Name:	George -	Reply
Subject:	Tomato Forum
Date:	6/17/2018 5:42:17 PM

Fellow tomato farmers,  Here's my garden.  The dog pen and bird netting keeps everything out except tomato hornworms and early leaf blight.  I spent the weekend picking off 13 worms and pruning blighted leaves.  Other than that, the tomatos have been excellent.  A weekly dose of Miracle gro vegetable has really helped this year.  One thing I learned about tomato worms isb they can't swim, but if they don't break the surface tension when they "dive" in, they can float indefinately.  Do any of you fellow farmers have any suggestions for the prevention of worms and blight?

Name:	lakngulf -	Reply
Subject:	Tomato Forum
Date:	6/17/2018 9:10:30 PM

Looks like you've solved the issue with birds, raccoons, and squirells.  And plants look healthy

Those big green worms just show up, sometimes.  So far this year I have had only three, early and small.

I do spray a time or two with Sevin and that does help.

As for the blight and other leaf diseases (issues) good luck.  Those bottom leaves just succomb to our heat and humidity and bite the dust this time of the year.  Seems to be an age thing with the plants.

I was all ready to take pictures this morning and post on helpfulgardener forum to suggest that air circulation was the key to avoiding the early blight.  But, alas, the plants I had in mind had succombed.  So that theory was shot

Good luck

Name:	Crimson4Lif -	Reply
Subject:	Tomato Forum
Date:	6/18/2018 4:24:05 PM

Strange question but what if the plants were suspended off the ground by some kind of line to be "free floating baskets"?  Is there some kind of poision you can put on the line so if they did climb up and try to go down the line to the plant the poison on the line would kill them along the way?  Just curious...not sure what capabilities these worms have for travel. 

Name:	GoneFishin -	Reply
Subject:	Tomato Forum
Date:	6/18/2018 6:12:38 PM

 don't like to use chemicals if I am going to eat the veggies. Since you really have a few plants, just keep up what you are doing...picking them off by hand. Spraying the plants with water makes the worms more visual.

Name:	Rooster -	Reply
Subject:	Tomato Forum
Date:	6/18/2018 10:07:41 PM

Ok.  “#1.  Yes.  They make upside down hanging baskets for tomato plants.  #2.  I would try sprinkling seven dust just around the base of the plants much like folks do to keep boring worms off squash plants.   Your garden looks wonderful .????????

Name:	George -	Reply
Subject:	Tomato Forum
Date:	6/19/2018 10:29:11 AM

Thanks for the suggestions and comments.  I googled their lifecycle and have decided to try some kind of semi-solid mulch (like basket liner material) to see if this will prevent the moth from emerging, thus ending the cycle.  I also discovered my worms are tobacco hornworms (no, I don't smoke or chew).  They are distinguished by a red "horn" on the tail vs. a black hirn in the tomato worm.  Also, several years ago, I dumped some sevin directly onto an active worm.  I lived for days until I finally pulled it off.

Name:	Rooster -	Reply
Subject:	Tomato Forum
Date:	6/20/2018 6:04:42 PM

Understand your concerns.  Sulfur won’t kill snakes either, but they sure won’t cross it.  LOL.