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Tomato bug or fungus?

Posted: Sun May 10, 2020 10:18 am
by Meimisk
Hi all, I transplanted all my tomatoes out to the garden last week and noticed now that some of them are developing these white spots. I checked for insects but didn't really find anything, is this a disease of some sort?
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Re: Tomato bug or fungus?

Posted: Sun May 10, 2020 10:48 am
by Clkeiper
looks environmental to me.

Re: Tomato bug or fungus?

Posted: Sun May 10, 2020 10:49 am
by bower
My first guess would be that it's physical damage and not a bug. It's not a fungus for sure.
In recent transplants, you often get spots of damage as they adjust to outdoor conditions.
In some cases, if you have drops of rain or dew on the leaves and then bright sunshine, it can act as a lens and actually burn the tender leaves.
You won't get that kind of damage on any of the leaves that grow out while the plant is outside.

You didn't mention where you are located, or what the weather is like? But I'm guessing weather anyway. ;)

Re: Tomato bug or fungus?

Posted: Sun May 10, 2020 11:31 am
by Meimisk
Oh sorry! Currently in southern California. They did suffer a bit of an unexpected heat wave a few days after transplanting, in the upper 80s.

Re: Tomato bug or fungus?

Posted: Sun May 10, 2020 2:15 pm
by brownrexx
Looks like sunburn from getting very bright light. I would not be worried.

Re: Tomato bug or fungus?

Posted: Sun May 10, 2020 3:55 pm
by MissS
I agree. When water sits on the leaves in the direct sunlight it acts like a magnifying glass and amplifies the light. These now intense rays of magnified light will burn your young leaves. It is best to keep the foliage as dry as possible which often is easier said than done.

Re: Tomato bug or fungus?

Posted: Sun May 10, 2020 6:28 pm
by Meimisk
Great info, thanks for all the help! This is my first time growing but I think they're doing good so far.

Re: Tomato bug or fungus?

Posted: Tue May 12, 2020 11:15 pm
by MsCowpea
Check out leafhopper as you are in Southern California. Not familiar with it but from what I have seen in pictures they initially cause
a light speckling on the leaves from the insects sucking underneath. They are apparently hard to see as they jump around.
Do you see little black drops (excrement)? When I blow up the image I can’t tell for sure but are there black specks?

Just something to checkout as I think it is very hard to diagnose something without seeing it.


https://www.google.com/search?q=leafhop ... 73&bih=801

Re: Tomato bug or fungus?

Posted: Wed May 13, 2020 1:16 am
by peebee
I'm in So CA too & right now I'm getting green aphids & teeny tiny green caterpillars, both very hard to see you really have to look & feel w/ your fingers too. I gently rub the leaves daily & give them a blast of water on the flat setting of the nozzle.
Not saying specifically that those might be your problem but many of my plants' leaves look just like yours & I think they'll be just fine. Enlarging your pic, I see some tiny holes but only a couple. Not to worry unless you see more.