Help please: Sickly looking tomato

[BigVanVader]

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Ok so this is a Sweet Ozark Orange that I planted last week. I had to replace the original plant because I broke the stem off at ground level. Ever since I planted this replacement it has continued looking worse. I fertilized it with 3-3-3 fish emulsion yesterday and other than minor flea beetle damage I can't see any pest issues. I'd like opinions from you fine folks on the problem and how to treat it.

[RayR]

Is that planted in-ground in native soil? A bit too wet maybe? Does it get a good amount of direct sunlight in that location?

[BigVanVader]

9 hours of sun planted in lasagne style bed layers with aged manure/hay/manure/leaves. I actually only watered it once since planting which was with the fish emulsion, but we did get several days of rain. All other plants in this row are very healthy and lush.

[BigVanVader]

I was thinking maybe a potassium deficiency?

[Starlight]

Those terrible storms that rolled across have the country and flooded everybody and poured inches and inches of rain, did you get those heavy rains?

I'm sure one of the experts will come along and help, but in the meantime take you a wooden yardstick if you have one and shove it down as deep as what you can and let it sit there for about an hour.

Look to see what the inch mark is at the top of the soil line. When you pull the yard stick out look for darker coloration on the yard stick. That will tell you if your soil is still wet or dry under the ground.

If I can't find a yard stick handy I use a them shish-ka-bob sticks or a wooden craft rod. Anything that wood that will absorb moisture.

After these last tornado rains, wind and than the sun coming out and temps suddenly shooting high 80's and high humidity, mine looked like yours. Bits of leaf scorch and nutrient deficiency from soil at roots being so soggy. I just gave mine a TB of Epsom salt and just a little water to water it in and about three days later mine were fine.

That's what it looks like to me. Hopefully somebody else have some ideas for you.

[RayR]

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

I was thinking maybe a potassium deficiency?

If your lasagna is too water logged in that spot because of the rain you could see various symptoms of nutrient deficiencies but they aren't actual deficiencies in the soil, more likely the roots are drowning in water. Do some poking around down there like Ella said.

[b54red]

It also could be early symptoms of TSWV. Sometimes the only symptom early is just a sickly looking plant that doesn't grow with slightly discolored leaves. Usually rust looking spots in the leaves will start showing up but not always. Hopefully it is just a water or nutrient deficiency that can be corrected.

Bill

[Starlight]

Got to thinking. Did you put this replacement plant in the exact same spot you took the other one out? If so, you may have created an air pocket where the layers not al knited together that could cause the problem or you may have made a water pocket from things being shifted around too.

Than again Bill could be right, but I sure would be checking my ground and keeping a close eye on it. Sure hope it turns out ok.

I know then storms just about did all my plants in. After the storms I followed Bill's recipe for spraying as a fungal prevenative, than did Ray's recommendation for the tomato tone and now I hitting everything with TB of Epsom salt cuz I know any ferts I had before then days and as heavy as they were rains, done washed everything out of the soil for the plants.

Now if the hornworms don't get me, I'll be in pretty good shape, hopefully.

[BigVanVader]

Thanks all, yes it is in the exact same spot as the first one. I will poke around some more today after work. I have some Jobes organic fert so if it dosent start looking better by next week I will try scratching some of that into the soil. Let us hope TSWV stays far away from my garden.