Why is my tomato plant wilting and dying?

[Worth1]

I dont see anything wrong with the stem it is having a respiration problem.
Take the cover off if you have one and dig around in the soil I bet you wont find healthy roots if it is wet.

Worth

[dmforcier]

I'm having the same issue with a Manzano pepper. Perfectly happy, then one day the entire plant wilts as if it had no water. I didn't think much about it because the plants to either were in fact wilted for lack of water (it suddenly got hot here). Watered them all and they all came back - except Johnny Manzano. Here's a pic from today, two days after the event. (The pot is wet, but this wasn't caused by root drownage.)

Data: I grow exclusively in container, exclusively in commercial mix. This one was started in MGMC, partly from last year, then moved up into Fox Farms Ocean Forest. On the 3rd floor there is no chance of contamination with local dirt. It is hand water with pH adjusted tap water and a 1/4 strength application of MGAP every few days. My other plants get the same treatment and are thriving. In fact, I've never had a pepper just up and die like this.

Noting how closely related that peppers and toms are, how should I approach diagnosing this casualty?

Tears because this is the only Manzano I've been able to sprout in the past two years. I'm having terrible luck with them recently.
.

[Worth1]

Chili wilt/Phytophthora Blight.

Worth

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by dmforcier

I'm having the same issue with a Manzano pepper. Perfectly happy, then one day the entire plant wilts as if it had no water. I didn't think much about it because the plants to either were in fact wilted for lack of water (it suddenly got hot here). Watered them all and they all came back - except Johnny Manzano. Here's a pic from today, two days after the event. (The pot is wet, but this wasn't caused by root drownage.)

Data: I grow exclusively in container, exclusively in commercial mix. This one was started in MGMC, partly from last year, then moved up into Fox Farms Ocean Forest. On the 3rd floor there is no chance of contamination with local dirt. It is hand water with pH adjusted tap water and a 1/4 strength application of MGAP every few days. My other plants get the same treatment and are thriving. In fact, I've never had a pepper just up and die like this.

Noting how closely related that peppers and toms are, how should I approach diagnosing this casualty?

Tears because this is the only Manzano I've been able to sprout in the past two years. I'm having terrible luck with them recently.
.

One you dont usually suspect in a larger plant, but get a magnifying something and look for fungus gnats.Fungus gnats love peat. They can eat the roots away in no time flat! They are easily treated with BT.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by brian1269

This is about the best I could get. I cut off two different stems. Hope this is what you were looking for.

The stem looks perfect, absolutely not Fusarium wilt. See below about looking very closely for fungus gnats, which can come in quickly and invade super fast. Very destructive little Rat Ba$tids.

[dmforcier]

No, no gnats. And why would they invade only one of several dozen plants?

I'll do the stem dissection and look at the root ball mañana.

[dmforcier]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Chili wilt/Phytophthora Blight.

How to diagnose it?

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by dmforcier

No, no gnats. And why would they invade only one of several dozen plants?

I'll do the stem dissection and look at the root ball mañana.

Why would you think they would invade more? It only takes one gnat laying eggs that might have been in the mix, ( which MGMC is famous for having trouble with), but not necessarily all of your pots would have had eggs layed in them. It could easily be just one.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by dmforcier

How to diagnose it?

Look for peeling rotten bark at the soil level just under the soil.
I lost a bunch last year and this year to it.

Cause is wet weather and over crowing not allowing the soil to dry out.

[brian1269]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I dont see anything wrong with the stem it is having a respiration problem.
Take the cover off if you have one and dig around in the soil I bet you wont find healthy roots if it is wet.

Worth

Roots look ok to me, but I don't really know what I'm looking for.

[Worth1]

Now that you have introduced oxygen to the soil it may be okay.
Was it droopy at night also or did it start as the sun got higher up and warmer?

Worth

[brian1269]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Now that you have introduced oxygen to the soil it may be okay.
Was it droopy at night also or did it start as the sun got higher up and warmer?

Worth

You think that might help it? Maybe I should dig around all sides of it then. It's droopy all the time, started a week or two ago and never recovered.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by brian1269

You think that might help it? Maybe I should dig around all sides of it then. It's droopy all the time, started a week or two ago and never recovered.

It might if it has gone anaerobic.

Worth

[ginger2778]

Those roots look fine. I am thinking something infectious.

[brian1269]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Those roots look fine. I am thinking something infectious.

Well gosh darnoodley. What could it be and can it be treated? Or should I just take it out?