This was my first flower, first green fruit, it should’ve been the first ripe fruit. But it’s not ripening properly, it’s ripening because it’s damaged. And now the entire plant is dying. I spent so much money this year on grow bags and sterile growing medium and have put so much time into fertigating and water quality, checking the EC and pH. Stupid tropics, stupid fungi, stupid wilt.
by Kalusyfloozy
34 Comments
That is a pity. Sorry for your loss.
Aw man. Sorry OP
Does it need more than just water?
I’m sorry, sis. (Or bro). I TOTALLY understand.
My whole tomato garden got hit with wilt last year. Every single plant. I feel your frustration and disappointment❤️
Here’s my advice from someone who has been successful at growing indeterminates in containers — you are having watering issues. You need to attack this from two angles.
1) water more. You need to water twice a day if your high temps are > 85F
2) and this is arguably even more important, you need to prune. Your plant is too big and will need way more water than a container that size can provide. I usually do about 5 main stems, you could even go up to maybe 10, but after that you need to remove every sucker and keep the size manageable.
Could perk up with a deep water?
Looks fine, just water it
Bonide revitalize + garden phos. Maybe a little bit of hope…
It looks thirsty, give it a deep watering and see if it perks up.
Fill til you see water run out the bottom of the bag. It will bounce back.
These bags need more water than you think!! We had 3 inches overnight. I had potatoes in grow bags that I needed to harvest. I thought they would be mud but they were dry as a bone (the tops are dead). Get the hose and let it run slowly for about 30 minutes at the base of the plant before the sun goes down. Hopefully it will recover. This is just what I see here. Best wishes.
Sorry to hear what you’re going through – last 3 years have been shite for me for various reasons. I’m f’n determined to get tomatoes this year. Changed up a few things that I think set me up for success.
Looks like they need some soft water love!
plants need water
Is the soil dried out? Plant just looks thirsty to me. Water it deeply and check it again in the morning. Plants can be drama queens.
Couple other things I’d check-
Once it perks up, cut those damaged leaves off and maybe prune it to increase airflow.
I see your drip irrigation off to the side of the bag there. Is that enough to get an even coverage when it’s watering, or is that only providing moisture to a small part of your bag?
That’s a bummer. You can always try growing hydroponically or Krakty. IMO it’s a game changer. Wishing you luck
Where are you? What zone? This looks like a heat and water issue.
Probably hydrophobic in the middle need to water slow and deeply.
DEEEEEEEEEP WATER. It will come back to life and your rejuvenation for gardening will come back as well. It hurts but this is part of the process.
Water with no feed added
You did too much. Just plant, water regularly and some decent tomato plant food.
Looks thirsty. Those air pots will dry out very quickly if in a hot climate.
How would your plants have acquired a pathogenic wilt if they are in sterile media? Aren’t they all soilborne?
Could it be an abiotic stressor like simple heat or drought?
Would it help next year to graft onto a more resilient rootstock with wilt resistance?
I want to cry for you. You’ve gotten good advice here. Keep trying because it’s worth it. You shouldn’t have to spend too much money to get good tomatoes. Good luck! You can do it!!!!
Don’t worry. That plant still looks like it can be saved.
Plants, like any other living creature, will try to survive. You just need to fix what’s wrong and it will spring back.
Water them.
Woah hold the Nitrogen!
Sorry for your loss
I would just prune them and water deeply in the morning. They just look dry
Grow bags breathe more than pots, looks like it needs a drink of water
the plant is not dead , give water with fish fertilizer and i bet it perks back up , don’t focus too much on all that ph stuff, the media has a way of working itself out i notice
Unless you’re doing full hydroponics, using a sterile but inert growing medium is not worth it. Better to use a nutrient-rich soil, amend with compost, etc. Tomatoes are prone to so many nutrient deficiency related issues, and it’s hard to get all the macros and micros dialed in correctly (especially in the less-controlled conditions of the outdoors).
Commenting to come back! New to tomatoes.