Wilts in the sun...

Tomatovator · May 25, 2010

I have one Ramapo plant that wilts in full sun but then looks OK in the morning. I only planted out 2 weeks ago and the plants are < 12" tall. Will this plant grow out of this condition as it grows more roots or should I pull it and replace it with a back up? It has great color and really looks good in the AM. None of my other plants are doing this.

**nctomatoman** · May 25, 2010

I would keep a back up just in case, but see how the plant progresses - could just be that it doesn't have the number of roots the others do, or is taking a bit more time to settle in.

puzzley · May 25, 2010

Check the stem near the ground for a hole and tiny green pellets (frass) If you see this, you have a stem borer, and it'll cause this condition. Ask me how I know. I found one today in one of my plants that had been outside for about two weeks, and were getting planted today. I immediately checked all of them, but that was the only one with the problem. I've had them in the past, and they can cause the wilting condition you describe.

Oh, and by the way, I gently slit the stem of the plant, extracted the offender, and planted it anyway with the slit stem in the ground. It should be fine. If you have one, you can slit the stem, or use a needle to spear the squirmy devil in his hole. The tomato plant will usually survive if you can stop the beast.

b54red · May 25, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by puzzley

Check the stem near the ground for a hole and tiny green pellets (frass) If you see this, you have a stem borer, and it'll cause this condition. Ask me how I know. I found one today in one of my plants that had been outside for about two weeks, and were getting planted today. I immediately checked all of them, but that was the only one with the problem. I've had them in the past, and they can cause the wilting condition you describe.

Oh, and by the way, I gently slit the stem of the plant, extracted the offender, and planted it anyway with the slit stem in the ground. It should be fine. If you have one, you can slit the stem, or use a needle to spear the squirmy devil in his hole. The tomato plant will usually survive if you can stop the beast.

Wow, a pest that I have never had. Knock on wood. In the past I've had some kind of borer that mainly gets the green fruit and is immune to bt and will sometimes bore the upper stems when the infestation is heavy.

Sounds to me like his plant just doesn't have enough root development yet. It would have probably done better if left to harden off longer with less water to encourage the roots. I've seen plants that were set out do that if the hardening off wasn't sufficient or a sudden heat spike hit right after planting. The plant will probably be fine once it recovers from the shock of being thrown out into the real world.

matermaniac · May 25, 2010

How about lack of water? Or enough soil around the roots to keep them cool? You could give the plant a drink of water. If that is the culprit,you'll see the plant plump up within 5 - 10 minutes.

That's been my experience until the plant settles in.

ddsack · May 25, 2010

You could also have an adult form of damping off. Check the bottom two inches of stem next to the ground and see if it looks like it has dry brown sunken areas pinching the stem. I have one shady area of my garden where this happened to several plants two years in a row. I quit using newspaper collars against cutworms since they were providing a damp haven for the fungus. If you use mulch, don't let it touch the stem of your tomato plant, pull it away just a bit for good air flow. My plants had been in the ground for several weeks and had grown well and more than doubled in size, so it was a surprise when they started to gradually wilt in the sun everyday. I ended up losing two of the three, one did manage to hang on and produce some kind of cherry, can't recall variety what I was growing.

puzzley · May 25, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

Wow, a pest that I have never had.

Red, that's probably because the borers in Alabama get so big they can't drill a tomato stem, and have to hunt for meater prey....

Sorry, couldn't resist...

b54red · May 25, 2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by puzzley

Red, that's probably because the borers in Alabama get so big they can't drill a tomato stem, and have to hunt for meater prey....

Sorry, couldn't resist...

Good One. I think we may have Texas beat on bugs at least in LA.
Actually it was a very small borer that caused so much damage to a good portion of my tomato beds last year. The thing made very small holes which I didn't notice until they had wrecked a lot of green toms. The big ones are easier to see. I probably should get some bifocals and quit looking over the tops of my glasses.

Tomatovator · May 26, 2010

Thanks to all for the input. Seems like it is doing fine as of today. We hit 88 degrees and no wilt. Yippy. Maybe this will be another good year??

May 25, 2010	#1
Tomatovator Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Zone 6 Posts: 461	Wilts in the sun... I have one Ramapo plant that wilts in full sun but then looks OK in the morning. I only planted out 2 weeks ago and the plants are < 12" tall. Will this plant grow out of this condition as it grows more roots or should I pull it and replace it with a back up? It has great color and really looks good in the AM. None of my other plants are doing this.

May 25, 2010	#2
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	I would keep a back up just in case, but see how the plant progresses - could just be that it doesn't have the number of roots the others do, or is taking a bit more time to settle in. __________________ Craig

May 25, 2010	#6
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	You could also have an adult form of damping off. Check the bottom two inches of stem next to the ground and see if it looks like it has dry brown sunken areas pinching the stem. I have one shady area of my garden where this happened to several plants two years in a row. I quit using newspaper collars against cutworms since they were providing a damp haven for the fungus. If you use mulch, don't let it touch the stem of your tomato plant, pull it away just a bit for good air flow. My plants had been in the ground for several weeks and had grown well and more than doubled in size, so it was a surprise when they started to gradually wilt in the sun everyday. I ended up losing two of the three, one did manage to hang on and produce some kind of cherry, can't recall variety what I was growing. __________________ Dee **************

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May 25, 2010	#3
puzzley Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Lexington, Ky Posts: 93	Check the stem near the ground for a hole and tiny green pellets (frass) If you see this, you have a stem borer, and it'll cause this condition. Ask me how I know. I found one today in one of my plants that had been outside for about two weeks, and were getting planted today. I immediately checked all of them, but that was the only one with the problem. I've had them in the past, and they can cause the wilting condition you describe. Oh, and by the way, I gently slit the stem of the plant, extracted the offender, and planted it anyway with the slit stem in the ground. It should be fine. If you have one, you can slit the stem, or use a needle to spear the squirmy devil in his hole. The tomato plant will usually survive if you can stop the beast.

May 25, 2010	#5
matermaniac Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Slightly North of Charleston, SC Posts: 114	How about lack of water? Or enough soil around the roots to keep them cool? You could give the plant a drink of water. If that is the culprit,you'll see the plant plump up within 5 - 10 minutes. That's been my experience until the plant settles in.

May 26, 2010	#9
Tomatovator Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Zone 6 Posts: 461	Thanks to all for the input. Seems like it is doing fine as of today. We hit 88 degrees and no wilt. Yippy. Maybe this will be another good year??