New fusarium wilt experiment

b54red · April 8, 2013

I have been battling fusarium for nearly forty years in my garden. I have tried nearly everything except soil sterilization to overcome it with very little luck. For the past few years I have just planted lots of extra seedlings and immediately replaced the fusarium blighted plants as often as necessary; but that has become more work than I am able to keep up with. This year I am going to plant grafted plants and see if this helps. I already have plants in the garden using the following varieties with known fusarium resistance for rootstock: Big Beef, Ball's Beefsteak, Floralina and Tasti-Lee. I am also experimenting with a fluke tomato as a rootstock on some of the plants to see if the resistance it has shown in the last two years is as good as it seems. I will also be using Amelia and Multifort for rootstock as soon as the new seedlings are large enough to graft.

I sure hope this gives me some better luck with my problem. I obviously have all three known races of fusarium and if there are any unknown ones I probably have them too. My garden is the perfect site for testing the grafted plants resistance levels and we have had another mild and wet winter assuring the fusarium problem will be especially bad this year.

So far none of the plants have shown any signs of fusarium or bacterial wilt; but the first plants were only set out on the 17th of March. Since I am trying multiple plantings with all of the rootstock I should be able to get a clue as to which ones work the best if they work at all. I will try to post the results and maybe it will help some others who have a similar problem.

Bill

Heritage · April 8, 2013

Good luck, Bill. An interesting experiment, and I'm sure all southern growers will be following your progress reports!

Steve

JamesL · April 8, 2013

Bill,
Yes, good luck! You put in a lot of hard work with grafting and I sincerely hope it pays off.

Mlm1 · April 8, 2013

Yes, you will have the garden to watch this year. It will be exciting to see how all the different rootstock do.
Marla

whistech · April 8, 2013

Good luck Sir and be sure to keep us apdated on which root stocks do the best for you. I always enjoy reading your posts.

lakelady · April 9, 2013

You've worked so hard to continue to grow and produce tomatoes under the harshest of conditions down there, so I'm cheering for you, and hope you can finally have a great harvest with not too much work!! Good luck, and looking forward to your results!

b54red · April 10, 2013

Well the hot sunny weather is here now so the fusarium should be kicking in soon. I have been checking the plants daily but so far have only seen a bit of early blight. The only plants I have lost so far this year have been to the wind and a late freeze which got about half a dozen that were replaced immediately.

The real test will come when I put out the grafts which I haven't attempted yet with the Multifort and Amelia rootstock. Thanks for the support everyone.

Bill

Stvrob · April 10, 2013

Bill,
What about the earlier grafts you did? (not with the multifort) Are those in the ground?

b54red · April 11, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stvrob

Bill,
What about the earlier grafts you did? (not with the multifort) Are those in the ground?

I've got 38 grafted plants in the garden now. It will still be a while before I can graft onto the Multifort and Amelia seedlings as they are still pretty small. So far the only loses I have had have been to cold and wind but they were quickly replaced. About half of my plants that were set out on the 17th of March were laying on the ground today from the wind we have been having. I don't think any of the grafts gave way but I'll have to give them a few days and see how they are doing then. The two best looking fastest growing plants are a Nepal grafted to a Big Beef and a Terasenko-6 grafted to a Floralina. I'm worried about the Tarasenko-6 because it got really bent over at the graft in the wind. When I straightened it up and tied it up the stem felt weak where the graft was.

Bill

Stvrob · April 11, 2013

Bill, I lost two grafted plants to wind, but neither of them broke at the graft. I was wondering if the graft was weaker or stronger than the rest of the stem.

b54red · April 11, 2013

Everything I have read says the graft is weaker but once it has been outside for a few weeks it may not be. I just don't know. We are supposed to have some stormy weather tonight so I might find out.

Bill

sfmathews · April 11, 2013

Good luck Bill. I look forward to your results. I am trying a few grafts this year as well. I even bought a grated Green Zebra, which in the past was always one of the first to go down with fusarium. I've got some heirlooms and a few hybrids. I ordered some of them from GardenLife. I am not sure, though, which rootstock they use. I need to check on that.
Susan

whistech · April 11, 2013

b54red, the wind has been horrible this year. Hope your grafted plants pull through.

b54red · April 11, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by whistech

b54red, the wind has been horrible this year. Hope your grafted plants pull through.

Well I found out the graft is a weak point. At least 3 of my grafts are broken half way through at the graft juncture from the wind. It is supposed to get really bad tonight.

whistech, I think your wind got here last night.

Susan, I quit growing Green Zebra along with a lot of other varieties years ago because fusarium would kill them every time.

Bill

b54red · April 25, 2013

It has been five weeks since the first plants went into the garden and I have not seen the first sign of fusarium and have lost none to bacterial wilt. So far so good; but it is still very early in the experiment. I want to see what happens in May and June when I set plants out. Those are the worst months for bacterial wilt for me. I sometimes lose 80% or more within two weeks of transplanting during that time of the season if I don't treat the spot I'm planting in with a mild bleach solution.

So far no bad pests other than a fair number of aphids on some of the lower leaves which I pruned off as part of my standard pruning to keep foliage away from the ground. My sister called the other day and said her plants are badly infested with spider mites. She only lives a few miles from me so that got me worried but when I checked I saw no signs of them on my plants and even saw a couple of ladybugs.

Bill

April 8, 2013	#1
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	New fusarium wilt experiment I have been battling fusarium for nearly forty years in my garden. I have tried nearly everything except soil sterilization to overcome it with very little luck. For the past few years I have just planted lots of extra seedlings and immediately replaced the fusarium blighted plants as often as necessary; but that has become more work than I am able to keep up with. This year I am going to plant grafted plants and see if this helps. I already have plants in the garden using the following varieties with known fusarium resistance for rootstock: Big Beef, Ball's Beefsteak, Floralina and Tasti-Lee. I am also experimenting with a fluke tomato as a rootstock on some of the plants to see if the resistance it has shown in the last two years is as good as it seems. I will also be using Amelia and Multifort for rootstock as soon as the new seedlings are large enough to graft. I sure hope this gives me some better luck with my problem. I obviously have all three known races of fusarium and if there are any unknown ones I probably have them too. My garden is the perfect site for testing the grafted plants resistance levels and we have had another mild and wet winter assuring the fusarium problem will be especially bad this year. So far none of the plants have shown any signs of fusarium or bacterial wilt; but the first plants were only set out on the 17th of March. Since I am trying multiple plantings with all of the rootstock I should be able to get a clue as to which ones work the best if they work at all. I will try to post the results and maybe it will help some others who have a similar problem. Bill

April 9, 2013	#6
lakelady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northern NJ zone 6b Posts: 1,862	You've worked so hard to continue to grow and produce tomatoes under the harshest of conditions down there, so I'm cheering for you, and hope you can finally have a great harvest with not too much work!! Good luck, and looking forward to your results! __________________ Antoniette

April 8, 2013	#2
Heritage Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: San Diego Posts: 1,255	Good luck, Bill. An interesting experiment, and I'm sure all southern growers will be following your progress reports! Steve

April 8, 2013	#3
JamesL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 1,992	Bill, Yes, good luck! You put in a lot of hard work with grafting and I sincerely hope it pays off.

April 8, 2013	#4
Mlm1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Northern California Posts: 208	Yes, you will have the garden to watch this year. It will be exciting to see how all the different rootstock do. Marla

April 8, 2013	#5
whistech Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Between The Woodlands and Spring, Texas Posts: 553	Good luck Sir and be sure to keep us apdated on which root stocks do the best for you. I always enjoy reading your posts.

April 10, 2013	#7
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Well the hot sunny weather is here now so the fusarium should be kicking in soon. I have been checking the plants daily but so far have only seen a bit of early blight. The only plants I have lost so far this year have been to the wind and a late freeze which got about half a dozen that were replaced immediately. The real test will come when I put out the grafts which I haven't attempted yet with the Multifort and Amelia rootstock. Thanks for the support everyone. Bill

April 10, 2013	#8
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	Bill, What about the earlier grafts you did? (not with the multifort) Are those in the ground?

April 11, 2013	#10
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	Bill, I lost two grafted plants to wind, but neither of them broke at the graft. I was wondering if the graft was weaker or stronger than the rest of the stem.

April 11, 2013	#12
sfmathews Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 398	Good luck Bill. I look forward to your results. I am trying a few grafts this year as well. I even bought a grated Green Zebra, which in the past was always one of the first to go down with fusarium. I've got some heirlooms and a few hybrids. I ordered some of them from GardenLife. I am not sure, though, which rootstock they use. I need to check on that. Susan

April 25, 2013	#15
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	It has been five weeks since the first plants went into the garden and I have not seen the first sign of fusarium and have lost none to bacterial wilt. So far so good; but it is still very early in the experiment. I want to see what happens in May and June when I set plants out. Those are the worst months for bacterial wilt for me. I sometimes lose 80% or more within two weeks of transplanting during that time of the season if I don't treat the spot I'm planting in with a mild bleach solution. So far no bad pests other than a fair number of aphids on some of the lower leaves which I pruned off as part of my standard pruning to keep foliage away from the ground. My sister called the other day and said her plants are badly infested with spider mites. She only lives a few miles from me so that got me worried but when I checked I saw no signs of them on my plants and even saw a couple of ladybugs. Bill