Let's discuss Tomatoes

 Listening to: Cheap Thrills - Sia

Mood - Productive

Hello Fellow Gardeners! 

I want to discuss tomatoes today. My parents grew tomatoes when I was growing up, and they were delicious. So, of course, that was high on my list of things to grow. 

I garden in India. India has 101 thousand pests that affect crops. The mealybugs ladies and gents - the god damned fucking mealybugs. Ahem.

I fertilize my tomatoes regularly, we compost at home, and use Epsom salt. I use diluted neem concentrate to control the pests, which sometimes works. We don't have a cold season, and we have red dirt. 

What I'm trying hard to figure out at the moment is why my tomatoes live until a certain stage (full grown), then tend to get infested and ultimately die. I know they won't last forever, but I'm not able to identify what is the cause of the premature downfall.  I've recently planted heirloom tomatoes. Once the mealybugs come, it doesn't matter what I use for pest control or manual removal; the plant is going to die. 

Any hints on how to control them or what might be making them susceptible to infestation? 

~Rebekah~