HELP... my tomatoes are dying!

[gardeninggoatgirl]

Our tomatoes have recently started dying off and we can't seem to figure out why. They start with the leaves curling up and wilting and then they practically turn yellow before they totally stop production and die. It seems to be a disease or fungus. The closest thing we have found in the books, is vermiculum wilt. Everyone tells us it is in the soil and there is nothing we can do. Is this true? Is there anything we can do to prevent for next year?
Also, we have an abundance of tomatoe horn-worms this year. We have been picking them off by hand so far, but picking off dozens of worms on over 100 plants is getting old. Besides, its also hard to see them and we always miss a bunch. Is there anything we can do for them organically?
Thank you so much!!!

[Lavandula Girl]

verticillium wilt does in fact live in the soil, and will affect ANY nightshade you grow there - potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, etc. how long have you been gardening in this plot? (i mean, is this a new piece of property for you, or something? maybe the last owners had tomatoes there too.) crop rotation is the best protection against wilt, so not growing tomatoes or their relatives in the same place every year is the key. optimally, no nightshades would be grown in that soil more than once every 4 years. sorry this sounds so bleak!

[mrtomatoexpres]

hi in my old garden i had anthacnox if i spelled it right it sounds like the same thing go to spray-and-grow they have something called active its 24.00 thats what i was going to use until i stopped gardening there iam glad now my x freind has the problem to him self :) thats what it sounds like to me also use black plastic on the soil to heat it up that will help some what to kill disease and fungus add more compost and manure try rised beds next year with the black plastic also keeps the soil from splashing up and getting on the plants :) hope it helps

[Gardenurse]

A site that discusses tomato pests, environmental issues, and diseases. (Lots of other great information in other areas of their website).
http://www.windowbox.com/tomatoes/tomatosolutioncenter.html

Hornworms...yes, I feel your pain. I'm also handpicking, but I don't have 100 plants. Have you considered ordering braconid wasps and letting them do the work for you? They are parasitic wasps (not harmful to humans) that lay their eggs in the hornworm, then rice sized cocoons appear on the back of the hornworm, then the young feed on the hornworm, and all you'll find is a dessicated worm, plus, you've just increased your beneficial population.

From "Organic Gardening for Dummies": Both the slender adults and tiny, cream-colored grubs feed on a range of pests, including aphids, cabbageworms, codling moths, and corn borers. Purchase these 1/10- to 1/2-inch wasps from suppliers and plant some parsley-family flowers to help keep them around. Adults require carbohydrate food, such as the honeydew secreted by aphids, tree sap ooze, or flower nectar.

[dirtundernails]

www.windowbox.com/tomatoes/tomatosolutioncenter.html :)

[gardeninggoatgirl]

Thank you for all the information. This is the first year we have gardened in this plot. We just tilled the new spot last fall.
I'll have to try the idea's given.
Thanks for your help!

[cReAtIoN gRoAnS]

If it is what you think it is you need to solarize the soil. Cover the soil with plastic and let it sit for the summer. If it is then pull the plants.....and get started with the solarization.

This is horrible....you will have to plant something that is not in the nightshade family there after the solarization. (Just in case...that is what I would do.)

Make new beds for your tommies next year. Course this is what I would do. things like this are a major bummer.


Chad

[gulfcoastguy]

I agree with solarizing the soil. About tomatoe hornworms, there is a substance known as BT that is approved by organic gardeners. It dissolves the digestive tract of only caterpillers and will not hurt mammals, birds, or adult insects. The brand name I know of is Dipel. Don't use it if you only have a few becfause eventually survival of the fittests will breed a resistant caterpiller.

[Playoutside]

I planted a tomatoe called sun lover, or something like that and another wilt resistent variety. use lots of lime and calcium and forget about some vareities of tomatoes, my brother planted some other heirlom tomatoes next to mine we already pulled two of them while i am getting tomatoes off of the wilt resistent varieties, they do not taste as good but at least i have tomatoes. check out these links they apply to georgia but may be relevent for you
http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/B1285.htm
http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/B1271.htm

[Playoutside]

Planting your tomatoes in another bed most likely will not prevent wilt dieseases. unfortunately we in georgia have been dealing with tomatoe wilt for many years now. it was first reported in 1999. tomatoe wilt is spread by bugs who feed on infected plants, the infected plant could be from your neighbor's tomatoe or any other host plant (host species include many common weeds). so if you go to the trouble of moving your bed or rotate your crops, the host bugs will most likely find your plants. i personally believe that once you have the wilt you will always have to deal with it. so if you solarize your soil be very careful not to disturb it too much, solorization is only effective to a certain soil depth so if you till your soil after solorization you have only wasted your time. mulch heavy, use lots of lime, nitrogen, and calacium to help prevent tomatoe wilt and plant a disease resistant variety. otherwise, your tomatoes will most likely die every year no matter where you plant them.

[johno]

Try spraying your tomatoes with milk. This works on a few diseases, I'm not sure it will work in your case, especially because it works better when applied in the early stages. I had what sounds like the same problem for years, milk seems to control it for me. You might need to reapply once a week for a couple of weeks.

Also, another option for future plantings, in the same vein as solarizing your soil, is simply to use large containers and mix your own soil using storebought soil components. They are sterile except for commercially available worm castings, which contain beneficial microbes and should make up 1/4 to 1/3 of your mixture. I would use (sterilized !) containers of at least 5 gallon capacity; the larger the better.

[sanclementegrrl]

I hope you are still checking your post. My tomato's started doing the exact same thing, but I figured out it was a mineral issue and bone mean and fish emulsion cleared it up really really quickly. I know have beautiful tomatoes.

[mrtomatoexpres]

hi saclementegrrl glad to hear you fixed the problem happy tomatoing :) :D :p

[ipaintedmyhousewhite]

Oh BAH! I just trashed a hornworm with little rice looking bits all over it, thinking it was having babies on my plants. (smacking self in head, over and over and over...)

[onmyknees]

my tomatoes are still spindly dissapointing things all of them including purchased raised form seed the blooms seem larger than I have ever seen and the fruits are just now beginning to appear. This is this plots first year tilled in compossted horse manure rotted sawdust lime epsom salts and gypsum. fertilizing with fish emulsion but not very frequently. I have weedbarier between the rows with leaf mulch on top what is the problem any ideas here

[redbrick]

Painted, did you notice if the rice-bits had holes at one end? They aren't eggs, they're really cocoons, and if the hole is there, the new wasp has already flown the coop! Even if it hasn't, as long as you didn't smash every little cocoon, some of the new adults should survive. Don't smack yourself too hard. Just go over to Lessons Learned and have a good laugh at me!

[OkieDok]

Dipel (BT) definitely helped with the horn worms. Can be bought at the local feed store, inexpensively.

Some where there are pictures, of tomato leaves, that indicate the state of health.

Another hint is to remove leaves and stems from the first foot (maybe sixteen inches) from your tomato plants. If it rains the water splashing mud won't reach the lower leaves. I make sure to keep the weeds away from the plants. They impede air circulation, and thus drying of moisture from the leaves.

Something that may have helped me this year, growing on poor rocky soil is Cotton Seed Meal. That and a single spray of Fish Emulsion have really helped the Arkansas Travelers in this North Central Arkansas garden.

Going to try the wasps. Thanks and great tomatoes to you,.

Bob :)