Tomato plant issue

pconn062

Hi all,

Would anyone be able to shed any light on what the issue might be with the tomato plants in the images below? They are plants I grew from seed myself which have been doing well until about two weeks ago. Now the leaves are going quite limp with a strange mottled yellowing on the leaves between the veins. Some of the bottom leaves are starting to go brown at the edges, almost like they were scorched. For now they are indoors, under lights at night time and I was hoping to plant the in the polytunnel next month.

Thinking it might be a magnesium deficiency I just applied a foliar feed of dissolved Epsom salts but any other views welcomed!

Thanks

GinSoaked

Are you a smoker?

Looks like tomato mosaic virus which nothing will cure. Plants can get it anyway but its something that tobacco plants also get so I believe it can be transmitted from cigarettes?

pconn062

GinSoaked wrote: »

Are you a smoker?

Looks like tomato mosaic virus which nothing will cure. Plants can get it anyway but its something that tobacco plants also get so I believe it can be transmitted from cigarettes?

No, no smokers here. I hope it's not that, would be a shame to lose all the plants before I get any fruit!

GinSoaked

The problem with TMV is that the symptoms can vary a good bit but my experience of that sort of mottling between the leaves would make be think thats what it is. Potatoes also in the solanace family get it and its quite possible to for the tomato seeds to have TMV on them.

pconn062

GinSoaked wrote: »

The problem with TMV is that the symptoms can vary a good bit but my experience of that sort of mottling between the leaves would make be think thats what it is. Potatoes also in the solanace family get it and its quite possible to for the tomato seeds to have TMV on them.

Frustrating. Can it spread between plants? One plant seemed to get quite bad but now the two different varieties look poor, one of which is supposed to be resistant to TMV.

GinSoaked

pconn062 wrote: »

Frustrating. Can it spread between plants? One plant seemed to get quite bad but now the two different varieties look poor, one of which is supposed to be resistant to TMV.

Very easily spreads between plants. You touch one pick it up and transfer it to the other.

pconn062

GinSoaked wrote: »

Very easily spreads between plants. You touch one pick it up and transfer it to the other.

Ok thanks for that. The plants are definitely struggling, even looking worse now than a few hours ago. Two months growing them, will kill me to do them. Thanks for your help.

Supercell

First thing I thought of was lack of sunlight when I saw the images. Why not put the pots outside during the daytime in the sun? I'd also give them a bit of tomato feed.
During the daytime they will be fine outside, but still too cold at night to leave out unless you are near the coast where its milder.

pconn062

Supercell wrote: »

First thing I thought of was lack of sunlight when I saw the images. Why not put the pots outside during the daytime in the sun? I'd also give them a bit of tomato feed.
During the daytime they will be fine outside, but still too cold at night to leave out unless you are near the coast where its milder.

Yes I will put them outside for a few days during the day to see if that helps and give them a bit if feed. The fact that all the plants have the same strange mottling would suggest to me a virus or disease of some type.

Holy Diver

pconn062 wrote: »

Yes I will put them outside for a few days during the day to see if that helps and give them a bit if feed. The fact that all the plants have the same strange mottling would suggest to me a virus or disease of some type.

Have they been appropriately potted up?

Have they been overwatered? I recall over watering in the past and it had similar effect.

pconn062

Holy Diver wrote: »

Have they been appropriately potted up?

Have they been overwatered? I recall over watering in the past and it had similar effect.

Yes they are in their 3rd and final pot now before planting into the polytunnel soil next month. I don't think they are over watered but they could be. I was typically waiting until the compost was pretty dry before watering. One of the plants is completely ruined now but I'll monitor the others. I have some seedlings from a much later sowing that I will use too but they are 2 months behind these established plants. Thanks.

Ceirseach

It certainly looks like google images of TMV, which I never heard of before now.

If it’s not that then did you water the plants by wetting the leaves (not advised), possibly with tap water (not great either) and then leave them in bright sunlight (also a no-no)? This could scorch the leaves. Sounds like you have grown tomatoes before, so back to tmv I think.

Suggestion re tomato feed: not recommended until flowers have set, otherwise feed goes into making leaves, not fruit. But if you have used good quality compost you shouldn’t need to feed them.

Oh the joys of gardening.