WHAT WEAKENED MY TOMATO PLANT?

(Whitish bug, Length Approx. 2 mm & Ants : Light brown front with brownish-yellow back, Length Approx. 2 mm)

November 05, 2021

A tomato plant was freely growing from a seed of a fruit of the last tomato plant. It was growing well in a clay pot that was already occupied by a turmeric plant.

I relocated the tomato plant to a plastic pot and kept it on a balcony. Things were going well with the plant supporter made by me. When the plant lacked water, leaves started to bend downwards. However, the plant recovered after receiving enough water.

 

PLANT BEGAN TO WEAKEN

One day, when the leaves started to bend downwards, I thought that this was due to a lack of water as I forgot to water the plant that day. There were no insects to be seen on the plant. I poured water onto the soil but this time the plant failed to recover soon.

 

TROUBLESHOOTING

I wondered what was wrong with the plant. I continued to check this plant for insects. While I was searching for insects, I noticed a few white spots—about 2 to 3 spots—on the stem.

I looked through my magnifying glass at the white spots, they were about 2 mm long creatures that looked like oval cotton cosmetic pads. I removed the whitish creatures with a small brush but I did not notice any improvement.

After removing some soil, I realized that I could have detected the problem early if I inspected the soil carefully.

I observed that several small ants (about 2 mm long), a kind of ants that I had not seen before, were moving fast, close to the roots, and, the base of the stem looked damaged. However, a new root had started to emerge.

 

TRYING TO RECOVER

I tried to recover the plant. More soil was removed. I wrapped the plant base with a piece of cotton cloth. It was not possible to get rid of the ants without replacing the pot with a new one.The leaves that were no longer green, were removed.

Finally, I had to relocate the plant to a new plastic container.

However, the plant looked weak. I continue watering to keep the cloth wet. New roots that emerged slowly from the stem, reached the soil. The plant took several days to recover.

The images were captured as it was found happening in nature, and not enhanced using software. Images may be subject to copyright.