Protect your tomatoes from pests for a satisfying harvest.
The German Queen tomato, an indeterminate heirloom variety, is a juicy beefsteak ideal for canning and slicing. Gardeners favor the German Queen for its large, meaty tomatoes that grow on tall vines all season long. Like all other tomatoes, the German Queen suffers from its share of insect pests. Aphids, whiteflies and nematodes are just a few of the pests attracted to the German Queen. Does this Spark an idea?
Aphids
Aphids are tiny green, tan or pink insects that are difficult to see without careful inspection. Aphids attach to the underside of German Queen tomato plant leaves. They suck the juices out of the leaves, causing wilting and eventually plant death. Inspect the plant leaves regularly and, if aphids are found, spray the plant with a strong blast of water from a hose. This removes most of the aphids. Lacewings and ladybugs are two natural predators that eat aphids.
Beetles
Flea beetles look and act just like fleas, but they attach themselves to tomato plants and eat the leaves and roots. Flea beetles also infest potatoes, cabbage and corn plants. Control them with sticky traps placed at the base of the plants. Dust plants with diatomaceous earth to keep beetles from eating the leaves.
Potato beetles also bother German Queen tomato plants. These striped, black-and-yellow beetles like to eat the tomato leaves. Handpick the beetles and drop them into a bucket of soapy water to eliminate them.
Whiteflies
Whiteflies suck the juices out of German Queen tomato plants. In their wake, they leave behind a sticky paste that attracts sooty mold. Your tomato plants have a whitefly infestation if you see clouds of the tiny insects when you shake the plant's leaves. Whiteflies are mostly resistant to commercial pesticides and insecticides. Natural predators, such as ladybugs and wasps, work well to control them. Horticultural oil is another option. This oil smothers whiteflies. Spraying the plants with a hose also removes many of the pests.
Worms and Slugs
Light-brown wireworms are the larvae of click beetles. Wireworms eat tomato plant roots, resulting in a stunted plant and a small harvest. To control them, till the soil around the plants. This allows birds and other predators to eat the worms.
Hornworms are large, green caterpillars that frequently feed on tomato plants. They blend in well among the plant's leaves, making them difficult to spot. Handpick hornworms if you only find a few on your plants or use a bacterial treatment if you have an infestation. Natural predators also like to eat hornworms.
Slugs come out at night to eat the tomato plant's leaves and fruit and then return to the soil in the day. Control them with commercial slug bait or set out a bowl filled with beer. The beer attracts slugs, and pests that fall in the bowl drown.
Nematodes
Nematodes are microscopic worms that cause major damage when they feed on plants. The root-knot nematode is the type that most commonly affects tomato plants. These pests live in the soil and feed on roots, eventually killing infested plants. Sterilizing the soil is an option for areas heavily infected with nematodes, but this toxic treatment also kills beneficial organisms in the soil. Rotate crops every season to prevent the establishment of nematodes.
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