Going downhill fast

ChrisK · July 1, 2012

Two of the dwarfs (Mr Snow and Summertime Gold) have succumbed in the last 2 days to whatever this is. Looks like quite a few others are showing early symptoms. It came on fast, 2 days ago they looked great.

b54red · July 1, 2012

Looks like you might have fusarium wilt with a bit of possible Early Blight. You also might want to check for spider mites.

ChrisK · July 1, 2012

No Spider mites (yet). I was thinking Fusarium. I need to brush up on my disease identification though.

I am hoping I get some of the fruit to ripen. Mr Snow was a female in several crosses.

Am I correct that there is no good chemical control? Unfortunately I don't have the space to rotate crops. The best I could do is move the tomatoes maybe 10 feet away next year. Not sure that would help since the same general area has been used as a garden for 40 years.

Cole_Robbie · July 3, 2012

http://www.tomatodirt.com/fusarium-wilt.html

"To date, there is no chemical treatment available."

That's amazing to me, that even with all of the available fungicides, none of them work.

ChrisK · July 3, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

That's amazing to me, that even with all of the available fungicides, none of them work.

Same here. That area is full of RKN as well.

b54red · July 3, 2012

There are things that work on nematodes. Building the soil up with manures is a big help as well as applying some sugar to the soil a week before planting. Nemagone marigolds help a bit also. There are also varieties that are more resistant.

lakelady · July 3, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by b54red

Looks like you might have fusarium wilt with a bit of possible Early Blight. You also might want to check for spider mites.

Red, what do the spider mites do? I have some very fine cobwebbing under my Dwarf Wild Fred and one branch that is yellowing ugh!

b54red · July 4, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by lakelady

Red, what do the spider mites do? I have some very fine cobwebbing under my Dwarf Wild Fred and one branch that is yellowing ugh!

They just suck the life right out of a plant and in times of high heat will kill them fairly fast if you don't slow them down.

Cole_Robbie · July 4, 2012

The mites are like a tiny cow with a mosquito proboscis. They graze by sticking that proboscis into the plant and sucking out the juice. Get a magnifying glass and look at the undersides of the leaves.

Buying predator mites will control them, but the spider mite eggs stay viable for a long time, so the predator mites tend to eat all the living spider mites and then leave or die. After that, the spider mite eggs keep hatching out, and the problem eventually comes back...until you buy more predator mites. I should sell predator mites; it's a good business.

I think neem oil will kill what you can hit with the spray, but then more eggs just hatch. The neem oil is more of a control than a solution.

If you are not averse to chemicals, organophosphates kill mites. Sevin will not kill mites, because mites are not insects.

July 1, 2012	#2
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Looks like you might have fusarium wilt with a bit of possible Early Blight. You also might want to check for spider mites.

July 1, 2012	#3
ChrisK Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 1,448	No Spider mites (yet). I was thinking Fusarium. I need to brush up on my disease identification though. I am hoping I get some of the fruit to ripen. Mr Snow was a female in several crosses. Am I correct that there is no good chemical control? Unfortunately I don't have the space to rotate crops. The best I could do is move the tomatoes maybe 10 feet away next year. Not sure that would help since the same general area has been used as a garden for 40 years.

July 3, 2012	#4
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	http://www.tomatodirt.com/fusarium-wilt.html "To date, there is no chemical treatment available." That's amazing to me, that even with all of the available fungicides, none of them work.

July 4, 2012	#9
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	The mites are like a tiny cow with a mosquito proboscis. They graze by sticking that proboscis into the plant and sucking out the juice. Get a magnifying glass and look at the undersides of the leaves. Buying predator mites will control them, but the spider mite eggs stay viable for a long time, so the predator mites tend to eat all the living spider mites and then leave or die. After that, the spider mite eggs keep hatching out, and the problem eventually comes back...until you buy more predator mites. I should sell predator mites; it's a good business. I think neem oil will kill what you can hit with the spray, but then more eggs just hatch. The neem oil is more of a control than a solution. If you are not averse to chemicals, organophosphates kill mites. Sevin will not kill mites, because mites are not insects.