Black Spots on Tomatoes

Growing tomatoes is the hobby most gardeners like to develop and maintain. While people are so much interested in growing tomatoes, they must also be aware of several basic things that are very important in proper growth and maintenance of the tomato plant. Here is some help on how to care for tomato plants. Even people who take proper care while planting the best breed tomato plants complaint that there are several problems with the tomato plants and the health of the tomatoes. The common most problem is the black spots on the tomatoes in the garden.

Understandably, finding dark spots on the tomatoes and leaves in the middle of the growing season can frustrate any gardener. Well, when the damage is already done there is just one most important thing that remains in the hands and that is the perfect planning for the next growing season.

Causes of Black Spots on Tomatoes

Black spots on green tomatoes, ripen tomatoes and tomato leaves is definitely not a good sign. Black spots on the tomatoes mean that the plant has fallen for any of the tomato plant diseases. There are several culprits involved that can be responsible for these black spots and the tomato plant diseases. Here are the predominant reasons.

Tomato Blight
This is the main disease that can single-handedly destroy your tomato plant if proper care is not taken. There are three type of tomato blights that can be very harmful for a healthy tomato plant and a reason for the black spots on tomato leaves as well. These three type include - septoria leaf spot on tomato leaves, early blight and late blight. While the first one attacks only the leaves, the rest two can harm the fruit. While late blight spreads the fungus Phytophthora infestans, the early blight is caused by the fungus Alternaria solani. Infestation by both these fungi can cause dark brown and black spots on the leaves and stem of the tomato plant. It can also get really worse and cause dark spots on the tomatoes.

Blossom End Rot
Blossom end rot is the reason behind most of the black spots on the bottom of tomatoes, especially green ones. Blossom end rot is caused by calcium deficiency in the tomato plant that is due to the huge fluctuations in the atmospheric moisture. These spots are sunken and brownish at the beginning and get really widespread and destroy the fruit completely. Blossom end rot is dangerous not only because it causes the potential local injury to the fruit, but also makes that plant more susceptible to fall for several other harmful conditions that can cause black spots.

Bacterial Spots
The bacterial spots are caused, of course by the bacterium called Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria,. It is the same bacteria that also troubles peppers. It generally causes dark and black spots on the leaves and stems of the tomato plant. It causes black spots on green tomatoes that look slightly bumpy and are usually surrounded by water soaked areas. Moreover, this bacteria overwinters in the plant debris and soil and hence provides potential threat to the tomatoes of the next season as well. Hence, it is important to remove the threat completely, before the plantation of tomatoes in the next season.

How to Prevent Black Spots

As said earlier, once formed, black spots on leaves of tomatoes cannot be treated. Hence, it is for the benefit of a healthy crop to prevent black spots before they appear. It is important to prevent the blights from attacking the tomato plant. Extreme wet or extreme hot conditions suit blights the best and hence it is best for the gardeners in that region to take proper prevention and spraying the best fertilizers for tomatoes before the plant gets infected. Using flood irrigation can also be useful rather than spraying fertilizers on the tomato leaves. One can also use bicarbonate of soda instead of the chemical fertilizers.

If the crop is wasted this season due to the black spots and blights, there is no reason to put the head down. One can always begin from the start and get the best crop the next time. One thing that can be done is rotating the crop. Rotate the location of the tomato crop and you will see that there are no black spots on tomato leaves and tomatoes as well. Dilute 20gms of bicarbonate of soda in 10 liters of water and spray the solution biweekly on the plant to keep it safe.

If some of you also 'spot' black spots on the tomatoes, there is no need to get frightened and disappointed. One can really get a fresh start the next season and can have the best crop of tomatoes. All the best and happy gardening!