What is this malady?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by Baizanator

I let the plants go for a few days to see how this progressed. After doing so, I'm pretty sure it's Fusarium as the stems have turned brown and the vascular system is drying up.

In one of your first posts you said that these plants were in containers with artificial mix. If so I have some problems with a Dx of Fusarium, which is usually a soil borne systemic disease. It has been reported, but rarely, that Fusarium can be spread by dust, but from your description of where you garden I think that's a long shot.

Stems turning brown is not the only symptom that one should see with Fusarium, nor vascular problems.

Riceke, the picture of the affected foliage shows leaves that are curled over so I haven't seen any indication of Septoria or Early Blight (A. solani) or either Bacterial Speck or Bacterial Spot, which are the four most common foliage diseases, simply b'c I can't see spread out leaves. But if there were spots on the foliage I think that B would have called that to the attention of others. IN addition, the foliage diseases don't cause wilting of leaves.

And I'll bow out on the russet mite discussion b'c I have never seen it and could only comment from what I read online.

I Do know that Russet Mites are quite common in CA, but didn't know they could also be a problem in TX.

I just got finished doing a bunch of bills, leaving the School tax biggie one for next week, so time to go out to the LV and relax a bit.

[Baizanator]

Carolyn,

I had a theory regarding this wilt and it appears to have been correct. I have my plants in EarthBoxes. I think it was calcium deficiency. The plants haven't got enough ripe fruits for BER yet but I read on what it does to leaves and it matched up. I fertilized with calcium nitrate and it got better. I watched for a while and, when I didn't reapply the calcium nitrate it appeared again. I just reapplied the supplement. If it again gets better then we'll know what it is.

[dice]

There is a picture and description of calcium deficiency symptoms
(other than BER) on this page:
http://5e.plantphys.net/article.php?ch=5&id=289

It seems quite distinctive in the part of the leaf that it affects first.

[Garf]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Yes some sort of critter moving its way to the top.
I think I will buy a cheap microscope.

Worth

Cheap Microscope:
http://www.sciplus.com/search.cfm?ut...=0&btnHand.y=0

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by dice

There is a picture and description of calcium deficiency symptoms
(other than BER) on this page:
http://5e.plantphys.net/article.php?ch=5&id=289

It seems quite distinctive in the part of the leaf that it affects first.

That is one great link!

[riceke]

Hey Garf...thanks for the "Cheap Microscope" website. Got some neat stuff there. Hope Worth gets it!