Frustrated and disappointed - help would be appreciated

[Siberian]

Hi all,

I know this is a long post, but I'm having some disease or disease-like symptoms on my plants and would really appreciate some help. I am growing: tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, and hot and sweet peppers, and eggplants, all showing similar symptoms.

Symptoms are: yellowing of the bottom leaves, working its way up the plant, with the affected leaves either falling off or browning and wilting completely. Plants are also wilting in hot, direct sun. Here are some photos, all labeled, ranging from symptoms at youngest age (plants wilting) to now the yellowing of leaves. http://s1239.photobucket.com/albums/...Garden%202012/

I know they are generally rarely seen in home gardens but it looks a lot like what I understand to be either fusarium or verticilium wilt. Is it possible that they came infected from my seed supplier? I have used the same supplier the past 2 years and had almost identical problems (they were separate seeds of different varieties purchased each year). Anyone else having problems with Sustainableseedco.com seeds?

I even used the biotamax/actinovate/mycogrow dip solution at plant out and have continued with foliar spraying of Exel LG, seacom pgr, and actinovate.

Any thoughts on identification, control, etc. are welcome.

[meadowyck]

I'm sorry as I have no advice to offer for what is going on, but I'm interested to see what others who do have to say.

[babice]

Hello Siberian. Do you think it may have to do with the extreme heat waves we've been having and/or the drought conditions? Any way you can push them into more shade? Are you seeing any buggies flying around at all?

[Siberian]

hi babice, thanks for the response! I thought about heat but the plants actually don't get too much sun (maybe 6 hours direct, then a couple hours patchy sun/shade). I have zero insect problems that I can see. In fact, my plants never really looked so healthy, green and vibrant until this all started.

I should also mention that there are a few trees on my property and some forsythia that have some wilt-like symptoms. You can see it in the forsythia on the last photo I posted in the photobucket link.

[tam91]

You don't have any walnut trees anywhere near your garden do you? Walnut tree roots emit a substance (juglone) that makes many plants including tomatoes wilt. It starts out, they wilt in the day and seem to recover overnight.

[babice]

Hmmm...yeah - what tam91 said? Or possibly all your plants are asking you for more water? My hydrangea wilts when it needs more water. Many, many, many of my plants are wilted and looked great even this past sunday. My strawberries and blackberries, for example, were quite sad looking this morning. Gotta get out there and water them again.

BTW, I'm no tomato-growing pro, but I have read that the lower leaves will tend to yellow and die off.

[RayR]

Siberian, how often are you applying Exel LG and at what rate?

I agree with babice that it looks like they may need more water but it's hard to tell from the pictures. Cucumber plants drink a lot of water and they are the plants that are the first to wilt when they are getting dry. Give them a good drink and in 15 minutes they are perky again. The only other thing that will make them wilt is Bacterial Wilt which is transmitted by Cucumber Beetles and is fatal. Eggplant and Squash are pretty big drinkers too and are quick to wilt when they need a drink.
The yellowing pepper leaves could be because of a lack of moisture also and/or a lack of nutrients.

The droopy tomato leaves may be like that because they are not getting quite enough light. I have a new section of my yard that I planted some extra Tomato plants that doesn't get an ideal amount of light and they have droopy thin leaves, but are healthy otherwise.

[babice]

Originally Posted by RayR

Siberian, how often are you applying Exel LG and at what rate?

Oh yes! That's a good question too! RayR knows full and well that too much ExelLG could do that (DOH! i.e., babice did this...just the other day... ). Other questions: (1) You say you've had this same thing happen every year. Does it happen at the same time every year? (2) Are the conditions the same (i.e., you're applying same fungicides at same rates as last year, watering same amounts at same intervals, have them in the same spots, same soil conditions, same pruning/not pruning methods, etc.)?

And (3) what kind of fertilizer are you using?

[Siberian]

Thanks for the interest everyone! First, no walnut trees nearby.

I use Exel LG about every 3 weeks and apply at appx 1 oz/gallon, sometimes less and never more than that rate. For fertilizer I purchased organic composted horse manure from a local farm. About once per month I do a soil drench of Neptune's Harvest fish fertilizer and I mix in just a bit of seaweed (I recently fertilized with no improvement in symptoms), but mostly I rely on foliar spraying of seaweed.

And yes, very similar symptoms happened last year. I did not use the bioatmax/actinovate/mycogrow dip method last year, and did not use seaweed in a foliar fashion last year, but the rest of my program was similar.

I'm not sure it is just lack of water. The plants are well watered, mulched with salt hay to conserve moisture, and those which wilt the most do not come back if I water more. They do spring back to life when out of the sun and in the shade though.

[amideutch]

The yellowing of the leaves at the bottom of the plant normally is caused by lack of nutrients. As the plant grows the nutrients are being used at the growth end of the plant which is the top and they bypass the bottom leaves which causes a deficiency and yellowing of the leaves. Maybe a soil drench consisting of an inorganic fertilizer might be in order as the nutrients are more readily available to the plant as are organics.

I would also start applying Actinovate as a foliar to help with airborne disease and can even be applied along with the EXEL LG. Your 1oz per gallon of EXEL LG is fine. I would up the frequency of application to once a week.

The way temperatures have been in the States lately even 6 hours a day of 90+ degrees can cause the plants to wilt. Otherwise your plants are not looking that bad considering.
Ami

[tam91]

It's been over a hundred here quite a bit lately, and over 90 most days. I haven't had any wilting.

[b54red]

I would definitely give them a boost of Miracle Grow at the recommended rate. If it is a nutrient problem you will see a big improvement in about 3 days. If that doesn't help then you may be dealing with some type of soil deficiency or excess of some kind. Have you checked your ph? Too far either way can cause some problems. Mine got too basic over the last few years and it caused some iron deficiencies that showed up in the plants. I also got my phosphate level too high from constant adding of manure to my beds over many years.

[Siberian]

I agree the heat could effect them but if you look closely in the earliest pics from late Mat the plants were wilting at that point well before it was nearing 90 and 100 degrees.

I should also mention that although this has happened to me 2 years in a row, I am gardening in a totally separate location (about 10 miles distance) than the past season. That is what is making me think something is going on here.

I'm going to give them a good shot of inorganic fertilizer (a gardener friend uses Fox Farm's Grow Big I believe). I'll report results here.

[Al@NC]

I see the same symptoms as you and my issue was I waited too long between waterings (created the wilting) and then I over watered them which created the yellowing!. My squash does this wilting and then when I water them and come back in a hour they are fine! When I overwater my peppers/tomatoes then the next day I have the yellowing.

Try to water your plants a smaller amount but water them everyday, I think you'll notice a big difference. Also water them in the morning and try not to water the leaves, this will help keep disease out of the picture.

[lakelady]

Siberian, I am also in NJ and my plants have wilted like crazy this summer. This very long sustained heat wave has not helped my plants and I've been watering like crazy. In spite of water, at 97 degrees, they are still going to wilt in the heat of the day. Green and healthy looking, some yellowing on lower leaves, but I've had so many of those flea beetles, they are killing the lower leaves and I've had some early blight, which, while not lethal to the plant, looks ugly and causes leaves to eventually die. Now that my plants are fruiting, they are definately in need of more fertilizer, so I put more compost around the base, and am spraying weekly with seaweed fertilizer. It does help, and today, a beautiful cool morning of 72 degrees has them all perked up