Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

hey guys, i just need help identifying the spots and i have tip burning on the leaves (thinking it's sunburn, been very hot in adelaide recently)

look like aphids to me.

Are they more numerous on the new growth? If so, try some pepper spray or ladybugs if you have any around. Get on them early..they can get out of hand quickly.

most of it is contained to the bottom half of the plants, the new growth has nothing on it. I ran my hand along it and the black dots broke up pretty easy. Was thinking maybe caterpillar/spider poop?

It is russet mite.

The heat we are having will have brought it out of hiding. Potatoes can be carriers, so if you continue to have issues with the russet mite, make sure you give your tomatoes space from your solanaceous plants.

It shouldn't cause you any issues, it is fairly common on dirt-grown tomatoes. It may shorten the over-all life of that particular plant, but it isn't a drama to the flower/fruit of the tomato, so won't really affect your harvest too much.

If it was on one of my tomatoes, I wouldn't worry. I wouldn't treat it. I would let it run its course, making sure to remove and destroy any damaged leaves as they die off.

If I was undertaking commercial size tomato production, I would treat it, probably with sulphur (either as a dust or wettable sulphur). You can get miticides that may clear it up. Below is the management guideline page from the University of California

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r783400111.html

Hope that helps.

I'd use a hand lens to positively ID. The link says russet mites are almost invisible, and are yellowish. I don't know of any miticides that are ok for AP use. A few I've used on ornamentals I wouldn't recommend for AP. Also wouldn't think caterpillar frass, as that would usually fall on the top of leaves, not the bottom.

Sorry, I should have prefaced that with- It looks like...russet mite....to me.

It is presenting almost identically to the russet mite I had on a tomato last season.

As I said, I wouldn't treat if they were mine. I was not advocating using a miticide in your system.