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Wilting Peppers #877908

Asked July 19, 2024, 11:49 AM EDT

Hi! This is our second year growing in our high tunnel. We planted peppers and tomatoes in it both years. Our problem started a couple weeks ago with our tomatoes getting a hard crust on them where the plant comes out of the soil - those plants ended up dying (approx. 3 tomato plants). We ended up spraying some copper fungicide on them and no more tomato plants have done this since. Now this week, our pepper plants have been wilting and dying. Everyday we go out there, there has been another pepper plant casualty. What is going on with my peppers? If they keep doing this, they will all be gone in no time. The pepper plants that are dying aren't concentrated in one area like the tomatoes were. The are wilting on opposite ends and opposite sides of the high tunnel. We thought it might have gotten to hot in there, but we made sure to keep the sides up so it didn't and they are still wilting. How do I remedy this? What could be wrong?

Itasca County Minnesota

Expert Response

Hi Sarah,

I'm going to assume you have kept them watered. Sudden wilt sounds like a fungal issue.

https://lancaster.unl.edu/tomato-sudden-wilt

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/spotted-wilt-virus-tomatoes/

I would definitely not plant anything in the solanum family in the high tunnel next year.

I'm sorry I can't be of more help. Wilt really does happen overnight. It's been a very wet summer and we are seeing SO many fungal issues. 

https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP-69-W.pdf

Sally Granath

St. Louis County MG

An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 24, 2024, 11:36 PM EDT

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