Every plant in one spot wilts but not it's neighbors

lakelady · July 23, 2012

I am having a weird scenario I can't figure out. Early on, I had put a Verde Claro plant in a hole along a row, and within a month, it wilted and would not come back. I pulled it, and replaced it with Indian Stripe PL. That was about 6 weeks ago. Now IT also is wilting for no known reason. It has a Brandywine Croatia next to it that is over 7' tall and doing fine, and the neighboring plant on the other side is doing just fine too. I think something odd is going on with just that one spot. The tomatoes are about 3' apart, but this one spot seems to have something bad going on.

I thought the first plant in that hole was just sick or weak. Now I'm wondering what on earth could cause this to happen to replacement. I have never planted tomatoes in this spot, ever. It was wildflowers before this. No disease at all on the leaves or signs of disease anywhere. I'm not sure what to do with it. Very few flowers on the plant ,and only one tomato growing that I'd like to be able to taste!

Suggestions? Ideas?

habitat_gardener · July 24, 2012

I had a bermuda triangle spot in my old garden, too. Everything I planted was stunted or just didn't thrive, but a foot or two away it was a tomato jungle. For a couple years I thought it had something to do with the tomato varieties, but then bush beans didn't do well, either. I don't have that garden any more, and iirc I didn't plant anything there last year -- just used it as a steppingstone spot. (shrugs) If I'd had some spare time, I might have dug a couple feet down at that spot to see if there was something odd going on.

It's odd that it took 4-6 weeks to wilt.

tam91 · July 24, 2012

My standard question - no walnut trees around anywhere? The roots extend very far, and will cause tomato plants to wilt. It does take weeks, until the tomato plants roots reach far enough down to contact the walnut tree roots.

lakelady · July 24, 2012

No walnut trees at all anywhere in the neighborhood. Just mostly oaks, a few maples and pines. It's quite odd that both tomatoes on each side of it are huge and beautiful and that one spot just doesn't like tomatoes for some reason. I'm wondering if there is a huge boulder or something more than a foot down that is preventing the roots from really growing well? It's a 2' wide strip of land that has a rock wall behind it, and concrete walkway in front of it, all along the bed. I had to give it a lot more water than all the other plants last night and this morning it has perked up, but that in itself is odd too.

July 23, 2012	#1
lakelady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northern NJ zone 6b Posts: 1,862	Every plant in one spot wilts but not it's neighbors I am having a weird scenario I can't figure out. Early on, I had put a Verde Claro plant in a hole along a row, and within a month, it wilted and would not come back. I pulled it, and replaced it with Indian Stripe PL. That was about 6 weeks ago. Now IT also is wilting for no known reason. It has a Brandywine Croatia next to it that is over 7' tall and doing fine, and the neighboring plant on the other side is doing just fine too. I think something odd is going on with just that one spot. The tomatoes are about 3' apart, but this one spot seems to have something bad going on. I thought the first plant in that hole was just sick or weak. Now I'm wondering what on earth could cause this to happen to replacement. I have never planted tomatoes in this spot, ever. It was wildflowers before this. No disease at all on the leaves or signs of disease anywhere. I'm not sure what to do with it. Very few flowers on the plant ,and only one tomato growing that I'd like to be able to taste! Suggestions? Ideas? __________________ Antoniette

July 24, 2012	#3
tam91 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Crystal Lake IL Posts: 2,484	My standard question - no walnut trees around anywhere? The roots extend very far, and will cause tomato plants to wilt. It does take weeks, until the tomato plants roots reach far enough down to contact the walnut tree roots. __________________ Tracy

July 24, 2012	#4
lakelady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northern NJ zone 6b Posts: 1,862	No walnut trees at all anywhere in the neighborhood. Just mostly oaks, a few maples and pines. It's quite odd that both tomatoes on each side of it are huge and beautiful and that one spot just doesn't like tomatoes for some reason. I'm wondering if there is a huge boulder or something more than a foot down that is preventing the roots from really growing well? It's a 2' wide strip of land that has a rock wall behind it, and concrete walkway in front of it, all along the bed. I had to give it a lot more water than all the other plants last night and this morning it has perked up, but that in itself is odd too. __________________ Antoniette

July 24, 2012	#2
habitat_gardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: California Central Valley Posts: 2,543	I had a bermuda triangle spot in my old garden, too. Everything I planted was stunted or just didn't thrive, but a foot or two away it was a tomato jungle. For a couple years I thought it had something to do with the tomato varieties, but then bush beans didn't do well, either. I don't have that garden any more, and iirc I didn't plant anything there last year -- just used it as a steppingstone spot. (shrugs) If I'd had some spare time, I might have dug a couple feet down at that spot to see if there was something odd going on. It's odd that it took 4-6 weeks to wilt.