Post by brownrexx on Jun 18, 2020 7:23:54 GMT -5
I had a terrible problem with my tomatoes and some peppers this year. I grew my tomatoes from seed and purchased bell pepper seedlings and planted them all in the garden on May 14.
Some of the plants were not looking healthy and the Cherokee Purple plant was wilting. On June 9, I dug down around the stems and found brown, hard and shrunken areas at ground level and slightly below ground level on 8 of my 17 tomatoes and several of my bell peppers. I remember that this had happened to one plant last year. I kept watering it and it would recover and then wilt again. I finally removed it and replaced it. The new plant in the same hole had no problems and grew fine. I never found out what had caused the problem. The stems were full, green and healthy above the brown area.
I detailed this problem on a Tomato forum and one of the experts there diagnosed damping off. I had never heard of this on mature plants but I Googled and saw pictures that matched mine. I pulled the Cherokee Purple and cut the stem at the brown area and it was dry and brown all through. This was not a soft type of rot.
I decided to try 2 different things. 2 of the Big Beef looked so large and healthy that I could not bear to pull them so I piled soil up around the green part of the stems and am keeping it wet to encourage rooting. So far they appear to be growing and not wilting.
The other 5 plants looked worse and I cut them off just above the brown area and put them in water to grow roots. They did not grow a lot of roots but they did grow some so yesterday I bought some potting soil and I planted these tomatoes in holes in the garden that I filled with potting soil. I am hoping for the best.
I was able to find a replacement for the Cherokee Purple and I planted that in the garden. I replaced a few peppers too with new seedlings from the greenhouse.
In my reading online about damping off I discovered that the fungus that causes it actually lives in the soil but mature plants have stronger stems and they are able to avoid infection.
I have 2 theories about what has happened to mine. First, we had severe wind for days after planting out and I wonder if the stems got small injuries from whipping back and forth in the soil and this allowed the fungus to get inside and take hold. I do not stake my plants. They usually grow and are supported by cages when they get larger.
Second theory - I always cut off the lower branches and plant deep to get more roots. Maybe these fresh cuts allowed the fungus to enter. I have always planted this way and only ever had a problem in that one plant last year but maybe it's a mistake. I didn't plant the new seedlings that I bought deeper than they were in their original pots.
What do you guys think?
This is a tomato stem
20200608_195551 by Brownrexx, on Flickr
20200608_195457 by Brownrexx, on Flickr
and here is one of the peppers:
Pepper damping off by Brownrexx, on Flickr
Some of the plants were not looking healthy and the Cherokee Purple plant was wilting. On June 9, I dug down around the stems and found brown, hard and shrunken areas at ground level and slightly below ground level on 8 of my 17 tomatoes and several of my bell peppers. I remember that this had happened to one plant last year. I kept watering it and it would recover and then wilt again. I finally removed it and replaced it. The new plant in the same hole had no problems and grew fine. I never found out what had caused the problem. The stems were full, green and healthy above the brown area.
I detailed this problem on a Tomato forum and one of the experts there diagnosed damping off. I had never heard of this on mature plants but I Googled and saw pictures that matched mine. I pulled the Cherokee Purple and cut the stem at the brown area and it was dry and brown all through. This was not a soft type of rot.
I decided to try 2 different things. 2 of the Big Beef looked so large and healthy that I could not bear to pull them so I piled soil up around the green part of the stems and am keeping it wet to encourage rooting. So far they appear to be growing and not wilting.
The other 5 plants looked worse and I cut them off just above the brown area and put them in water to grow roots. They did not grow a lot of roots but they did grow some so yesterday I bought some potting soil and I planted these tomatoes in holes in the garden that I filled with potting soil. I am hoping for the best.
I was able to find a replacement for the Cherokee Purple and I planted that in the garden. I replaced a few peppers too with new seedlings from the greenhouse.
In my reading online about damping off I discovered that the fungus that causes it actually lives in the soil but mature plants have stronger stems and they are able to avoid infection.
I have 2 theories about what has happened to mine. First, we had severe wind for days after planting out and I wonder if the stems got small injuries from whipping back and forth in the soil and this allowed the fungus to get inside and take hold. I do not stake my plants. They usually grow and are supported by cages when they get larger.
Second theory - I always cut off the lower branches and plant deep to get more roots. Maybe these fresh cuts allowed the fungus to enter. I have always planted this way and only ever had a problem in that one plant last year but maybe it's a mistake. I didn't plant the new seedlings that I bought deeper than they were in their original pots.
What do you guys think?
This is a tomato stem
20200608_195551 by Brownrexx, on Flickr
20200608_195457 by Brownrexx, on Flickr
and here is one of the peppers:
Pepper damping off by Brownrexx, on Flickr