David Owens, Extension Entomologist, owensd@udel.edu
Congratulations to Emmalea Ernest for helping me diagnose my tomato problem from last week. These tomatoes were transplanted onto black plastic after only a short period outdoors, not enough time to harden off. The tomatoes were watered, by watering can shortly after transplant. Further, even though the planting holes were large, and the stems were not in direct contact with the plastic, heat necrosis caused the stems to collapse, giving these plants a twisted or broken appearance. It was explained to me that heat moving laterally under the plastic can blast the plants as it escapes the planting hole. We remedied the problem by coating the plants and the plastic with Surround.
