dying tomato plants

Question: i have 2 tomato plants growing in a grow box with a reservoir of water.  I have a Black Krim and a Super Fantastic.  the Black Krim did exceptionally well until about a week ago when it started to look a little bedraggled.  The Super Fantastic actually got choked out by the other for a while but seemed to be making a good comeback.  Yesterday morning it looked robust and healthy but today it is wilted and dying.  the soil is moist throughout but it looks like it isn't getting enough water. In only 24 hours there was a big change.  My other tomatoes in separate pots are doing quite well.  There has been no change in water. I see no spots on leaves or stems and though I have seen a few areas that look like it has been eaten, these are minimal and I can't find any horn worms or other pests.  It has not been exposed to any herbicide that I know of and I have only used the food that comes with the grow box.

responder: Judy K Arapahoe County Master Gardener Replied August 27, 2024, 10:48 PM EDT
response: Hello Brenda,  My apologies for the delay in answering your question. Also, thank you for the picture.  Unfortunately, it looks as though your tomato plants may not improve. It’s difficult to see in the picture so I can’t give an accurate opinion, but because the lower leaves are brown and mostly dead, it could be a fungal disease like fusarium.  Many common tomato problems can be avoided by using good cultural practices. The first would be to space plants far apart enough so they don’t touch and so there is good air circulation around each plant. This is important for tomatoes.  Also, planting tomato cultivars that are disease resistant will help you avoid problems like this in the future. Black Krim is a wonderful and tasty tomato, but it is an heirloom tomato and has not been bred for disease resistance.  Watering practices are also of great importance. Water at the soil level and try to avoid getting the foliage wet. Soil should be damp but not soggy. If there are no holes in the bottom of your planter, it would be a good idea to add some to allow for excess water to drain out. In addition, the cardboard on top of the soil may be a contributing factor because it may be preventing air circulation to the roots.  Lastly, it would be a good idea to remove the soil from your planter and discard it. Clean the inside of the planter with a 10% bleach solution and add new soil for next year. This sounds like a lot of work but it’s a good sanitation practice for garden planters when plants may be diseased.  See this link for further tomato information:  https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/recognizing-tomato-problems-2-949/?_gl=1*1llfwgn*_ga*OTI1NjIwOTkzLjE2NzQxNjExOTQ.*_ga_ZZ27K7HW51*MTcyNDY5NzM2OS4yNDkuMS4xNzI0Njk3OTU2LjAuMC4w

responder: The Question Asker Replied August 28, 2024, 3:59 PM EDT
response: Thank you for your response and  advice. I will, as you advise, discard the soil and sanitize the planter. I am fairly new to gardening so I really do appreciate all your advice.  As far as next year goes, knowing what I know now, I will not get Black Krim again. What are your recommendations for a tomato variety that does well here and is disease resistant? I prefer the medium size tomatoes rather than the big beefsteaks. And with our summers getting hotter and hotter, are there any that are more heat resistant?  I don't know if it makes a difference, but my situation is such that I am limited to container gardening. Thank you again for your helpBrenda JohnsonOn Tue, Aug 27, 2024 at 8:48 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Judy K Arapahoe County Master Gardener Replied August 31, 2024, 10:42 PM EDT
response: Hi Brenda,  When looking for tomatoes it would be a good idea to shop at the independent garden centers rather than big box stores. Garden centers carry tomatoes that do well in our area, and most are disease resistant. Keep in mind that “disease resistant” means that they are bred to resist disease but not guaranteed to never contract a disease. This is where good cultural practices come into play. If you use good sanitation practices and plant only one tomato in your planter box, they should do much better.   I would also not rule out Black Krim because they are definitely worth the growing. In fact, they are #1 on the list of Arapahoe County Master Gardeners’ favorite tomatoes. These are the favorites: Black Krim, Celebrity, Chef’s Choice, Midnight Snack, San Marzano, Sungold, Super Sweet 100 and Yellow Pear.  San Marzano is a medium size pear tomato. It is meaty and one of my favorites. Midnight Snack, Sungold, Super Sweet 100 and Yellow Pear are cherry size tomatoes, while Celebrity and Chef’s Choice are larger tomatoes.  When you look at tomato selections, you may notice the letters V, F, N or TMV on the labels. These letters mean the plant is genetically resistant to verticillium wilt, V; fusarium wilt, F; nematodes, N; and tobacco mosaic virus, TMV. Tomatoes that are sold in locally owned garden centers will probably always have disease resistance.  See the link below for some heat resistant varieties. I’m not sure that the garden centers will carry any of these varieties, but that’s another question you can pose to them when you go there. Also it would definitely be worthwhile to look into some shade fabric to protect your tomatoes when the temperatures are so high (90-100+). The fabric could be draped over the top of your frame during the hot hours of the day and removed for the evening, night and early morning. It could probably be re-used every year.  https://marylandgrows.umd.edu/2022/10/21/heat-tolerant-tomato-varieties-we-tried-in-2022/

responder: The Question Asker Replied September 01, 2024, 1:50 AM EDT
response: Thank you so much for the info. On Sat, Aug 31, 2024, 8:42 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote: