Tomatoville® Gardening Forums - View Single Post - Is this little thing really what's destroyed my gardens?

z_willus_d · June 2, 2013

Ok, lots of good stuff here... I love the deep dive into details.

First, let me thank Paradajz for the contribution. On the question of Verticillium, I will say that was one of the systemic diseases that I focused on heavily last year, along with Fusarium. I, ultimately decided that Verticillium was even less likely than Fusarium given the climate here, the low incident rate of V, lack of any darkening signs in the stem, etc. Now this year, since I'm grafting onto Maxifort, that seems even less likely. The Johnnies lists Maxifort with the following resistances:
* F2 Fusarium Wilt (Races 1 & 2)
* FOR Fusarium Crown and Root Rot
* N Nematodes
* PL Corky Root Rot
* TMV Tobacco Mosaic Virus
* V Verticillium Wilt

So with the "V" it would seem less likely than even last year that I have Verticillium. I will say that the look of the leaves does quite mimic that of V, which is why I latched onto it before.

Steve, I mainly grafted onto Maxifort, and a small handful got Beaufort. I note that some of the regular leaf types just seem to turn yellow, while the larger potato leaves have the characteristic yellow splotches, turning to necrotic brown.

Something else I noticed this evening was that the yellowing mainly appears within the cover of the plants outer foliage. That is to say, the outermost leaves and branches show the problem less than those within. That's not a rule, but it does hold sway. I also noticed that this same problem seems to be hitting my peppers now as well as the tomatillo plants (actually, I first noticed specific leaves turning yellow on the tomatillos several weeks back.

To the question of disease progression, I would comment from recent experience and last year that it seems to appear first on plants that have been out in the garden for the longest period of time, hence also those which are generally most mature. It seems like I notice it first on a single plant, but then a couple weeks on it is apparent on numerous. I think that in the matter of a couple days it went from not that noticeable to very noticeable on a few. On others it's been an escalating progression. For instance, my Wes was showing it weeks ago on the lowest branches, but not it's 65% consumed to within a quarter of the top of the plant. The older branches and leaves have turned to brown dust.

Frankly Steve, I'm really inclined to thing you hit the nail just about on the head. It would jive with what I've read about the mildew; the fact that I've been spraying so moist under leaves; that I let my plants bush out, so they're quite compacted in their cages. The only thing I don't really notice is the white fuzz and sporulations, though perhaps given the hot dry climate here, they can't quite coalesce to that stage.

I'm zeroing in on a couple products. Comments?
- http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/hi...ay-p-2325.html
- http://www.amazon.com/BONIDE-PRODUCT...eywords=sulfur

I wonder, besides the sulfur, if there's something else I should try. It seems that sulfur will deter the mildew, but it is hard to impossible to get rid of. I feel that quick action is required here, and that time is of the essence."

Thanks all.
-naysen

June 2, 2013	#43
z_willus_d Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Eastern Suburb of Sacramento, CA Posts: 1,313	Ok, lots of good stuff here... I love the deep dive into details. First, let me thank Paradajz for the contribution. On the question of Verticillium, I will say that was one of the systemic diseases that I focused on heavily last year, along with Fusarium. I, ultimately decided that Verticillium was even less likely than Fusarium given the climate here, the low incident rate of V, lack of any darkening signs in the stem, etc. Now this year, since I'm grafting onto Maxifort, that seems even less likely. The Johnnies lists Maxifort with the following resistances: * F2 Fusarium Wilt (Races 1 & 2) * FOR Fusarium Crown and Root Rot * N Nematodes * PL Corky Root Rot * TMV Tobacco Mosaic Virus * V Verticillium Wilt So with the "V" it would seem less likely than even last year that I have Verticillium. I will say that the look of the leaves does quite mimic that of V, which is why I latched onto it before. Steve, I mainly grafted onto Maxifort, and a small handful got Beaufort. I note that some of the regular leaf types just seem to turn yellow, while the larger potato leaves have the characteristic yellow splotches, turning to necrotic brown. Something else I noticed this evening was that the yellowing mainly appears within the cover of the plants outer foliage. That is to say, the outermost leaves and branches show the problem less than those within. That's not a rule, but it does hold sway. I also noticed that this same problem seems to be hitting my peppers now as well as the tomatillo plants (actually, I first noticed specific leaves turning yellow on the tomatillos several weeks back. To the question of disease progression, I would comment from recent experience and last year that it seems to appear first on plants that have been out in the garden for the longest period of time, hence also those which are generally most mature. It seems like I notice it first on a single plant, but then a couple weeks on it is apparent on numerous. I think that in the matter of a couple days it went from not that noticeable to very noticeable on a few. On others it's been an escalating progression. For instance, my Wes was showing it weeks ago on the lowest branches, but not it's 65% consumed to within a quarter of the top of the plant. The older branches and leaves have turned to brown dust. Frankly Steve, I'm really inclined to thing you hit the nail just about on the head. It would jive with what I've read about the mildew; the fact that I've been spraying so moist under leaves; that I let my plants bush out, so they're quite compacted in their cages. The only thing I don't really notice is the white fuzz and sporulations, though perhaps given the hot dry climate here, they can't quite coalesce to that stage. I'm zeroing in on a couple products. Comments? - http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/hi...ay-p-2325.html - http://www.amazon.com/BONIDE-PRODUCT...eywords=sulfur I wonder, besides the sulfur, if there's something else I should try. It seems that sulfur will deter the mildew, but it is hard to impossible to get rid of. I feel that quick action is required here, and that time is of the essence." Thanks all. -naysen