Tomato Gardener Questions and Answers - Part 2
The disease is most active on moist soils at temperatures above seventy-five degrees F.
Symptoms of bacterial wilt are a rapid wilting and death that is not accompanied by any yellowing or spotting of the leaves.
If you cut the stem of the wilted plant near the ground, it will have a darkened, water-soaked appearance.
There will also be a brown, slimy ooze when the stem is pressed.
Plant tomato plants that are resistant to bacterial wilt if possible.
Do not plant your tomato plants in the same place for three to four years.
Also, if you plant other vegetables of the nightshade family, peppers, eggplant, potatoes, do not follow them for three to four years either.
There are no chemical controls for bacterial wilt.
Remove and dispose of bacterial wilt infected tomato plants as soon as you notice them.
Are There Any Tips For Controlling Soil-Borne Tomato Diseases? Rotating your tomato plants from year to year will not insure complete freedom from tomato diseases, but it will help to retard the buildup of disease organisms in the soil.
It is best not to grow tomatoes in the same spot for at least three or four years where bacterial wilt has been present.
Eggplant, peppers, potatoes, as well as tomatoes should not be planted in the same spot where bacterial wilt has been present for three or four years.
Do not plant tomatoes for three to four years where stem rot or southern blight has infected plants such as beans, beets, cabbage, celery, lettuce, peppers, potatoes, or squash.
For nematode control, plant French marigolds where nematodes are a problem, then go ahead and plant your tomatoes there next year.
Why Do My Tomato Plants Rot At The Soil Line? Southern blight affects not only tomatoes, but many other vegetables as well.
The fungus that causes southern blight attacks the plant roots, stems, leaves, or fruit.
Any of these plant parts that are in contact with or are just under the surface of the soil will be affected.
The first symptoms are usually an advancing yellowing and wilting of the foliage, beginning with the bottom leaves.
When the weather is warm and moist, a white fungus growth may appear on the lower stem near the soil surface and on any organic garden debris in the soil.
As the disease advances, several plants next to one another in the row will die.