Other host plants in the same family are potato plants, eggplants, petunias, peppers, sweet chili, jalapeño, and bittersweet.įusarium wilt is the more common of the two. It only takes one contaminated seed or transplant to render your soil useless to any plant in the Solanaceae (nightshade) family. Regardless of the size of your planting bed. These two diseases are the reason for crop rotation. Tomatoes aren’t their only host plant though. These are two very similar fungal infections that originate in the soil. Diseases That Cause Tomato Plants to Wilt 1 – Verticillium wilt and Fusarium wilt Start with a 12” hole, shovel in a heap of compost, then backfill with sandy loam soil for speedy drainage. Let this season’s tomato wilting be a lesson. The deeper the rooting system, the more moisture the roots will absorb. Drip irrigation watering systems are terrific at encouraging deep root growth. ![]() The best practice before transplanting is to aerate the soil, transplant the tomato plants, then deep water to encourage downward root growth. It’s so easy to add to the problem you’re trying to fix. Watch for signs of stress from over-hydrating tomato plants. If the soil is compact though, they’ll spread closer to the topsoil.Ī tomato plant with shallow roots near the topsoil will need more frequent watering. If you aerate the soil before transplanting, it should encourage roots to grow deeper. Most tomato plants’ roots are within the top 12 to 18 inches of soil. The frequency of watering will be based on the depth of the roots. There is a fine balancing act to strike for how often to water tomatoes. Then you’ll be left with yellow leaves on wilting stems. It’ll be the existing excess of moisture that’s stressing it.Īdding more water to an already saturated soil bed will suffocate the roots, cutting off its oxygen supply. If you see healthy-looking lush green leaves on tomato plants begin to wilt, hold back on watering. When a tomato plant has wet feet from sitting in soggy soil, it wilts first. You’ll run your water bill up, and you’ll go through more fertilizer than you need to because runoff water washes nutrients away. Don’t let their strange wilting behavior in the afternoons trick you into watering them. Tomato plants can tolerate drought better than excess moisture. They only need water when the soil is dry to a depth of a couple of inches at least. Wilting in warm temperatures is just how tomato plants behave. Watering late in the day can damage the roots and that almost always ends in a catastrophe. It’s never a good idea to water tomato plants later in the day. That’s why you can see them wilt in the afternoon, then perk back up later when it’s cooler. When tomato plants get too hot, they curl and wilt as a defence mechanism.īy lowering the leaf surface that’s exposed to heat, it conserves more water in its leaves. It’s a reflex to high temperatures, and a fascinating process to watch unfold. Sometimes, the stems droop, leaves curl, and the plant wilts to fend off sunlight. Let that happen, and it’ll be wilted the next morning too. ![]() The earlier in the day you get them watered, the more the plant will use.īy mid-afternoon when the temperature is at its hottest, much of the water you add to warm soil gets lost to evaporation. Watering Problems that Cause Tomato Plants to Wilt 1 – Dehydration / Droughtĭehydrated tomato plants wilt in the morning. The fungal and bacterial diseases that can cause wilting (and will probably kill your plant) are listed below, along with the codes to identify the resistant varieties to grow in the future. ![]() By identifying the disease, you can harvest a resistant variety next season. There are a handful of diseases that can cause your tomato plant to wilt. It’s so that you know how to prevent a repeat of the same problem next season. The main reason isn’t to save this year’s harvest. Whether you’re early on in the season or your crops are ruined, you still need your question answered… Why is my tomato plant wilting? The only easy fixes are watering problems, and even then, you still need to nip things in the bud before the roots become damaged. Late season tomatoes could be done for unless it’s a straightforward fix. What a disaster! Months spent caring for tomato plants only to wake one morning to suddenly find a sickly-looking plant about to lose all its fruit.ĭepending on how late in the season the wilting happens, it could cut your season short. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I might earn a commission. Disclaimer: Some links found on this page might be affiliate links.
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