Zone 8, west TN. Yesterday I found my Steak Sandwich Hybrid, (much smaller than this Purple Cherokee), completely dead laying flat on the soil. I noticed this tomato plant starting to wilt, mostly at the ends, then today it looks almost completely gone! It was a really hot day yesterday so I thought maybe it needed a little water (despite it raining tons for the last couple weeks) and was overheated so I watered it a bit. I’m not sure what happened and I’d love to save it if possible. I only have 1 other tomato plant now, an Early Girl, so far she looks great. I’d love your input, thank you!
by autiess
8 Comments
Is there possibly a critter of some sort, vole etc, that ate or damaged the roots? You could check the roots of the dead plant from yesterday. If you are sure that you watered enough, then there has possibly been significant root damage of some sort.
She looks thirsty.drown her.
Try a DEEP water & hit it with insecticidal soap at dusk. This is my quick fix that works for about 80% of my garden issues. However, if it’s a big critter chomping on your plant, you’ll need to put a barrier around it. Do you think it’s happening overnight? You could try putting a camera out there. I get opossums at night. I set up 2 ft. high garden fencing around my in-ground plants and nothing is disturbed anymore.
Check for animal intrusion. If you want to try a natural repellent for gophers, try a spray of strong peppermint oil and/or castor oil, they hate the smell. Best of luck 🙂
Could be verticulum wilf
First real hot day for the plant? Just needs extra water. It’ll adjust. If the temps get to be too much, look into appropriate coverings that still allows enough light to come through.
Fusarium wilt
I’ve noticed my Cherokee Purples are almost always the most dramatic of my tomatoes. She’s either thirsty or drowning. Stick a finger multi knuckle deep. If it’s dry she needs water.