A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Leaf Miner Infestation

Two weeks ago my very, very small garden nestled in my apartment patio was doing splendid. This week we are under attack.

I first noticed the signs on my basil so i took off all the leaf miner damage as I gave it a good trim. Now the stems are soft and dark brown.

But now my Maters. I have serious damage to all four of my tomato plants as well as a flower growing next to the basil. It's not like these were crowded together. Most of the tomatoes are on the other side of the two air conditioners that share the space.

I've heard you should remove all damage. I can do that, but then what. Any other advice. It's really heating up here in So Cal and my plants need a healthy run before they have to deal with 100 plus temps.

Thanks so much for any advice.

Plantgirl

Hey plantgirl, the fact that all your plants are being attacked, suggests to me that you may be using a fertilizer high in nitrogen, which is great for getting lush green growth, but it makes the leaves very tasty for insect pests. Have a look at the numbers on the fert container. They'll be like 10:10:10 or something. You may need something which has a higher ratio of potassium to toughen your plants up a little. You can spray whiteoil for leaf miner too. Don't use on a hot day, best to apply late afternoon once the weather has cooled.

Thanks for the advice. I'll try it tonight.