# Tomato help.



## 58hydraglide (Sep 1, 2008)

I'm looking for opinions/ advice on what is causing this and if it can be saved.

These are 2 roma plants. The leaves started to wilt several days ago. 
The plant on the left seems to be advancing quicker than the right.
Yesterday evening the affected leaves were purplish. 
Today they are drying out and brown. There is some spotting on the leaves on the top and bottom. The vines are discoloring in spots as well. 

Only have 2 romas and they both are being affected. The other tomato plants are unaffected.

I appreciate any input anyone has.






























Sent from my SM-S901U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


----------



## plugger (Aug 8, 2001)

I showed the pictures to my wife and she said blight. Trim back effected areas and try to keep dirt from contacting plants. There are copper solutions that you can get at garden centers. Do not put cuttings or tomato plants in your compost pile. She said once you get it will stay in your soil, try to plant resistant varieties.


----------



## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

First pic on the left doesn't look salvageable at all. Treatments, from what I've encountered, do not allow recovery. They allow slower progress of blight.


----------



## Dirty Sanchez (10 mo ago)

Same thing here on San marzanos. In Florida. I sprayed them twice with the copper fungicide. Absolutely no effect. Absolutely no tomatoes. Pulled all the plants this week. Very disappointing.


----------



## Thirty pointer (Jan 1, 2015)

Early blight for sure .Relocate nexts years plants in a different area or it will come back . Soak your cages in bleach water before you use them again . Blight is a bitch . Hybrids are the best choice .


----------



## 58hydraglide (Sep 1, 2008)

Pretty solid confirmation, thank you all, i appreciate the info. 

I pulled the affected one, unfortunately i have a feeling ill be pulling the other one soon, but keepin my fingers crossed. 






Sent from my SM-S901U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


----------



## Spade (Feb 20, 2007)

Since one has completely died, I suspect this:



*Verticulum Wilt: *Sneaky and devastating, tomato wilt begins with sad, wilted looking leaves in the heat of the day that perk up later on, but then progresses to complete wilting and loss of the plant.3 It is caused by fungi that contaminate the root of the plant and block water and nutrients. There is no way to treat it, so when a plant dies from verticulum wilt, remove it completely and destroy it.


----------



## 58hydraglide (Sep 1, 2008)

Spade said:


> Since one has completely died, I suspect this:
> 
> 
> 
> *Verticulum Wilt: *Sneaky and devastating, tomato wilt begins with sad, wilted looking leaves in the heat of the day that perk up later on, but then progresses to complete wilting and loss of the plant.3 It is caused by fungi that contaminate the root of the plant and block water and nutrients. There is no way to treat it, so when a plant dies from verticulum wilt, remove it completely and destroy it.


Thats what i thought at first also, but those are roma VF variety which is why i was perplexed because if i remember correctly, v wilt was an issue in this area according to msu extension.




Sent from my SM-S901U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


----------



## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

Spade said:


> Since one has completely died, I suspect this:
> 
> 
> 
> *Verticulum Wilt: *Sneaky and devastating, tomato wilt begins with sad, wilted looking leaves in the heat of the day that perk up later on, but then progresses to complete wilting and loss of the plant.3 It is caused by fungi that contaminate the root of the plant and block water and nutrients. There is no way to treat it, so when a plant dies from verticulum wilt, remove it completely and destroy it.


I agree. Blight usually forms little bullseye spots.


----------



## 58hydraglide (Sep 1, 2008)

So, last year i had a decent crop but had some disease issues late last year, ( probably blight.... and not this variety, this is new this year) but was so late i just yanked them and i was on to hunting season. I did rotate the location this year but in my research, i decided to do some pruning this year on my tomatoes which ive never done before. 

What's everyone's take on pruning tomatoes? 
What i did was prune the branches below the first fruit and then just suckers everywhere else.

Good, bad, no difference?

Sent from my SM-S901U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


----------



## Thirty pointer (Jan 1, 2015)

58hydraglide said:


> So, last year i had a decent crop but had some disease issues late last year, ( probably blight.... and not this variety, this is new this year) but was so late i just yanked them and i was on to hunting season. I did rotate the location this year but in my research, i decided to do some pruning this year on my tomatoes which ive never done before.
> 
> What's everyone's take on pruning tomatoes?
> What i did was prune the branches below the first fruit and then just suckers everywhere else.
> ...


Might buy some time but blight is relentless even flea Beatles can spread the virus from lower leaves to upper ones . Late blight is not as bad at least you will get fruit until august before most of the plant dies


----------



## 58hydraglide (Sep 1, 2008)

Thirty pointer said:


> Might buy some time but blight is relentless even flea Beatles can spread the virus from lower leaves to upper ones . Late blight is not as bad at least you will get fruit until august before most of the plant dies


Thats what im afraid of...
I do have a separate garden behind the barn thats 100 yds to the west of this one, might have to plant tomatoes there the next couple years. 

Sent from my SM-S901U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


----------



## Spade (Feb 20, 2007)

58hydraglide said:


> What's everyone's take on pruning tomatoes?
> What i did was prune the branches below the first fruit and then just suckers everywhere else.


I always prune my tomatoes; I take off all the limbs that the leaves are touching the ground as well as pull off all suckers. Do this seems to stop any disease that are in the ground. All the suckers do is take the nutrients that the plant proper needs. In fact, I tend to open the plant up, so that air and sunshine can get to the plant easier. It has seemed to make a big difference in the amount of fruit they produce. that's just my opinion.


----------



## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

If that was really blight in the first pic I'd expect the plant next to it to be showing signs as well. And blight doesn't kill that quick. Takes a while.

Last year I had a plant just wilt and die pretty much over night. Later I saw what looked like an entry point for an insect at the base of the plant. Never found a bug but it would have explained the sudden death of the whole plant.

I've never seen verticulum wilt but it's also a possibility.


----------



## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

I prune pretty aggressively from the bottom of the plant. Up probably 12-18" from the ground. I get most of the suckers particularly when the plants are young. I also mulch under the plants with grass clippings. Grass is mulch and fertilizer all in one. The more space and airflow, the better. If I were pressed for space, I would prune to a single stem on a trellis. Gentle bottom water only. Spray with a fungicide every 7-10 days. More in wet weather. 
Prevention is the key. Hard but not impossible. Once a plant is infected, it is usually too late. Not always but...


----------



## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

sureshot006 said:


> I've never seen verticulum wilt but it's also a possibility.


I don't know that I have either. Looks like it would be easy to mistake one for the other. Everyone's first thought is blight. Rightfully so.


----------



## 58hydraglide (Sep 1, 2008)

sureshot006 said:


> If that was really blight in the first pic I'd expect the plant next to it to be showing signs as well. And blight doesn't kill that quick. Takes a while.
> 
> Last year I had a plant just wilt and die pretty much over night. Later I saw what looked like an entry point for an insect at the base of the plant. Never found a bug but it would have explained the sudden death of the whole plant.
> 
> I've never seen verticulum wilt but it's also a possibility.


It is, the leaf in my hand is from the plant next to it and they are curling. I think it's just a matter of time... Fortunately the other tomato varieties are doing well. 

Learn something new every year.


----------



## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

58hydraglide said:


> It is, the leaf in my hand is from the plant next to it and they are curling. I think it's just a matter of time... Fortunately the other tomato varieties are doing well.
> 
> Learn something new every year.


In my plants that get blight I don't recall curling being an issue. They get spots and yellow leaves. The yellowing tends to go from bottom up until the plant dies.


----------



## 58hydraglide (Sep 1, 2008)

There was no yellowing at all at any stage. Curling was very noticable and leaves looked perfectly healthy until a few days later. Now, i am stumped at his pont. I did some digging here:

Michigan Fresh: Tomato Diseases in the Home Garden (E3170)

and also looked up tomato wilt diseases and none of them have matching symptoms. I wish i took a picture a couple of days ago because the affected plant leaves took on a dark purplish cast before they dried out and turned brown. If the other is infected as well, ill get pics at that stage.


----------



## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)

58hydraglide said:


> Curling was very noticable and leaves looked perfectly healthy until a few days later.


Leaf curl is not usually a problem.


----------



## Dish7 (Apr 2, 2017)




----------



## alex-v (Mar 24, 2005)

Verticillium Wilt as already mentioned. My understanding is that spraying with the right fungicides will only work if it is done within the first couple of days after the earliest signs start to show; as in reacting at the first signs of a wilting leaf. Waiting till several leaves are wilting and have started to change colors it is too late. In order to catch it it time we pretty much have to inspect the plant every day and react by the next. By the time most of us notice that we have a serious problem we waited too long.



58hydraglide said:


> I do have a separate garden behind the barn thats 100 yds to the west of this one, might have to plant tomatoes there the next couple years.


Probably no more than 2 years with the second year being at least 10 or 15 yards away from the previous year. Sadly, no Eggplant or Potatoes in the same area as tomatoes for several years. 



58hydraglide said:


> Last year I had a plant just wilt and die pretty much over night. Later I saw what looked like an entry point for an insect at the base of the plant. Never found a bug but it would have explained the sudden death of the whole plant.


We had to learn about this one in a class I took back decades ago. There is another disease that will get to tomatoes and other vegetables that are related. It is Fusarium Wilt or Blight and if memory serves it can show its first signs on a plant one afternoon and the entire plant is dead the next afternoon. Dead, can't be more dead. Makes the plant in the first photo look like the healthiest tomato in the garden. The stuff can move that fast and can start at one end and have infected an entire farm by the end of the week. NO KNOWN CURE so do not compost infected plants, fruits, etc.

But, there is an insect that will drill a hole in the stem and start to kill the plant. Can't think of the exact name but Tomato Borer might be enough do a search and get some info. Just asked Mr Google. A Tomato Borer will drill holes in the fruit. The Tomato Stalk Borer will be the one that drills the hole in the stalk.

Then there are the Tomato Horn Worms which will just munch on the leaves for several days. Fascinating looking so I watch for a day or two and then move that worm off to somewhere else unless I know someone who feeds them to their reptiles.

Please do not just kill every caterpillar you see. Verify, and verify again. I have met gardeners in person and on-line who kill everything that crawls including Monarch and Swallowtail Butterfly Caterpillars. I have not seen any Swallowtail Caterpillars on my Dill this year--not good.


----------



## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

alex-v said:


> Verticillium Wilt as already mentioned. My understanding is that spraying with the right fungicides will only work if it is done within the first couple of days after the earliest signs start to show; as in reacting at the first signs of a wilting leaf. Waiting till several leaves are wilting and have started to change colors it is too late. In order to catch it it time we pretty much have to inspect the plant every day and react by the next. By the time most of us notice that we have a serious problem we waited too long.
> 
> 
> Probably no more than 2 years with the second year being at least 10 or 15 yards away from the previous year. Sadly, no Eggplant or Potatoes in the same area as tomatoes for several years.
> ...


I have seen hardly any butterflies this year. No swallowtail caterpillars on my dill either.


----------



## Plumman (Feb 11, 2013)

I haven't seen any butterflies either. Not even a cabbage moth!


----------



## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Plumman said:


> I haven't seen any butterflies either. Not even a cabbage moth!


Have seen plenty of those but probably less than usual.


----------



## Luvdayoop (Nov 25, 2014)

Don’t be afraid to trim, if you have flowers or fruit, cut anything off below. Believe it or not it’s getting late in the season for Michigan. You’ll have a ton of green fruit in September, better to ripen on vine than window sill, you want that plants energy going to fruit not growth right now. I already trimmed mine up to flowers/fruit


----------



## alex-v (Mar 24, 2005)

Luvdayoop said:


> Believe it or not it’s getting late in the season for Michigan.


I guess that would depend on where we are in the state. Here in southern Macomb county we have until mid or late October before the first frost of any consequence; I don't count the times there is a light frost on a car roof or boat cover but not on the plants. Last couple of years we were able to get into the first week or two of November before a "killing frost". I have had successful harvests of beans, beets, carrots, swiss chard and kohl rabi as long as they were planted by the 10th or so of August. Put my zucchini in sometime in late June but would have to look at the note to be sure. They started setting fruit this week so first picking in few days. Cucumber seeds put in about that time and they have started setting. Put the pepper plants in right after the zucchini and I think I will end up with one large batch all coming ripe at the same time by mid October with some smaller pickings leading up to that.

Going in this week will be the year's crop of kohl rabi, swiss chard, and kale. The small plants are ready and will just have to work around the heat wave later this week.


----------



## alex-v (Mar 24, 2005)

Plumman said:


> I haven't seen any butterflies either. Not even a cabbage moth!


I saw one Monarch early in the summer and one just a week or two ago. A couple of Swallowtail were around early and one spent an hour or so in the back yard a week ago. That has been it. Oh, and some sort of yellow butterfly but I did not get a chance to get a photo or see enough to be able to start to identify it. For all I know it could be a Sulphur or one of the Monarch varieties.

Cabbage moths laid eggs in the planter with the kohl rabi seedlings but a couple of sprays of B_t_ took care of that problem. Doing good so far with Squash Vine Borer. No signs of damage yet, maybe the later planting helped. Fewer flies, wasps and small pollinators; just checked my mint patches and there usually is more than what I saw. I have a lot less in the way of sunflowers so maybe if I plant more of those next year I will see more pollinators of all types and sizes.


----------



## sureshot006 (Sep 8, 2010)

Saw a swallowtail butterfly today


----------



## Plumman (Feb 11, 2013)

alex-v said:


> I saw one Monarch early in the summer and one just a week or two ago. A couple of Swallowtail were around early and one spent an hour or so in the back yard a week ago. That has been it. Oh, and some sort of yellow butterfly but I did not get a chance to get a photo or see enough to be able to start to identify it. For all I know it could be a Sulphur or one of the Monarch varieties.
> 
> Cabbage moths laid eggs in the planter with the kohl rabi seedlings but a couple of sprays of B_t_ took care of that problem. Doing good so far with Squash Vine Borer. No signs of damage yet, maybe the later planting helped. Fewer flies, wasps and small pollinators; just checked my mint patches and there usually is more than what I saw. I have a lot less in the way of sunflowers so maybe if I plant more of those next year I will see more pollinators of all types and sizes.


Kind of funny. About 3 days after l posted about not seeing any monarchs, spotted a couple buzzing around the yard. And about an hour later watched a Zebra Swallowtail land on my dill and then get chased by a English Sparrow. Didn't see the end result though. So the migration must be about to start soon.


----------



## 58hydraglide (Sep 1, 2008)

This one has been around lately. I dont know butterflies, thought this was a monarch but has tails off the back of each wing. Anyone know what it is?
View attachment 846149









Sent from my SM-S901U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


----------



## 58hydraglide (Sep 1, 2008)

Other pic









Sent from my SM-S901U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


----------



## motoscoota (Mar 9, 2021)

I was happy to see bunches of these today
After wondering where all the butterflies are this season, then all if a sudden some show up

...But, this is my first year dealing with tomatoe blight & it seems some other plants are being affected


----------



## Plumman (Feb 11, 2013)

58hydraglide said:


> Other pic
> View attachment 846151
> 
> 
> Sent from my SM-S901U using Michigan Sportsman mobile app


Looks like an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.


----------



## alex-v (Mar 24, 2005)

Plumman said:


> Kind of funny. About 3 days after l posted about not seeing any monarchs, spotted a couple buzzing around the yard. And about an hour later watched a Zebra Swallowtail land on my dill and then get chased by a English Sparrow. Didn't see the end result though. So the migration must be about to start soon.


Since the earlier discussion the best I have done is one Swallowtail. Something small, but I have not paid enough attention to tell if it is a moth or a butterfly, has been visiting my flowering Zinnia. Kind of looks like a cabbage moth, a tad bit larger, and only goes to the flowers.


----------

