Fusarium wilt question

[b54red]

I'm sure that this has been discussed before but I have had a persistent problem with Fusarium wilt over many years. I already know to "use resistant varieties" the county extention agent has told me that. Some of those varieties turn out not to be very resistant while some that aren't seem to do fine. I am going to continue to try 'new to me' varieties. What I really want to know is if someone has found a product that is somewhat effective in delaying or stopping the onset of Fusarium and where do you purchase these products. I usually lose between 10% to 30% of my tomato plants in various stages of development each year to Fusarium wilt. What amazes me is sometimes I replace one that is dying with another in the same spot and it doesn't develop Fusarium despite not being a resistant variety. I just can't seem to figure this stuff out; it seems to be even more arbitrary in it's action than blight. Some plants that get it die in days while others will hang on for months.

[beeman]

I too suffered with all sorts of problems, until I went 'green'.
I have noticed your posts and the amount of 'chemicals' you use is quite frightening. I would respectfully suggest, your chemical habits are causing your problems.
I have stopped using any chemicals of any sort and resorted to 'Activated Compost Tea' and sprayed the heck out of everything for the first month, then once a week, I believe this will help alleviate most if not all your problems.
I am open to more discussion if you wish.

[VORTREKER]

bee--you're kidding right?
Chemicals cause Fusarium oxysporum?

That would be a really new scientific discovery you ought to publish that

[beeman]

Originally Posted by VORTREKER

bee--you're kidding right?
Chemicals cause Fusarium oxysporum?
That would be a really new scientific discovery you ought to publish that

You said that, not me.
All I said was that getting off the chemical trail would be beneficial to curing a lot of b54red's problems..
Chemicals are salts, and salt destroys bacteria in the soil, leaving the plants open to attack from the next round of nasties. When you kill off the bad guys you also kill off the good guys, until mother nature cures the mess you created.
It seems that if you don't like the message, then shoot the messenger still holds true.

[VORTREKER]

I do not shoot messengers but when they make uninformed statements like "Chemicals are salts" I tend to not listen to any other of their personal "hypotheses"
All salts are chemicals very few chemicals are salts.
Bottom line----there cannot even be the most remote comparison between growing in Canada and growing in the hot humid summers of S. Alabama.

[rsg2001]

I've been using Root Guardian (available from Gardens Alive) the last three years. You mix some of the powder in the hole for each tomato plant. It's a biofungicide meaning that the bacteria it contains are said to attach to the roots and (supposedly) fights off the organisms that cause fusarium. I wouldn't say it works 100% but I have noticed an improvement since I've been using it of lesser incidence. Of course, since I haven't been scientific about how I've used it, it's entirely possible that other factors have helped me out -- such as weather, using grass clippings as a light mulch, and plant selection, since the varieties that succumbed to fusarium don't return to the garden year to year. For example, I've had no luck with oxhearts (Anna Russian, Russian 117, etc.) and fusarium.

[shelleybean]

I've used Rootshield, which works the same way. It's about $20 for one container of the powder and it last for one season in the fridge. I mix it with water and drench the seedlings with about a cup each when I plant out. I do see improvement when I use it. My plants are not immune to Fusarium but it extends my season significantly. I'm sure it's available a lot of places but I know Johnny's and Territorial sell it.

[b54red]

Thanks for the replies. I will try one or both and see if I see any improvement. This is my first year growing any oxheart varieties but they seem no more susceptible than any of the others so far. They may look a little better because of their more open growth habit which allows for more air flow and quicker leaf drying. Most plants down here don't just get fusarium they usually have foliage diseases also.

[Lee]

Try Cherokee Purple. It laughs at fusarium and keeps on growing.

[Timmah!]

The more comments I see about CP, the more I like it. Glad I included a few in my garden.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Lee

Try Cherokee Purple. It laughs at fusarium and keeps on growing.

I'll try it next year although my Cherokee Green was one of the first to succumb to fusarium this year.

[b54red]

Got my Cherokee Purple seed a couple of days ago and I am going to try it as a fall tomato. It may not have time to make but I didn't think Omar's Lebanese or Marianna's Peace would have time last year and they both did great in the fall.
I have now pulled 20 plants that have succumbed to fusarium wilt so far this year. I have at least 25 more struggling with it. I got a fair number of good tomatoes off of some of the ones that died and didn't notice any taste difference between the ones that had fusarium and the ones that didn't. The one thing I have noticed is the growth of the fruit abruptly slows to a crawl once the fusarium symptoms appear and very few new fruits will form.
I have one Aunt Gertie's Gold that has had fusarium wilt for over a month and has not made a single fruit but it is still sending out healthy new growth and forming a few blooms. The fusarium seems to be having a hard time killing it so I am going to leave it as long as it can stay alive in the hopes it will form just one tomato. If it does I will save the seed in hopes of having a strain that is resistant. No other plant has survived more than two weeks once the severe symptoms have appeared except Cowlicks Brandywine which lasted for a little over 3 weeks.
I have replanted in the same spots in hopes of finding more heirlooms that can tolerate fusarium. So far the replants are doing good but I've noticed that fusarium seems to appear most frequently after fruitset. I've only had a few plants die from it before they have some tomatoes on them.

[beeman]

I posted this reply to another thread, but as they get buried will repeat it again as it's very relevant.
Trichoderma fungus spores will contain/suppress Fusarium and Verticilium wilts.
I had a bad case last year, so am adding Biovam this year and touch wood so far I'm clear, with fruit setting.
Suggest you have a read here
http://www.tandjenterprises.com/biovam_overview.htm
and here
http://www.tandjenterprises.com/biovam_overview.htm

[b54red]

I've already ordered some and received confirmation; but I doubt my soil is lacking in healthy fungal growth. I have over the years added tons of mushroom compost and all manner of organic amendments and the soil is teeming with earthworms. The plants that don't get fusarium or TSWV usually get very large and produce abundantly. The extension office says to grow those hybrid varieties that have superior fusarium tolerance and TSWV tolerance. They usually do very good but what's the point of growing tomatoes that aren't that much better than what I can get from the local commercial growers.
I start enough plants and continue setting them out until early August, replacing some that have died. I can afford to lose a good number of plants and still have a good crop. So far, not counting cherries(which are garden snacks), I have picked over 150 tomatoes from 2 ounces to 2 lbs and my season is just getting started good. Honestly I don't know what I would do this year if all of my plants stayed healthy. By the end of the year with the results I get and reports from others I have given plants to, I should have a better grasp on which varieties of heirlooms can handle growing conditions here and I can cut back significantly on the number of varieties. But then there is always that one or two you just have to try.

[b54red]

Well it's been a little over a week with no rain, windy and very hot and humid and the results of fusarium are really kicking in. Some of my best plants which appeared to have escaped it's effects are now very sick or gone. Some have fruit large enough to harvest so if there is still any foliage to shade them I will leave the plants in the ground as long as possible. I thought my Golden Ponderosa would hang in there with slight fusarium symptoms until it got TSWV also and the combination of the two killed a healthy plant faster than spraying it with Roundup. Below is a picture of a Gary O' Sena that so far has shown no symptoms of fusarium but to the right in the same picture is a Gregori's Altai that has been a tomato machine that is showing the mid stage of fusarium with one of the main stems wilting and losing foliage. The second picture shows the Gregori's Altai 10 days ago before the first symptoms showed.