouse. What to do with blackening crops?
It is necessary to ruthlessly get rid of such fruits, even if one small spot has formed on them.
Treatment
It is possible and necessary to prevent and stop the growth of the disease. First of all, you need to do the following: remove all infected areas of leaves and fruits, otherwise the disease will continue to spread. You will need saline or Bordeaux solution. It is sprayed on crops that have not yet become diseased; these mixtures are not absorbed into the fruits, therefore they are safe for humans.
Gardeners also use a folk recipe - before the expected onset of unstable weather or fogs, 1 liter of whey or kefir is diluted in 10 liters of water and all bushes are sprayed with this solution from above and below. This mixture prevents the growth of bacteria on the bushes. The procedure is carried out once a week in the greenhouse and after heavy rains in the garden.
Disease prevention
What to do to prevent the disease from appearing in tomatoes? Gardeners use the following methods of caring for crops.
- Choosing the right place to plant.
- Stepsonning.
- Thinning.
- Watering at the root.
- Removing the lower leaves in contact with the ground.
- Spraying with saline or whey solution.
Prevention against this disease begins before planting, so that the tomatoes do not turn black; the place is chosen away from potatoes, peppers and eggplants - they are also susceptible to infection. Tomatoes can be grown in one place for no more than 3 years. The soil in the greenhouse changes completely.
When planting, do not water the leaves - a couple of drops of moisture will cause the spread of Phytophthora. Densely planted tomato bushes will transmit the disease to each other in a chain; it is advisable to plant them at a distance of 60 centimeters from each other. Leaves lying on the ground will become infected from wet soil and an epidemic will begin, so all lower leaves and shoots are removed and the bush is tied up.
When frost occurs, the likelihood of a disease occurring increases, so you need to play it safe and start watering with the recommended solutions.
If an infection does occur, you must immediately remove all infected parts of the plant, this will save the remaining harvest. The infection spreads quickly; within 2 weeks not a trace will remain of the desired harvest.
Apical rot
This disease causes green tomatoes to turn black. The disease appears in hot, dry weather, when there is not enough moisture in the ground for growth and they release some of the moisture into the air - the fruits dry out, gray spots appear, which over time spread throughout the fruit, attracting pathogenic microorganisms and fungi. As a result, the fruits begin to rot.
First, the top of the tomato becomes gray, then the tissue hardens and darkens, the final stage of the development of the disease is rotting of the fruit.
Disease prevention measures
Plants need to be constantly watered to ensure they have enough moisture to grow.After fertilizing the soil, be sure to spill it with water so as not to burn the roots. Also, tomatoes darken due to excess acidity of the soil; adding lime, chalk, and wood ash to the soil will help correct the situation.
Gray rot
This is a fungal disease that often appears in humid and rainy climates where the air temperature is high. These are excellent conditions for the appearance of gray fungus on leaves and fruits. The disease affects not only tomatoes, but also other crops and flowers.
Infected fruits are easily recognized by dark spots; they grow quickly and affect the entire fruit. The tomatoes become blackened, soft and watery. Such fruits are unsuitable for food, so at the first sign of infection, you need to treat the plants with a Barrier-type fungicide.
Prevention measures
In July, the weather becomes changeable, the nights get colder, but the days are hot. During this period, the likelihood of plant diseases is highest, so experienced gardeners treat with protective drugs - fungicides. If a tomato is damaged during the ripening period, you need to remove the infected areas of the plant and treat healthy bushes and soil.
Stem necrosis
The most severe infection that affects tomato stems. The disease manifests itself during the appearance of the ovaries, the stem cracks from below, gradually beginning to turn black, and fibers similar to roots appear from the cracks. The disease is difficult to cure, so the plant is removed from the garden by the roots and burned. The soil is spilled with Fitolavin solution.
Dry spotting
The disease is caused by the fungus Microsporosis; the disease manifests itself from the bottom up, first affecting the leaves, then the trunks and tomatoes. When damp, velvety spots of rot appear, which facilitate the spread of fungus.
Prevention
Gardeners use one proven method. As you know, Microsporosis is afraid of copper-containing preparations, so craftsmen pierce plant stems with copper wire from below, which releases copper ions into the water that moisturizes the plant. This way it is protected from fungus. Plants are also treated with preparations containing copper.
So, we found out why tomatoes turn black. If you properly care for the plants, do not over-moisten or dry out the soil, create favorable conditions in the greenhouse, and begin treatment at the first signs of disease, then the harvest will delight gardeners with its abundance.
