Garden

[lucieinthesky]

I have some great looking tomato plants this year. I ordered some seeds that are from Iraq and the plants are supposed to be very tolerant of heat (a good thing since I live in Texas). I am seeing lots of tomatoes coming on, but it also looks like something is beginning to eat on the vines. I don't want to use a pesticide on them. Does anyone know of something natural I can spray on them that will kill pests?

[gardenman]

The things that typically bother tomato plants are tomato horn worms, or Colorado Potato beetles. In both cases your best control option is to simply find them, handpick them, and squash them.

[ValuSkr]

If they're being eaten by the tomato horn worm (actually a caterpillar), spray the leaves with Bt, Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (BTK).  It's sold under various brand names.  It's organicand the caterpillars will die when they eat leaves that have been treated.

[JustJazzmom]

The smaller the caterpillar (tomato horn worm) the more effective the Bt is. 

Website to to diagnose tomato problems great photos too.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vegetable/problem-solvers/tomato-problem-solver/

[rrpell]

I find an easy way to locate a horn worm is to look for their poo.  If there are black droppings on your leaves and ground, you have a horn worm (s).  Look very carefully at the plant where you see droppings.  The worms  are green so they blend into the leaves.  

[fthunt]

Could be slugs - I use a sprinkle white pellets and mix it in the soil around plants.  It has a cute name - Google it - it never touches the plants but kills the crawlers in the dirt.   Google - Slugs

[susan19]

Dont kill tomato horn worms just take them to a different part of you yard. They turn in to humming bird moths they are beautiful and great pollenators.

[JustJazzmom]

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@susan19 wrote:

Dont kill tomato horn worms just take them to a different part of you yard. They turn in to humming bird moths they are beautiful and great pollenators.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manduca_quinquemaculata

Natural predator to tomato hornworm is the braconid wasp:

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston/beneficials/beneficial-04_braconid_wasp_on_hornworm.htm

[lucieinthesky]

Thanks so much for your replies. I know what hornworms look like and I had checked the vines for them, but did not see any. Maybe I am just getting blind in my "old age"!!

[gardenman]

Tomato horn worms blend in very, very well with the vines. Professional tomato growers will prowl their fields after dark with uv lights and special glasses. The tomato plants appear red while the horn worms glow bright green. It makes finding and eliminating them very easy.