Why tomatoes can turn black when ripe and what to do
Everything is good when tomatoes ripen together, the leaves are green and beautiful, and the tomatoes are red and delicious, but this is not always the case. Why do tomatoes turn black? What kind of diseases they are overcome and how to deal with them, we will now find out. It happens that the green mass begins to turn black and wither, and the tomatoes gradually rot right on the bush. There are many reasons for this phenomenon.
Late blight
When the temperature is constantly changing on the street or in the greenhouse, fogs appear or leaves are watered, the disease Late blight appears. This fungal infection is caused by the microorganisms Oomycetes. Highly contagious infection, covering first the green mass, and then the fruits of tomatoes.
A gray bloom appears on the bottom of the leaves, and on top they are covered with brown spots, which gradually spread throughout the entire leaf. It turns black and falls off.
Spots also appear on tomatoes, gradually covering all the fruits, the tomatoes turn black. The pulp rots and the vegetables become unusable. The development of infection continues on tomatoes removed from the infected bush and left to ripen. In this case, one diseased fruit will infect all healthy tomatoes that ripen with it in the greenhouse. What to do with blackening crops?
It is necessary to ruthlessly get rid of such fruits, even if one small speck has formed on them.
Treatment
It is possible and necessary to prevent and stop the growth of the disease. First of all, you need to do the following: remove all infected areas of leaves and fruits, otherwise the disease will continue to spread. You will need a saline or Bordeaux solution. They are sprayed with crops that have not yet become diseased, these mixtures are not absorbed into the fruits, therefore they are safe for humans.
Also, vegetable gardens use a popular recipe - before the expected onset of unstable weather or fogs, 1 liter of whey or kefir is diluted in 10 liters of water and all the bushes are sprayed from above and below with this solution. This mixture prevents bacteria from growing on the bushes. The procedure is carried out once a week in the greenhouse and after heavy rains in the garden.
Disease prevention
What to do to prevent the appearance of a disease in tomatoes? Gardeners use the following crop care methods.
- Choosing the right landing site.
- Stealing.
- Thinning.
- Watering at the root.
- Removing bottom leaves that are in contact with the ground.
- Spraying with saline or whey solution.
Prevention of this disease begins before planting, so that the tomatoes do not turn black, they choose a place away from potatoes, peppers and eggplants - they are also susceptible to infection.Tomatoes can be grown in one place for no more than 3 years. In the greenhouse, the soil is completely changed.
When planting, do not water the leaves - from a couple of drops of moisture, Phytophthora will spread. Densely planted tomato bushes in a chain will transmit the disease to each other, it is advisable to plant them at a distance of 60 centimeters from each other. The leaves lying on the ground will become infected with an infection from the wet soil and an epidemic will begin, so all the lower leaves and stepsons are removed, and the bush is tied up.
With the onset of frost, the likelihood of a disease increases, so you need to play it safe and start watering with the recommended solutions.
If, nevertheless, an infection occurs, you must immediately remove all infected parts of the plant, this will save the remaining crop. The infection spreads quickly, within 2 weeks there will be no trace of the desired crop.
Top rot
With this disease, green tomatoes will turn black. The disease appears in hot, dry weather, when there is not enough moisture in the ground for growth and they release some of the moisture into the air - the fruits dry out, gray spots appear, which eventually spread throughout the fruit, attracting pathogenic microorganisms and fungi. As a result, the fruits begin to rot.
First, the top of the tomato turns gray, then the tissue hardens and darkens, the final stage in the development of the disease is rotting of the fruit.
Disease prevention measures
It is necessary to constantly water the plants so that they have enough moisture to grow. After fertilizing the soil, be sure to spill it with water so as not to burn the roots. Tomatoes also darken due to an overabundance of soil acidity; lime, chalk, and wood ash introduced into the ground will help to correct the situation.
Gray rot
This is a fungal disease that often occurs in humid and rainy climates, while the air temperature is high. These are excellent conditions for the appearance of gray fungus on leaves and fruits. The disease affects not only tomatoes, but also other crops and flowers.
Infected fruits are easily recognizable by dark spots, they grow rapidly and affect the entire fruit. Tomatoes become blackened, soft and watery. Such fruits are unsuitable for food, therefore, at the first signs of infection, plants should be treated with a Barrier-type fungicide.
Preventive measures
In July, the weather becomes changeable, the nights get colder, and the days are hot. During this period, the probability of plant disease is highest, therefore, experienced gardeners are treated with protective preparations - fungicides. If a tomato is damaged during the ripening period, it is necessary to remove the infected parts of the plant, process healthy bushes and soil.
Stem necrosis
The most severe infection affecting tomato stems. The disease manifests itself during the appearance of ovaries, the stem cracks from below, gradually starting to turn black, fibers similar to roots appear from the cracks. The disease is difficult to cure, so the plant is removed from the garden with the root and burned. The earth is spilled with Fitolavin solution.
Dry spot
The disease is caused by the fungus Microsporosis, the disease manifests itself from the bottom up, first covering the leaves, then the trunks and tomatoes. With moisture, velvety spots of rot appear, which contribute to the spread of the fungus.
Prevention
Gardeners use one proven method. As you know, Microsporosis is afraid of copper-containing preparations, so craftsmen pierce the plant stems with copper wire from below, which releases copper ions into the water that moisturizes the plant. Thus, it is protected from fungus. Plants are also treated with preparations containing copper.
So, we found out why tomatoes turn black.If you properly care for the plants, do not overmoisten or dry out the soil, create favorable conditions in the greenhouse, start treatment at the first signs of disease, then the harvest will delight gardeners with its abundance.
