Knowledgebase
Withering tomatoes #874548
Asked June 24, 2024, 10:17 PM EDT
Turner County South Dakota
Expert Response
Hi Lori,
With the wet weather, blight is certainly possible. Both early and late blight can occur early in the season, and in wet, humid weather blight can quickly kill plants, but late blight is less common. They have slightly different symptoms, but the treatment is the same.
Remove all affected leaves and discard them in the trash.
Prune or trellis the tomatoes to increase air flow.
Mulch the area under/around each plant with straw to prevent spores from splashing up onto the stem and leaves.
Plants can be treated with a fungicide early on in the disease, but it may not be effective after the disease has progressed. However, if caught early and affected material is removed, fungicide is often not needed in home gardens. (If you do opt for a fungicide make sure to use one that is labeled for tomatoes and always follow the label directions.)
Rotate your tomato plants next year, and do not plant in the same location for at least 2 years.
I've linked two articles that provide additional information.
https://extension.umn.edu/disease-management/early-blight-tomato-and-potato
https://extension.sdstate.edu/wet-weather-leads-tomato-problems
Herbicide damage will usually cause leaves to curl, become deformed, and be thick and leathery.
In addition to some signs of disease, if you till your garden, it's possible that all of the rain has compacted and water logged the soil, so the roots aren't getting enough oxygen and eventually rotting. This could be why many of the plants are wilting without showing too many signs of disease yet.
Good luck, and hopefully things will start to dry out!
Sincerely,
Robin
Sent: Tuesday, June 25, 2024 9:27 AM
To: Lori Jorgensen <<personal data hidden>>
Subject: Re: Withering tomatoes (#0144466)
I'm glad they're looking better! Good luck with the treatment. Hopefully we won't get any more rain for a little while.
Robin