Some bug ate the leaves off my tomato plants

[vorange]

I thought I'd get a head start and plant my tomatos early this year. Everything was going well. I planted a whole bunch of heirloom tomatoes (yellow tomatoes, orange tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, tomatoes I had cross polinated myself - a beefstake tomato with a tiny cherry variety).

I planted them in trays, they sprouted, I transplanted them then to the garden. Some damn bug chewed all the leaves up and killed them all.

It annoys me no end that they destroyed my tomato plants.

I lost all my heirloom tomato seeds and the ones I had cross polinated last year. I wanted to see what they would result in. But now its all gone including my seeds.

F@*# those damn bugs

[Glenn]

This is probably what got to them

[Omelet]

Probably hornworms. The most rapidly destructive bugs I've ever seen for tomatoes! The plants might recover. Spray them with BT!

[zxcvbob]

That's what I think too. Usually it's faster (and more satisfying) to pick hornworms off by hand and squash them. Tomatoes can recover from a

*lot* of insect damage, although they'll be set back quite a bit from it. Still, you may get a few fruit from them. (Save some of the seeds if the beefsteak x cherry makes it, the F2 hybrids is where it gets interesting)

Bob

[Omelet]

I used to feed hornworms to the chickens and ducks after hand picking them. That was even more fun to watch.

[Marie Dodge]

You didn't see the damage as it was occuring? How often do you check your garden? I don't believe bugs did all that damage in one night.

[The Cook]

A tomato hornworm can take a branch off of a medium sized tomato plant overnight. Several worms and fairly small plants overnight would be long enough.

The OP seems to be in Canada and I doubt that his plants have been in the ground 2 months.

[Mike]

Let the plants grow further in medium size pots before planting them in the ground. Bird netting is another good idea.

[Wil]

Just got back in from watering my plants and getting some cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce for a salad. Found that 2 stalks of 1 and another stalk of another of my tomatoe plants had their leaves eaten also. I looked around the two plants, under leaves and all and could find the culprit.

It is obvious that something has eaten the leaves and they really did a number on my plants.

I also found three more of them litle green worms on the leaves of my lettuce.

Argh!!!!!!

This time I clipped them in half with my shear.

I couldn't find the culprit smong my tomato plants.

Wil

[Omelet]

Hornworms are VERY hard to spot! Try dawn and dusk when they are up feeding...

A black light helps too. Makes their stripes glow. :-)

[Marie Dodge]

True but they didn't fall from the sky 3" long. :-) You got to catch those suckers before they reach a size were they can do such horrific damage. We're always on the lookout for evidence of hornworms.

[mor]

it could be flea beetles

[Omelet]

But they grow so bloody fast! ;-) One night they are a pinprick and I swear in 24 hours, they ARE 3" long!

Seems that way anyhoo.

Many people swear by BT. It's supposed to be non-toxic to humans and other animals. Just larval insects.

[phorbin]

It all depends on where you are.

Our tomatoes have been in since early June... which is about two months. (London Ontario Canada)

Canada has a variety of climates, east to west and north to south...

[Steve Young]

[...]

so those caterpillars ain't so cute no mo ;)

uh ha

Way to go Wil! your developing a gardeners spine :)

[Steve Young]

"Omelet" wrote

Yes they are. Their fresh droppings also illuminate the trail. They're so large and prolific you swear you'll need a big stick to tangle with the culprit :(

I find it helpful to have a few 8 foot stakes amongst the tomatoes

Birds perch on them and help me out.

Only once in the past 10 years have I had to tangle with them.

[JustTom]

I planted 38 heirlooms, 35 in garden and 3 currant types in pots on the front deck.

Came out a couple of weeks ago, and the leaves were all gone on one of the potted ones. Had 2 tiny tomatoes on it. Found a hornworm trucking along in the pot. Could get in but couldn't get out. Weird that of all the targets I had, that so far, only one sitting alone on a deck was hit. HTH did it find that one?

BTW Just because the leaves are gone, doesn't mean it's dead. Don't throw it out unless you're sure.

After 2 weeks, just noticed last night that the naked one has sprouted new leaves on top starting to shade those 2 tiny tomatoes.

hth, tom