topic Re: My tomato plant seems to have a fungus. in Garden

My tomato plant seems to have a fungus.

Mmsfoxxie — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 01:00:02 GMT

At least that's what I think according to the description given by some here. It was thriving about a week or two ago. It has about 8 beautiful tomatoes almost ripened. But everyday, the leaves look more wilted and shrunken. It's in a pot but the pot is in the ground so the problem isn't that it gets too dry. Besides, we've had MORE than enough rain. Is there anything that I can do to turn it around? It's called Black Prince, an Heirloom. I was thinking about grinding up some egg shells and that with coffee grinds?? What about Epsom salt?

Re: My tomato plant seems to have a fungus.

JustJazzmom — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 01:14:19 GMT

Heirlooms are prone to fungal diseases and despite you watering the plant, the wilting of the leaves is caused by the fungus, not the lack of water.

Egg shells will add calcium to the soil and coffee grinds could make the soil slightly more acidic, but it won't stop the fungus.

Epsom salts add magnesium to the soil.

I grow heirlooms too and I find that when I see the leaves wilting or turning brown, I remove them and hope for the best.

I also dress in mid July the veggie garden with a bag of composted manure-- since they are pushing out fruit (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants etc.), they need more food to maintain them pushing out the fruit.

Some tomatoes are resistant to some fungal diseases like Better Boy and Early Girl. Some stores have them as heirlooms and some list these 2 as modern hybrids.

Usually on the tags you will see some letters like

F = Fusarium wilt resistant

V = Verticillium resistant

Try if you can to buy accordingly. Another way to decrease fungal diseases is to (1) allow enough space between plants for good air circulation, (2) try to avoid overhead watering which allows any residing fungal spores in the soil to 'splash up' onto the leaves and (3) practice good garden sanitation by removing any dropped leaves and toss them out. Home composting piles do not get hot enough to kill fungal spores.

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Some info about your heirloom:

Originally introduced from Irkutsk, Siberia Russia, Black Prince is one of the most popular and sought after black heirloom tomatoes. It is regarded as a true northern variety and has excellent growing qualities suited for cooler climates. This medium sized tomato is said to have considerable health benefits beyond the presence of lycopene.

The 2-1/2 inch diameter fruits are 2 – 4 ounces (56 – 113 gr) and ripen to beautiful deep garnet red with some dark chocolate brown and black. These smooth, round tomatoes are juicy and have rich flavour that makes them score well in taste tests. It should be harvested when its upper half has turned dark but still shows traces of green. The crop is early and prolific. This heirloom is suited for patio gardens. Black Prince has a deep and sweet flavour that is unbeatable for eating fresh or used in cooking.

Re: My tomato plant seems to have a fungus.

Mmsfoxxie — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 04:59:18 GMT

Sounds like there's not much hope for the plant if it is, indeed, a fungus. That's sad because the plant started out thriving, producing several tomatoes. Now I don't see a single flower on it. Well, I'll enjoy what I have. Sounds like it will be a winner taste wise and I can't wait to taste them. Thanks so much JustJazzmom. This was a wealth of information.

Re: My tomato plant seems to have a fungus.

Cookie06 — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 08:17:49 GMT

Around here in Washington state, we call it the tomato blight. And yes, unfortunately once your plants have it, they are done for. Nothing can help it. And also, be sure and bury those plants away from your garden area, don't put the dead plants in the compost for next year, the blight will stay in the soil.

Re: My tomato plant seems to have a fungus.

Mmsfoxxie — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 16:20:27 GMT

On 7/21/2014 Cookie06 said:
Around here in Washington state, we call it the tomato blight. And yes, unfortunately once your plants have it, they are done for. Nothing can help it. And also, be sure and bury those plants away from your garden area, don't put the dead plants in the compost for next year, the blight will stay in the soil.

Cookie06, I googled 'tomato blight' and that may very well be what the plant has. Same look as my plant. Thanks.

Re: My tomato plant seems to have a fungus.

seaswirl — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 18:20:08 GMT

Is there such a thing as ""root rot"" "" for tomatoes?

Re: My tomato plant seems to have a fungus.

JustJazzmom — Mon, 21 Jul 2014 18:24:38 GMT

On 7/21/2014 seaswirl said:
Is there such a thing as ""root rot"" "" for tomatoes?

Not sure if you mean 'blossom end rot'.

BER is caused by a lack of calcium in the soil or by uneven watering practices. The bottoms of the tomatoes start to turn blackish in color. The tomato ripens but the black color remains. It doesn't harm the tomato or make it taste bad-- just remove it with a sharp knife prior eating the tomato.

Re: My tomato plant seems to have a fungus.

Sammijo10 — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 00:38:06 GMT

Will a copper fungicide spray help?

Re: My tomato plant seems to have a fungus.

JustJazzmom — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 01:31:59 GMT

On 7/29/2014 Sammijo said:
Will a copper fungicide spray help?

I don't think it would work. The plant is already affected. Only cure is to either remove the plant or next year plant in a new area (not the same spot).

Late blight has now been seen on the eastern end of LI per recent agricultural reports from there. (in their potato fields and it spreads by wind).

Re: My tomato plant seems to have a fungus.

Mmsfoxxie — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 02:26:01 GMT

On 7/29/2014 JustJazzmom said:
On 7/29/2014 Sammijo said:
Will a copper fungicide spray help?

I don't think it would work. The plant is already affected. Only cure is to either remove the plant or next year plant in a new area (not the same spot).

Late blight has now been seen on the eastern end of LI per recent agricultural reports from there. (in their potato fields and it spreads by wind).

No, nothing could be done. It's pretty much dead. The growth had stopped when I wrote my post. I was lucky to get about 8 delicious tomatoes off of it. I love the color of Black Prince when ripe.