Tomatoes

[Sheryl]

I eat a lot of tomatoes and, given the heavy pesticide use in Thailand (plus convenience factor as I live way out in the boonies) I'd like to grow them. But having a terrible time. Biggest problem is leaf miners, little pests that live inside the leaf and leave first a wavy white line and eventually kill the plant. My garden references say just to clip off and burn infected leaves, if not effective then use a strong systemic pesticide (something carbamate). This approrach works for eggplants OK but not the tomatoes..clipping the infected leaves doesn't work and applying pesticide often kills the plant along with the leaf miner.

I've tried neem oil with no success as far as leaf miners go, although it's great for aphids, snails and anything else that works from outside the leaf by chewing it.

Besides leaf miners I find the plants temperamental in the extreme and sometimes get burned looking yellowish leaves, can't figure out if it's from too little water or too much sun..and too much water seems to produce a moldy disease (dark discoloration of leaves and wilting).

They do better in pots than in the ground but still all the above problems.

Anyone with advice? I'm in an unusually wet and humid arae, even by Thai standards...

[lingling]

I eat a lot of tomatoes and, given the heavy pesticide use in Thailand (plus convenience factor as I live way out in the boonies) I'd like to grow them. But having a terrible time. Biggest problem is leaf miners, little pests that live inside the leaf and leave first a wavy white line and eventually kill the plant. My garden references say just to clip off and burn infected leaves, if not effective then use a strong systemic pesticide (something carbamate). This approrach works for eggplants OK but not the tomatoes..clipping the infected leaves doesn't work and applying pesticide often kills the plant along with the leaf miner.

I've tried neem oil with no success as far as leaf miners go, although it's great for aphids, snails and anything else that works from outside the leaf by chewing it.

Besides leaf miners I find the plants temperamental in the extreme and sometimes get burned looking yellowish leaves, can't figure out if it's from too little water or too much sun..and too much water seems to produce a moldy disease (dark discoloration of leaves and wilting).

They do better in pots than in the ground but still all the above problems.

Anyone with advice? I'm in an unusually wet and humid arae, even by Thai standards...

See if you have (or can transplant) a weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) nest in a nearby tree or bush. Next, tie a string from the branch with the nest to the tomato plants (they don't like getting down on the ground but will follow the string to the plants). If you like, you can train them to hunt on your tomato plants with chopped shrimp as bait. Careful so they don't bite you.

As for yellow crumbled leaves, that is most likely too much sunlight (heat) exposure. Arrange so they grow in semi shade. No idea what to do with the mold...

[Sheryl]

See if you have (or can transplant) a weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina) nest in a nearby tree or bush. Next, tie a string from the branch with the nest to the tomato plants (they don't like getting down on the ground but will follow the string to the plants). If you like, you can train them to hunt on your tomato plants with chopped shrimp as bait. Careful so they don't bite you.

As for yellow crumbled leaves, that is most likely too much sunlight (heat) exposure. Arrange so they grow in semi shade. No idea what to do with the mold...

Thanks! Can you tell me:

1) How does one distinguish a weaver ant nest from any other ats? (what do they look like?)

2) what are they called in Thai and where could I get them?

I have ants galore, black and red, small and large but mostly with nests on the ground. All of them bite.

[jumbo]

What kind of seeds do you use?

I brought some from europe and they grow quite good but they cannot stand the Thai climate and the bugs like this new fresh food...

Ialso used Thai (red dragon and east west seed) and they are great but.....before I started to

grow we sprayed and killed all ants and stuff

My advise is to always use Thai products, they work better unfortunately I thbk than our homecountry seeds

J

[lingling]

Thanks! Can you tell me:

1) How does one distinguish a weaver ant nest from any other ats? (what do they look like?)

2) what are they called in Thai and where could I get them?

I have ants galore, black and red, small and large but mostly with nests on the ground. All of them bite.

The nests are a bunch of leaves stitched together in trees or bushes. The ants are large, red and very aggressive. The thai name is just "mot daeng" (red ants).

Here is some more info on them:

http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/inverts/weaver_ants.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaver_ant

Don't expect any thais to help you with handling these ants, they are [understandably] scared of them because of the painful bites.

[Sheryl]

OK, I know the ones you mean, have them in my mango trees. Now, before I embark on what is going to be a VERY painful endeavor --- how sure are you that they will kill off the leaf miners????

[sbk]

Its best to get tomatoes that are resistant to all kinds of wilt. You can order different kinds from some various sites that will tell you if they tolerate heat, humidity, resist cracking and are resistant to the many kinds of fungus and wilt that tomatoes get.

Cherry tomatoes do best in high heat btw

[lingling]

OK, I know the ones you mean, have them in my mango trees. Now, before I embark on what is going to be a VERY painful endeavor --- how sure are you that they will kill off the leaf miners????

Not at all sure, but I think they are a good bet. You can always test first - break off a tomato leaf with leaf miners on it and put it on or near the nest and see what the ants will do.

[Sheryl]

OK, I know the ones you mean, have them in my mango trees. Now, before I embark on what is going to be a VERY painful endeavor --- how sure are you that they will kill off the leaf miners????

Not at all sure, but I think they are a good bet. You can always test first - break off a tomato leaf with leaf miners on it and put it on or near the nest and see what the ants will do.

What could the ants do? The leaf miners are burrowed inside the leaf, not on the leaf. So the ants can't eat them unless they eat the leaf itself...doesn't seem to make sense to me (not to mention, OUCH)

[lingling]

What could the ants do? The leaf miners are burrowed inside the leaf, not on the leaf. So the ants can't eat them unless they eat the leaf itself...doesn't seem to make sense to me (not to mention, OUCH)

I think they will either...

a) cut out and eat the leaf miners

..or..

ignore the leaf miners

..or..

c) get confused by the smell of tomato and avoid the tomato leaf

..or..

d) become best friends with the leaf miners and arrange tomato leaf eating parties

Either way, I think it is worth trying it out to see what they do.

If they go for option (a), then it might be worth transplanting the ant nest to a tree or bush close to where you grow your tomatoes and then arrange "bridges" to the tomato plants (string, sticks or something else they can use to get to the plants without having to get down on the ground).

[teletiger]

What could the ants do? The leaf miners are burrowed inside the leaf, not on the leaf. So the ants can't eat them unless they eat the leaf itself...doesn't seem to make sense to me (not to mention, OUCH)

I think they will either...

a) cut out and eat the leaf miners

..or..

ignore the leaf miners

..or..

c) get confused by the smell of tomato and avoid the tomato leaf

..or..

d) become best friends with the leaf miners and arrange tomato leaf eating parties

Either way, I think it is worth trying it out to see what they do.

If they go for option (a), then it might be worth transplanting the ant nest to a tree or bush close to where you grow your tomatoes and then arrange "bridges" to the tomato plants (string, sticks or something else they can use to get to the plants without having to get down on the ground).

Maybe growing the tomato plants next to an infested fruit tree (mango, tammarind, jackfruit (their favorite)) would be a better option. I would not recomend trying to transfer a nest, unless you happen to have a bee suit handy Not even egg collectors would try that. Infesting a tree is easy. Put a plastic shopping bag, with a piece of old fish (any flesh really) under a weaver ant tree, next day transfer the bag (carefully ) and hang it in the tree you wish to infect. If the nearest infested tree is close enough, a length of string or wire (as a previous poster stated) will suffice.

Will they discourage leaf miners? I'm going to try it now. In China weaver ants are an industry....the ultimate "green" insecticide.

regards