It’s the psyllid season. With a potential to wipe out up to 80% of your gorgeous tomato crop it’s an important pest to understand. Managing psyllids takes a bit extra, but come on guys – it’s tomatoes were talkin’ about! Are they worth it? Hell yeah!
1. Know the signs.
Yellowing tips; curling under leaves; twisting leaves; smaller, thinner fernlike foliage; less flowers; fallen flowers; slow growing (plant and fruit).
2. Know the psyllid.
Adult psyllids are a 3mm long, black cicada like insect with clear wings. There are 2 white stripes across the abdomen (get your glasses on!) They’re very mobile and fly off when you disturb the plant, so make like a ninja when approaching. The yellow eggs are very obvious, hanging on a small stalk underneath leaves. The nymphs look exactly like scale but they are pale yellow turning tan, also under the leaves. Around the nymphs you will see white sugars dotted. These insects are too small for my camera, so here are some helpful photos (and fact sheet) courtesy of plant and food research
3.Prevention and Management
If psyllids have been really bad at yours you might consider a handful of Neem granules beneath each tomato plant at planting. Neem oil sprayed at the first sign of psyllid is the business. Spray weekly until you’re on top of the problem (you may only need the one spray). As prevention/ management take it out to two weekly intervals. Staked, pruned tomatoes make spraying easy, unpruned tomatoes could be a major!
Tomatoes are not the only solanacae psyllids love to suck – peppers, eggplants and tamarillo are also potentials, though I dont seem to have much trouble in this regard. Potatoes (another solanacae), are however also beloved by psyllids, but far easier to manage – either grow Maori potatoes who seem to resist the pest OR cover your crop with wondermesh – no spraying required!
4. Call in the beneficials
Build up your ladybug, hover fly and lacewing populations by having a spray free environment and providing year round nectar, water and wild areas for habitat. Year on year I have less sign of psyllid in my tomatoes and know that the invisible hand of nature is at work.
5.Prevention is the best cure
Check every plant that you buy or get given for the eggs, nymphs and sugars.
PS: Pyrethrum is recommended as an organic spray to manage psyllids, and indeed it will. Only thing is it will ‘manage’ all the bees, parasitic wasps, hoverflies and ladybirds too; yes it’s a real knock-everything-dead kind of spray. Stick to Neem if you would please.
