Fusarium Wilt - Page 6

AlittleSalt · June 6, 2017

Cole, I would save seeds from it too.

Bill, we were writing at the same time - it just took me longer. I always ferment seeds too. The bleach step sounds good.

I've been watching the tomato varieties in the raised bed very carefully and have been wondering something along the same lines. The two Sweet Million plants I had to pull were on the end. Three feet away are Anna Aasa and Brad's Atomic Grape. Then 3 feet from them were two other plants that had to be pulled. The ones in the middle Anna Aasa and Brad's Atomic Grape look perfectly fine and are producing well. We/I read that Fusarium can be hit and miss, but it still seems odd to me.

There are two other varieties that have my attention. Japanese Pink Cherry and Sweetie grew and produced well in an area of the main garden that most of the rest of the tomato plants wilted and died. This year, they are growing the same and producing prolifically. I am wondering if one or both of their parents were VFN varieties? I have not found much info about Japanese Pink Cherry, but Sweetie is a commercial OP variety.

Worth1 · June 6, 2017

Salt it is like that with people too.
Some succumb to anything and others like me keep on keeping on when it comes to sickness.

Keep any seeds from plants that keep trucking on.

Worth

Nematode · June 6, 2017

This thread is an eye opener. Had no idea how destructive and pervasive this pest is.
Makes me want to save seeds and not swap or buy....

Worth1 · June 7, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nematode

This thread is an eye opener. Had no idea how destructive and pervasive this pest is.
Makes me want to save seeds and not swap or buy....

One of the reasons I mostly just buy my seeds from people like TGS.

If you cant grow tomatoes and other stuff in the ground it will quickly turn into an expensive hobby for many people.
Sadly they dont sell tomatoes, fruit and melons in the store.

swellcat · June 7, 2017

Quote:

. . . could mean that Fusarium Wilt is in a wide area . . .

Yes, although I believe there may be multiple afflictions in my grow with no definitive diagnosis yet of Fusarium. (I've spent hours on the disease readings.) Not to horn(worm) in, but please let me try to show some symptoms, some of which seem to mirror yours.

Overnight wilt—following extended rain event—of (my only) Girl Girl's Weird Thing

New growth on top over completely brown, dessicated mid-level branches

Branch with completely browned leaves

Same branch; no interior browning

The photos are from multiple plants from different beds. Some tomato plants—even in the same beds with diseased plants—seem yet unaffected, i.e., apparently healthy.

Any idea on ID on these? They may have come in with long-aged wood chips applied for mulch in 2015. If mushroom compost is good, maybe sprouting one's own is very good.

StrongPlant · June 7, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by swellcat

Any idea on ID on these? They may have come in with long-aged wood chips applied for mulch in 2015. If mushroom compost is good, maybe sprouting one's own is very good.

IMO the mushrooms are always a good sign.I think their mycelium is compeeting for resources with fusarium,and any other fungus present for that matter.

AlittleSalt · June 7, 2017

Swellcat, we have a lot of mushrooms here too. I have never seen ones like you have. The 5th picture with the specks - I don't remember seeing that either.

AlittleSalt · June 8, 2017

swellcat,

The rest of your pictures, yes, I have seen that in my own gardens. The third picture you posted - that plant is just plain dead.

I was mowing today in the heat and humidity. I kept checking on this thread during water/cool off breaks hoping that someone would reply to the pictures you put up. I am just as curious as you are about finding ideas/thoughts/facts on what is happening in your garden.

I ask a lot of questions here because tomato growing is still new to me. I've only been a gardener for 7 years. I need to learn more so I can help others, and not just give an opinion.

b54red · June 8, 2017

Okay Sweelcat I'll take the bait. It looks like you have more than one problem going on at the same time and from the looks of some of those plants you should just pull them to save time and effort. It looks like some of those plants have mite damage even though you have been through a rainy spell they probably were already creating a problem before the rainy weather hit. Without being able to inspect the leaves I believe the first pic shows mite damage as well as the fourth picture and the last picture also looks like mite damage.

Why is the plant in the third picture still in your garden to spread whatever killed it. Possibly fusarium wilt or mites. That one is just too far gone to make any kind of reasonable guess just from a picture.

Some of those leaves on some of the pictures look like they could have some damage from a spray applied to them or mechanical damage from wind and rain. I have seen badly battered leaves look terrible a few days after a storm and they are also more susceptible to diseases.

I think you should just remove some of the plants that are really looking bad if they don't have much fruit on them and replace them. You should be able to purchase some Big Beef, Celebrity or Goliath plants and they all have double fusarium resistance. Big Beef is also one of the best at setting fruit in the heat so despite the timing you should still be able to make some decent tomatoes before fall and well into the fall. Just make sure you start a regimen of fungicide spraying as soon as they are set out, mulch them heavily, water and feed them regularly, and keep an eye out for pests, especially mites.

I think you should get a good magnifying glass and look at the underside of those leaves that have that light speckling on them as that is a sign of mites. You should be able to see them with some magnification and if your eyesight is really good if you look closely when you turn the leaves over you should see the little buggers moving around. If you find you have spider mites on leaves nearly to the top of the plant then it is probably too late to stop them but if they are confined to the lower branches and leaves they can be stopped; but it isn't easy. There are threads where various methods are discussed on how to stop them on this forum.

To test a plant for fusarium wilt it takes clipping off one of the main stems not just a leaf stem of a section of plant that has the yellowing and some wilting going on. If the fusarium wilt is bad you won't even need to split the stem to see it. Just look at the end and if you see any dark yellow or brown area then you are probably dealing with fusarium. If you split the stem and fusarium is there it will be very easy to see.

If you grow Big Beef, Celebrity or Goliath and still get fusarium then you are as unlucky as me and have all three strains of the nasty stuff. In that case you can either live with heavy loses, learn to graft to an FFF resistant root stock or grow one of those super resistant tasteless hybrids like they sell in the grocery store.

It wouldn't hurt you to read the thread on the bleach spray. It can be very usefull especially in a time of persistent rainfall.

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.ph...t=bleach+spray

Bill

Worth1 · June 8, 2017

Ten healthy soldiers beat a hundred sick ones.
Worth

Worth1 · June 8, 2017

And yes I have those mushrooms too.
Nowhere near any wood chips they are coming out of decomposed granite and dead clippings.
Worth
IMG_20170608_53448.jpg

zipcode · June 8, 2017

swellcat, that one dead plant could be fusarium.
But I think the bigger problem is the mites. That's a very serious infestation on all the pictures, and they will no doubt finish the job soon.

swellcat · June 8, 2017

Thanks for the interest and insight.

There is webbing on a number of plants. I thought I was seeing droppings from the giant cottonwood tree (one yard up), and maybe I was . . . droppings caught in spider mite webbing.

I already have neem oil and about 29 remaining pounds of sulfur with which I dust my socks before even walking into the yard due to harvest mites/chiggers/red bugs.

VC Scott · June 8, 2017

swellcat:

I agree with Bill. The bronzing of the stems in picks 3 ant 5 looks to me like damage from tomato russet mites. Sulfur will help against tomato russet mites, but in my experience pyrethrin (Take Down Spray) is a better remedy.

StrongPlant · June 8, 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by VC Scott

swellcat:

I agree with Bill. The bronzing of the stems in picks 3 ant 5 looks to me like damage from tomato russet mites. Sulfur will help against tomato russet mites, but in my experience pyrethrin (Take Down Spray) is a better remedy.

I had a horrible experience with the russet mite last year.The loses are well in the 75%+ range if not controled.I doubt sulfur would work,useful info found here also:

http://www.extento.hawaii.edu/kbase/...e/a_lycope.htm

June 6, 2017	#76
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	Cole, I would save seeds from it too. Bill, we were writing at the same time - it just took me longer. I always ferment seeds too. The bleach step sounds good. I've been watching the tomato varieties in the raised bed very carefully and have been wondering something along the same lines. The two Sweet Million plants I had to pull were on the end. Three feet away are Anna Aasa and Brad's Atomic Grape. Then 3 feet from them were two other plants that had to be pulled. The ones in the middle Anna Aasa and Brad's Atomic Grape look perfectly fine and are producing well. We/I read that Fusarium can be hit and miss, but it still seems odd to me. There are two other varieties that have my attention. Japanese Pink Cherry and Sweetie grew and produced well in an area of the main garden that most of the rest of the tomato plants wilted and died. This year, they are growing the same and producing prolifically. I am wondering if one or both of their parents were VFN varieties? I have not found much info about Japanese Pink Cherry, but Sweetie is a commercial OP variety. Last edited by AlittleSalt; June 6, 2017 at 08:38 PM.

June 6, 2017	#77
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Salt it is like that with people too. Some succumb to anything and others like me keep on keeping on when it comes to sickness. Keep any seeds from plants that keep trucking on. Worth

June 6, 2017	#78
Nematode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: massachusetts Posts: 1,710	This thread is an eye opener. Had no idea how destructive and pervasive this pest is. Makes me want to save seeds and not swap or buy....

June 8, 2017	#83
AlittleSalt BANNED FOR LIFE Join Date: May 2014 Posts: 13,333	swellcat, The rest of your pictures, yes, I have seen that in my own gardens. The third picture you posted - that plant is just plain dead. I was mowing today in the heat and humidity. I kept checking on this thread during water/cool off breaks hoping that someone would reply to the pictures you put up. I am just as curious as you are about finding ideas/thoughts/facts on what is happening in your garden. I ask a lot of questions here because tomato growing is still new to me. I've only been a gardener for 7 years. I need to learn more so I can help others, and not just give an opinion.

June 8, 2017	#84
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Okay Sweelcat I'll take the bait. It looks like you have more than one problem going on at the same time and from the looks of some of those plants you should just pull them to save time and effort. It looks like some of those plants have mite damage even though you have been through a rainy spell they probably were already creating a problem before the rainy weather hit. Without being able to inspect the leaves I believe the first pic shows mite damage as well as the fourth picture and the last picture also looks like mite damage. Why is the plant in the third picture still in your garden to spread whatever killed it. Possibly fusarium wilt or mites. That one is just too far gone to make any kind of reasonable guess just from a picture. Some of those leaves on some of the pictures look like they could have some damage from a spray applied to them or mechanical damage from wind and rain. I have seen badly battered leaves look terrible a few days after a storm and they are also more susceptible to diseases. I think you should just remove some of the plants that are really looking bad if they don't have much fruit on them and replace them. You should be able to purchase some Big Beef, Celebrity or Goliath plants and they all have double fusarium resistance. Big Beef is also one of the best at setting fruit in the heat so despite the timing you should still be able to make some decent tomatoes before fall and well into the fall. Just make sure you start a regimen of fungicide spraying as soon as they are set out, mulch them heavily, water and feed them regularly, and keep an eye out for pests, especially mites. I think you should get a good magnifying glass and look at the underside of those leaves that have that light speckling on them as that is a sign of mites. You should be able to see them with some magnification and if your eyesight is really good if you look closely when you turn the leaves over you should see the little buggers moving around. If you find you have spider mites on leaves nearly to the top of the plant then it is probably too late to stop them but if they are confined to the lower branches and leaves they can be stopped; but it isn't easy. There are threads where various methods are discussed on how to stop them on this forum. To test a plant for fusarium wilt it takes clipping off one of the main stems not just a leaf stem of a section of plant that has the yellowing and some wilting going on. If the fusarium wilt is bad you won't even need to split the stem to see it. Just look at the end and if you see any dark yellow or brown area then you are probably dealing with fusarium. If you split the stem and fusarium is there it will be very easy to see. If you grow Big Beef, Celebrity or Goliath and still get fusarium then you are as unlucky as me and have all three strains of the nasty stuff. In that case you can either live with heavy loses, learn to graft to an FFF resistant root stock or grow one of those super resistant tasteless hybrids like they sell in the grocery store. It wouldn't hurt you to read the thread on the bleach spray. It can be very usefull especially in a time of persistent rainfall. http://tomatoville.com/showthread.ph...t=bleach+spray Bill

June 8, 2017	#87
zipcode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Romania/Germany , z 4-6 Posts: 1,582	swellcat, that one dead plant could be fusarium. But I think the bigger problem is the mites. That's a very serious infestation on all the pictures, and they will no doubt finish the job soon.

June 8, 2017	#88
swellcat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Cowtown, Texas – 7B/8A Posts: 192	Thanks for the interest and insight. There is webbing on a number of plants. I thought I was seeing droppings from the giant cottonwood tree (one yard up), and maybe I was . . . droppings caught in spider mite webbing. I already have neem oil and about 29 remaining pounds of sulfur with which I dust my socks before even walking into the yard due to harvest mites/chiggers/red bugs.

June 8, 2017	#89
VC Scott Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: San Marcos, CA Posts: 352	swellcat: I agree with Bill. The bronzing of the stems in picks 3 ant 5 looks to me like damage from tomato russet mites. Sulfur will help against tomato russet mites, but in my experience pyrethrin (Take Down Spray) is a better remedy.