Verticillium Wilt?

[Labradors2]

I think this is Verticillium Wilt. It is affecting two tomato plants of the same variety that are not growing side-by-side. I suspect that it is a problem in the soil as I had a slightly different problem last year in about the same two areas. Last year, there was some rot on the stems around the soil line. I pulled the plants, examined the roots (which looked fine) and chopped the stems to reveal dark lines in the stems. Although I never noticed the leaves turning yellow last year, the plants drooped badly during the day and revived overnight. This year I've noticed a bit of drooping in the affected plants, but nothing drastic.

1. Should I save seeds from these plants?

2. I was thinking of excavating the soil in the affected areas, and replacing it with aged cow manure. Is this a feasible plan? If so, how deep would I need to go?

3. I was actually thinking of removing 6" of soil in the whole tomato/pepper/eggplant-growing area, since we have a tractor with a bucket, and access to two trailer loads of free aged cow manure. Would 6" be deep enough? It is clay underneath.

Linda

[kevn357]

What do your plants look like and are they producing fruit?

Disease is airborne as well as in the soil. You can modify your garden all you want and you will always have yellowing leaves on your plants. It can be anything from early blight to inconsistent moisture. Those pics look like big healthy leaves before they were infected which tells me your plants are quite fine.

[BennB]

I am not a disease expert by any means, but it may be drought stress, which may also be indicated by droopy plants that perk up in the evening. I have some plants in containers that I have been intentionally reducing the water regime to see if I can push some fruit to ripen and this is relatively common on my potato leaf plants.

http://www.longislandhort.cornell.ed...ght_stress.htm

[Labradors2]

Originally Posted by kevn357

What do your plants look like and are they producing fruit?

Big and healthy with lots of fruit!

>Disease is airborne as well as in the soil. You can modify your garden all you want and you will always have yellowing leaves on your plants. It can be anything from early blight to inconsistent moisture. Those pics look like big healthy leaves before they were infected which tells me your plants are quite fine.

Wow! That's very encouraging! I find it hard to believe that they are going to die with just the odd leaves turning yellow. I was quite devastated to think that it is V. Wilt.

Thanks,
Linda

[Labradors2]

Originally Posted by BennB

I am not a disease expert by any means, but it may be drought stress, which may also be indicated by droopy plants that perk up in the evening. I have some plants in containers that I have been intentionally reducing the water regime to see if I can push some fruit to ripen and this is relatively common on my potato leaf plants.

http://www.longislandhort.cornell.ed...ght_stress.htm

That's very interesting! I am growing two rows of tomatoes under black plastic and trying not to water too much as I have one plant with BER.

Many thanks,
Linda

[BennB]

Originally Posted by Labradors2

have one plant with BER.

I had a few plants in containers with new soil mix this year that I had BER on some early setting fruit, even though I had added lime to the mix before potting. So I did two treatments of watering with a liquid calcium supplement a week apart...I think it was called Foilcal or something like that. I got it from from my local garden store... and that seemed to do the trick.

[Labradors2]

Despite reading that additional calcium doesn't really help with BER, I had saved a TON of eggshells and figured that the worms would enjoy them, even if it didn't help the tomatoes this year. I sprinkled crumbled egg shells in every planting hole. At least the Romas are fine this year. They were devastated with BER last year. Two Rose de Berne tomato plants were affected, the other 16 tomato plants were fine.