White powdery matereial on stems

fnsdo · September 9, 2006

of pepper plant and basil. Now all my young tomatoes (home germinated and Laurel's) are showing something that looks like curly top- top leaves are curled into small cups and growth is poor. No purple veins, no fungal-appearing spots on leaves, no other colors or discoloration.
I cleared out the infested pepper and basil but still have this severe problem on virtually all plants.
Until this, have never had a disease problem. All plants in 15 gal containers, watering by drip system at soil level..
Help appreciated.
Fred

honu · September 10, 2006

Have you checked with a hand lens to see if they aren't mealy bugs?
You might want to take a sample to your University Coop Extension Service for diagnosis.
My tomato plants also had a white fungal growth on the stem near the soil-line. The symptoms appeared to match descriptions of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, but it's quite hot here, so didn't fit the profile that this occurs in cool weather. The plants stopped drinking water, wilted and died.
http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/plantdise...2/450-712.html
http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/pla...rop/pp659w.htm
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/notes/oldnotes/vg4.htm
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/t...stems/24a.html

Polar_Lace · September 13, 2006

Have you seen this? southern blight

IPM Images: The Source for Agricultural Images: Tomato

honu · September 14, 2006

Robin, Thank you for those links. That seems more likely to be what killed my plants.

Polar_Lace · September 14, 2006

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that; honu!

Did they all die? What actions are you taking for next time?

Curious....

honu · September 14, 2006

Thanks Robin,
Every single tomato plant on one side of the house got hit, wilted and dead within a few days, one after the other. Adjacent peppers and herbs were unaffected. Strangely they were all in pots that were sterilized, with brand new potting mix & purchased compost, getting drip irrigation, with red plastic mulch over. I even added mycorrhizal fungus innoculant as insurance.
I now wonder if the addition of purchased compost to these pots could have been part of the problem.
Fortunately I have about 14 still alive in pots on a different side of the house that is practically all concrete and hardly any exposed soil, but struggling w/ spidermite infestation (if not one thing, it's another).
I'm really not sure what to do for next time, since our year round, warm, humid, moist climate is perfect for breeding fungus. Your literature links and suggestion of Southern Blight were very helpful, so thank you very much for sharing!

Polar_Lace · September 14, 2006

honu,

Maybe you can use these links:
spider mites

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

SPIDER MITE CONTROL

This article is about SPIDER MITE control. It will explain why they are a pest and what needs to be done for controlling infestations.

honu · September 15, 2006

Robin, Thank you!

Polar_Lace · September 16, 2006

Sure honu, I hope it helps you.

September 9, 2006	#1
fnsdo Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Paradise Valley, AZ Posts: 24	White powdery matereial on stems of pepper plant and basil. Now all my young tomatoes (home germinated and Laurel's) are showing something that looks like curly top- top leaves are curled into small cups and growth is poor. No purple veins, no fungal-appearing spots on leaves, no other colors or discoloration. I cleared out the infested pepper and basil but still have this severe problem on virtually all plants. Until this, have never had a disease problem. All plants in 15 gal containers, watering by drip system at soil level.. Help appreciated. Fred __________________ 99 % of everything is BS. Most of the rest is Heirloom Tomatoes

September 13, 2006	#3
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	Have you seen this? southern blight IPM Images: The Source for Agricultural Images: Tomato __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.

September 14, 2006	#5
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that; honu! Did they all die? What actions are you taking for next time? Curious.... __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.

September 14, 2006	#7
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	honu, Maybe you can use these links: spider mites Integrated Pest Management (IPM) SPIDER MITE CONTROL This article is about SPIDER MITE control. It will explain why they are a pest and what needs to be done for controlling infestations. __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.

September 16, 2006	#9
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	Sure honu, I hope it helps you. __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.

September 10, 2006	#2
honu Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hawaii Posts: 270	Have you checked with a hand lens to see if they aren't mealy bugs? You might want to take a sample to your University Coop Extension Service for diagnosis. My tomato plants also had a white fungal growth on the stem near the soil-line. The symptoms appeared to match descriptions of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, but it's quite hot here, so didn't fit the profile that this occurs in cool weather. The plants stopped drinking water, wilted and died. http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/plantdise...2/450-712.html http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/pla...rop/pp659w.htm http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/notes/oldnotes/vg4.htm http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/t...stems/24a.html

September 15, 2006	#8
honu Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hawaii Posts: 270	Robin, Thank you!