dying tomatoe plants (forum)

joey starts with ...
This is the second year running that mine, and all my friends tomatoe plants die. They look healthy to start, get tomatoes then some of the leaves wilt and go yellow. This affects the fruit flavour. This year the plants were sprayed with eco oil and they have plenty of fertiliser. What gets me is that all of my gardening friends have the same story. Must be something in the air of Perth area. Has anyone else had problems???

Time: 19th December 2011 11:20am

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About the Author joey1
perth
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BJ says...
Could it be nematodes are destroying their roots? (Perth sands are terrible for nematodes) Are the roots all lumpy when you pull up the plants? If so you can try:
# planting marigolds around them;
# plant mustard around them;
# rotate your crops (not just the plant, but the family - spuds and tomato are from the same family so the nemotodes will chomp on both);
# Improve the soil (I'm not sure why, but lots of compost reduces the nematode attacks in my garden); and
# mulch well with both leaf and green mulch. It seems to keep the soil cooler and the nematodes seem less active (I've no scientific proof for this - it just seems to work).
Some of the above might be "wives tales" - but they are cheap, easy, and something from the above now allows me to grow tommies in Perth sand!

Time: 19th December 2011 12:12pm

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About the Author BJ11
Perth
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snottiegobble says...
Joey & BJ, my toms are the same, start off healthy with good fruit then oldest leaves start to shrivel! before you know it the whole plant is affected & the later fruit blotched & streaky.The plants dont reach anywhere near their potential!
nematodes maybe but it happened in my greenhouse pots last season as well. Now a couple of my spuds have droopy foliage as well! I sowed bio-fumigant into my butternut patch last winter so may sneak a couple of tomato plants in there & see what happens!

Time: 19th December 2011 6:17pm

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About the Author snottiegobble
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brad says...
Very common. Fusarium wilt most likely not that I checked my spelling. I'm hearing molasses can be used as a deterrent.
Nematodes is common in perth too. Check if roots look damaged.

Time: 19th December 2011 9:33pm

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About the Author Brad2
gooseberry hill
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Brendan says...
There's another one called Verticillium Wilt, see link. http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/factsheets/Tomato_Verticillium.htm

The garden guru here recommends adding Dolomite to the soil. This doesn't help any wilt, but helps tomatoes grow.?

Time: 20th December 2011 7:56am

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About the Author Brendan
Mackay, Q
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snottiegobble says...
Brendan, thats a damned good site for my 'favourites', many thanks!

Time: 20th December 2011 2:18pm

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Bob says...
Its Tomato yellow leaf curl virus, pretty well all of Perth has been taken over by it.

Time: 22nd December 2011 12:05am

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snottiegobble says...
Thanks Bob, so theres no cure? Checked the sick potato plant & the stems had rotted underground & no sign of the seed tuber.

Time: 22nd December 2011 2:53am

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About the Author snottiegobble
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