Tomatoes are dying! What is it and can they be saved?

These are from 3 of 4 tomatoes in containers. One is a bush cherry, the other a bush goliath, and the small ones are little yellow cherries. I water "as needed," which is about 2 or 3 times a week. I am using TomatoTone, but only about two times all season.



At first I thought it was just too much water (we had a wet early June), but then after drying out the problem seemed get a little better, then get worse, then get better, etc. This is the worst it's been. Recently I thought it wasn't enough water, but two watering sessions a day hasn't helped.

As you can see, there are some SERIOUSLY dead stems near the bottom.



I cut open a stem the inside doesn't look like the fusarium wilt stems I see online (photo attached) - but man the leaves and sure look like what I see in photos online.



Is this some other disease? Is it some sort of watering issue? Should I fertilize more often?

Yellow Cherries:


I have a roma plant that has seemed to dodge the problem - until a few days ago, when I saw yellowing leaves.

I fear my plants are dying! What can I do to diagnose the problem?



(Also, I have seen small gnats on top of the mulch in the containers. Is this a problem? I heard it was only a worry if the plants were young.)

[Paradajz]

hi,

could you provide a close up of the Yellow Cherry leafs, both sides, a close up of the totally yellow leaf from the last photo ( again, both sides ), and a back side photo of any leaf with those yellow patches from the last photo

also, is there anything unusual on the stems, were the plant's sprayed with any pesticides, and what are your temperatures there, now and in prognosis?

vau, is this a huge number of questions or what? sorry.

br,
ivan

[Patihum]

Looks like you've joined the early blight club to me. Pick off the dead leaves and spray with the blight fighter of your choice. If you search blight on the forum you can find several suggestions.

[KathyDC]

Looks very similar to what I've been dealing with, which I also wasn't sure what it was -- but other folks here said it's likely early blight after I posted some pictures. So if that diagnosis is true, that's probably what you have also as mine look very similar.

Good luck,

Kathy

[pinklady5]

Same going on here!

That container looks pretty small- I'm guessing that it is too much water, especially if you have gnats. Container mix has to be pretty porous and fluffy, and there are "soils" that should not be used in containers. My inexpensive moisture meter has been a great "gadget" for me. It is surprising how water can build up in small pots.

Thanks for the insight all. I have added some additional pictures to try to clarify the issue.

In DC it's been very very muggy and very wet. We received around 5" in the first week of June alone! During some of those heavy rains I moved the plants indoors. In the last week it's been persistently muggy and temperatures have been in high 80's, sometimes over 90.

I spray with Daconil about once every week.

Any more ideas? It doesn't look like the blight pictures I have seen - no brown spots with yellow surrounding it. One of the plants seems to be drooping even in its main stem now - the whole plant is leaning.

Pic of whole "Bush Goliath." Notice at bottom right the totally dead stem. Yellowing droopy leaves on bottom left.



Close up of yellowing/flimsy leaves on Bush Goliath



Underside of same leaf



Leaves of tumbling yellow cherries. This looks like something totally different! Note small yellow tomato at top.



Finally, the main stem of the "Husky Cherry Red." It has similar problems to the Goliath, and this is a photo of one of the main two stems. I noticed little bumps going up the side (along with the white "scar").

[KathyDC]

Well, I'll leave it to the experts on the other pictures, but that last one of the bumps -- they are actually roots that are trying to sprout, and generally mean you are overwatering (I had it happen to one of mine in a grow bag, which doesn't drain as well.) The good news is that is easily solved by just watering less. Mine was way worse than this picture and the bumps are almost all gone now, about two weeks later.

[Patihum]

Still looks like early blight - at first all there is yellow the brown comes later.

The pic of the tumblers looks like thrip damage.

The last pic is simply root nodes on the stem.

[Paradajz]

hi again.

most of your plants show symptoms of a disease commonly named Leaf Mold ( Fulvia Fulva ), some info about it here http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=28651.

unfortunatelly, the Yellow Cherry is most probably quite advanced CMV ( cucumber mosaic virus ).

by the look of it all i'd also say that your plants are most likely over- watered.

leaning plants are also not a very nice symptom. is there anything aditionally unusual with that particular plant?

br

[Heritage]

The Tumbling Yellow Cherry looks to me like an advanced spider mite infestation. With a 10X-15X hand lens you should be able to see the minute insects on the underside of the leafs. If it is two-spotted spider mite you can see them without the aid of magnification (as dust specks that move slowly) and you might see webbing. (if your eyes are younger than mine) If it is russet mites you might have a tough time ID-ing them even with 15X magnification. Generally mites like it dry so your weather pattern doesn't fit as well as the leaf pattern.


Steve

[Paradajz]

hi, Steve, how r you?

photos aren't completely adequate here, mites actually are quite a possibility.
what do you think made me chose CMV, except for weather?

[Heritage]

Originally Posted by Paradajz

hi, Steve, how r you?

photos aren't completely adequate here, mites actually are quite a possibility.
what do you think made me chose CMV, except for weather?

Hi Ivan, I just assumed you were celebrating Dan državnosti a few weeks early and your eyesight was impaired.
Of course, I would be very interested in your reason for choosing CMV. Rather than a post later tonight I'll make that request now. Thanks, as always!

I hope your weather is improving!

Steve

[Paradajz]

all proud Montenegrins celebrate by shooting their numerous guns in the air, while over- drinking is considered a bit shamefull.
just kidding, it will be a nice working celebration for me this year- i'll be in Macedonia listening about some TSWV-s hurassing them there

you r right about one thing though- a back side photos of those leafs were needed for the opinion here.
some ''spikey'' looking leafs, a bit unusual ''curley'' branches, and the fact that the other plants absolutely don't show any signs of mites ( and they should by all means ), along with a fact that the ''attack'' of such range should make the ''enemy crowds'' fairly noticeable on the back leaf sides, made me go for a CMV.

i am actually planning on having a couple of shots in Macedonia on the day, how did you know it?

p.s.
it's a bitt better on the weather side, but still far from normal.
my plants stopped defoliation from the same diseas she has here at some 30-35% rate eventually, and nothing secondary ''finished them off'' ( which is actually the worst possibility usualy coming with Leaf Mold ), so altogether i'm waiting for the first ''Americans'' taste test in a week or so, very satisfied with those plants for now.

[clkeiper]

Tumbling yellow cherry looks like a severe infestation of spider mites to me also. Spray with a soapy water solution fisrt to see if the leaves look better as soon as they are dry. I have an Angel Trumpet that is incredibly susceptible to mites and it looks ever so much better after I spray the leaves...even within the hour and your leaves look exactly like them when the mites are running rampant.

The husky cherry looks normal to me too. root nodes and a leaf scar. nothing to worry over.

The bush goliath could be leaning just because it is not balanced with fruit the whole way around (which I would think would be impossible to achieve anyway) so try staking it. I had several of them last year and I had them in cages, otherwise they would have fallen over.The yellow leaf in the picture just looks like bottom leaves to me. Mine turn that mottled fade to yellow color on a lot of my plants, but I usually pick anything off that is within 12" of soil.