Stripy tomato flies and purple leaves

[Dougalogic]

Hi,
I have grown some tamina tomatoes which are doing really well (about 6 feet high plenty of flowers) but the leaves are going really purple. I've read this is phosphate shortage or cold but they're in the conservatory and I have fed them some ammonium phosphate with little result. Am I not feeding them enough or is it something else?
Also, each morning I find some strange stripy dead white flies in the pots and yesterday I found an odd red spider (see pics) and another type of fly. Can anyone tell me if they're bad for my plants? Any help appreciated.

[rustylady]

The purple colouring on the lower leaves is due to old age I think. Possibly need feeding too - you should be feeding with Tomorite or own brand equivalent now that the plants are fruiting. What size pots are the tomatoes in? The flies look a bit like hoverflies - as to why they're dying, have you been spraying with insecticide? The spider won't do any harm - indeed he or she may have caught the hoverflies and sucked the goodness out of them.

[Dougalogic]

The pots are about 14-16 inches across at the top (largest I could get). I'll get some Tomorite (was using miracle grow general purpose). I haven't sprayed them at all. I wondered if they were just dying naturally but I don't see them when I go in, unless the stripy pattern comes with decay?

[rustylady]

Miraclegro is fine for the early stages, but fruiting plants need a slightly different formulation - too much nitrogen in Miraclegro. Hoverflies are stripey anyway - look like mini-wasps.

[Dougalogic]

Miraclegro is fine for the early stages, but fruiting plants need a slightly different formulation - too much nitrogen in Miraclegro. Hoverflies are stripey anyway - look like mini-wasps.

ah thanks, will definitely get some new feed. don't think they're hoverflies as the dead 'uns are too small. don't know much about it but could be thrips

[Two_Sheds]

Those stripy flies look like the mozzies hanging round my water butt and the spidey is possibly a cross spider (possibly a Red Cross spidey? )

[Dougalogic]

thanks twosheds. will not worry about the flies and i think you're spot on with the spider