Would you give advice on problem tomato plants?

Question

Our Better Boy tomato plant has leaves that are turning brown and falling off, it looks to be dying for sure, and it also has some leaves that are yellow. I thought at first it was too much water due to the yellowing, but the others turning brown, doesn't make sense. There are tomatoes on the plants, but the plant doesn't look like it's going to make it. It is about 5 1/2 ft tall. We have used Sevin dust on our plants. One other plant, is looking similar, which has those small pear shaped tomatoes, but the two cherry tomatoes are doing ok. What can this be and what are we doing wrong? We used shredded mulch around the plants as well. Also have used Miracle Grow for tomatoes all season, (by box instructions.)

Answer 1

Are you sure that its getting sufficient water? Have you checked around the plant with an iron rod and poked it into the ground. You can tell how far down the water is going by how much of the rod is wet when withdrawn.  I too thought it might be a wilt of sorts but I thought that the leaves usually curl or are misshapened when they have a wilt problem.

Why did you use Sevin dust on the plants? Was there a problem with bugs?  Anyway, I would think that with a large tomato plant and it being summer that you would want the ground to be wet at least a foot to 18 inches.

Answer 2

It's either fusarium or verticellium wilt and there's nothing you can do. It's a fungus that comes through the soil.

This wilt is the reason why I keep my tomatoes in containers.  I can have ten toms but only one plant will get this wilt.  Then I can't plant anything else in the container for a while.

The link's interesting.

Answer 3

I think you have vercillium wilt on your plant.  There's nothing you can do to save the plant but next year you should move your tomato plants to another area so you can give the soil a chance to recover and not spread that disease further.

Answer 4

If it is the lower leaves that is normal,  You may applied to much miracle grow where you enriched the soil to much.  Also its possible that the mulch may have treated wood shaving if you have the bag check that also.  I also give mine 1/2 teaspoon of Epsom salt around the bottom about 5 inches away from stem area the magnesium helps the tomato

Answer 5

I was having the same problems as you with the tomatoes until I heard about using Epsom Salts in the soil around my tomatoes & green peppers. I don't always believe what everyone tells me but today, in my newspaper, there was an article on using Epsom Salts on lawns,veggies, rose bushes, shrubs, trees, flowering plants, & when starting up a graden.

On tomatoes:

Use 1 Tablespoon Epsom Salts, per foot of plant height per plant, applying every two weeks to keep the leaves from yellowing. You can work the ES into the soil around your tomato plants dry, or add the ES to a little bit of water, then pour around the base of the plants. Don't use anything else while you are treating the soil with ES. I once heard that mulch around the veggie plants is not a good idea.

ES is used frequently in the garden as well as  on houseplants, said Gary Forrester, environmental horticulturist w/Clemson Univ. Cooperative Ext. Service. Epsom Salts is magnesium sulfate & will benefit plants if magnesium is deficient in the soil or with heavy magnesium feeding plants.