Well what do we have here?
Just when you finish dealing with one nasty critter (e.g. powdery mildew, spider mite etc) something else pops up.
I noticed some of my tomato leaves were turning very dark green, then eventually dying, and the fruit on those plants was also becoming speckled with dark spots, kind of like rust you'd see on garlic.
I consulted the Tomato Growers of Australia community on Facebook and got one reply from a fellow he identified it as Tomato Russet Mite. I'd never heard of it, but that's how you learn, hey!
So I did some extra reading from there, and it can be a tricky one to control.
Tomato Russet Mite are microscopic, so you need some kind of magnifying glass to see them (remind me to get a new one, I've lost the one I had). The signs of attack are this "bronzing" of the stem, leaves and fruit. It seems to cause my tomatoes to abort their flowers too, so fruit production takes a hit.
The Russet Mite hits the afterburners when temps heat up above 35'ish degrees celcius, so I've gotta keep my eye on it making a comeback if we get hot weather again - keeping in mind it's warmer in my polytunnel than outside.
I've resorted to my good friend NEEM OIL to bring it under control, while also removing any leaves that aren't a healthy-looking green.
By the way, if I was going to name this mite, I'd call it the Medusa Mite, cos it seems to turn the tomatoes to stone!
So, what's next?
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