Southern Bacterial Wilt...

Baizanator · July 10, 2012

Has anyone had issues with this before? It's wiped out my tomatoes in the last week. I've tried treating but I've yielded to it. I guess it's time to get those Fall plants out in the EarthBoxes.

b54red · July 10, 2012

I have trouble with it every year especially when it gets really hot. It can really destroy young seedlings fast. I set out 15 new plants last week and have lost 8 to Bacterial wilt already. My solution is to treat the spot with my bleach solution a day or two before setting the plants out. It will slow it down a bit but it won't stop all of the problems with it. Before I started doing the bleach treatment I would lose upwards of 90% of all of my new set outs this time of the year. Now I can usually get 50% of them to survive the first two weeks. After that it is up to luck.

chalstonsc · July 10, 2012

Have had issues. It is in the soil and cannot as I understand it be gotten rid of. After two years I stopped growing in the ground and now grow all my tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in self watering 5 and 4 gallon containers.....I've put extra seedlings in the ground every year since(7 years) and all have died from it. I still grow okra, sweet potatoes, lettuces, kale, broccoli,beans, collards, cucumbers, squashes, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries in the ground with no problems. I have felt your pain and found a solution that is more bountiful than in the ground ever was. Took some healthy self education, but once you get containers going, it is not harder at all.

macbettz · July 12, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baizanator

Has anyone had issues with this before? It's wiped out my tomatoes in the last week. I've tried treating but I've yielded to it. I guess it's time to get those Fall plants out in the EarthBoxes.

Thats terrible- how many plants got hit?

Baizanator · July 12, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by macbettz

Thats terrible- how many plants got hit?

Only had ten plants this spring but only one left is a Lemon Boy and it's trucking on somewhat.

b54red · July 12, 2012

Are you sure you are having Bacterial wilt and not Fusarium wilt? Fusarium can sometimes be really slow to kill a plant but usually Bacterial Wilt kills mine soon after the first symptoms. If you are having yellowing of the leaves moving up the plant well before the wilting then you may have Fusarium.

Baizanator · July 12, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

Are you sure you are having Bacterial wilt and not Fusarium wilt? Fusarium can sometimes be really slow to kill a plant but usually Bacterial Wilt kills mine soon after the first symptoms. If you are having yellowing of the leaves moving up the plant well before the wilting then you may have Fusarium.

Not fusarium.

ScottinAtlanta · July 12, 2012

I have never heard of it. How do you diagnoze it?

Baizanator · July 12, 2012

Bacterial wilt (also called "southern bacterial wilt") is a disease caused by a bacterium, Pseuclomonas solanacearum, which lives in the soil. Its symptoms are different from other tomato wilt diseases. When bacterial wilt attacks, foliage doesn’t become yellow and spotted. Rather, the plant wilts and dies quickly with little warning.
Bacteria work their way up through the plant’s roots or stem, most often where plants have been cut, injured or weakened by transplanting, cultivation, insects, or other diseases. They clog water-conducting tissue in the stem. Water and nutrients can’t reach branches and leaves, starving the plant. The plant dies.

What does bacterial wilt look like?

Photo: Oregon State University Plant Disease Clinic

Foliage wilts suddenly
Foliage remains green
Interior of main stem (when split) is dark and water-soaked, the result of plugged water-conducting tissue. In late stages, the stem may become hollow

ScottinAtlanta · July 12, 2012

Sweet Jesus!

kurt · July 12, 2012

The commercial grower I talked to about soil borne diseases says crop rotation up to three years after a soil test concludes and a soil test after rotation.The majority of bacs will go away but not all.Sure fire is the expensive steam innoculation to at least 18 inches deep and again a soil test.Some bacs can be done away with by solarization but iffy at best.After all that steam and solarization reamending the soil (beneficials) should be done,and again soil tests.If you can't containers it is for a long time while chemical nuking your beds over some seasons,reamending,turning and testing.

July 10, 2012	#1
Baizanator Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Hamilton, Texas Posts: 382	Southern Bacterial Wilt... Has anyone had issues with this before? It's wiped out my tomatoes in the last week. I've tried treating but I've yielded to it. I guess it's time to get those Fall plants out in the EarthBoxes.

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July 10, 2012	#2
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	I have trouble with it every year especially when it gets really hot. It can really destroy young seedlings fast. I set out 15 new plants last week and have lost 8 to Bacterial wilt already. My solution is to treat the spot with my bleach solution a day or two before setting the plants out. It will slow it down a bit but it won't stop all of the problems with it. Before I started doing the bleach treatment I would lose upwards of 90% of all of my new set outs this time of the year. Now I can usually get 50% of them to survive the first two weeks. After that it is up to luck.

July 10, 2012	#3
chalstonsc Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: sc Posts: 339	Have had issues. It is in the soil and cannot as I understand it be gotten rid of. After two years I stopped growing in the ground and now grow all my tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in self watering 5 and 4 gallon containers.....I've put extra seedlings in the ground every year since(7 years) and all have died from it. I still grow okra, sweet potatoes, lettuces, kale, broccoli,beans, collards, cucumbers, squashes, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries in the ground with no problems. I have felt your pain and found a solution that is more bountiful than in the ground ever was. Took some healthy self education, but once you get containers going, it is not harder at all.

July 12, 2012	#6
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Are you sure you are having Bacterial wilt and not Fusarium wilt? Fusarium can sometimes be really slow to kill a plant but usually Bacterial Wilt kills mine soon after the first symptoms. If you are having yellowing of the leaves moving up the plant well before the wilting then you may have Fusarium.

July 12, 2012	#8
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	I have never heard of it. How do you diagnoze it?

July 12, 2012	#11
kurt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Homestead,Everglades City Fl. Posts: 2,501	The commercial grower I talked to about soil borne diseases says crop rotation up to three years after a soil test concludes and a soil test after rotation.The majority of bacs will go away but not all.Sure fire is the expensive steam innoculation to at least 18 inches deep and again a soil test.Some bacs can be done away with by solarization but iffy at best.After all that steam and solarization reamending the soil (beneficials) should be done,and again soil tests.If you can't containers it is for a long time while chemical nuking your beds over some seasons,reamending,turning and testing.