tomato leaves and ?rot?

[Azz]

hello!

so...

my tomato plants which i know werent doing well.. (lowest leaves had turned yellow and fallen off) ... are now worse..
my largest tomato which was just starting to turn orange has become rotten around the stem and fallen off.

any ideas why this is?

was it very foolish of me to attempt to grow them outside and with no extra plant food?

thanks.

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Azz, the rot around the stem which has caused the tomato to drop off sounds like it could be Botrytis. Botrytis is like a grey mould so are there any areas on the plant with mould on them?

Are there any brown or black areas on the plants and the tomatoes that look like rot? If so then it could be tomato blight.

[Azz]

Hi Lesley,

thanks for your reply.

nope - theres no grey mould on the plant.
the lowest leaves turned yellow, then brown, then dropped off and some of the higher leaves have started looking the same. the tops of the plants look very healthy.
most of the tomatoes look ok, although small and still green, but 2 which were on the same stalk went rotten around their stalks.
i'm beginning to wonder if i'm gonna get any tomatoes off these plants!! i've been giving them a lot of (inexperienced) care since April but still not a ripe tomato!! they are san marzano plums if that means anything to you - it doesnt to me!

kind regards

[tomate]

This could be Tomato Blight. I've had a few that have suffered from that. It could possibly be Blossom End Rot. Have you made sure they're protected from Flea Beetles and Cutworms?

Here's some info on both of those dieases in Tomatoes:
Tomato blossom end rot (a brownish-black, sunken dead area that forms on the bottom of the fruit) is a condition caused by a calcium deficiency due to uneven watering. Tomato blight, another disease common to tomatoes is caused by warm, humid conditions particularly if tomato plants have not been given some support to keep foliage off the ground.