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Tomato Wilting - Opinions Sought

mwtbonesmwtbones Posts: 16
in Fruit & veg
Hi. I've got a Black Krim tomato plant raised from seed in my greenhouse that is wilted and I'd like any experienced opinions on what the issue and remedy might be. It basically went floppy a few days ago shortly after I watered and trimmed a low leaf.

I initially thought it was simply over-watering on my part but it doesn't seem to be recovering and I'm getting concerned that it's something bacterial or some physical damage somewhere. Here's a photo. The basil (supermarket transplant)isn't looking happy either but that's generally been the case early in the year when the greenhouse gets cold at night.



Here is another shot with a close up of the stem. 



So far all the other tomato plants in the same soil are fine. I've also got spare Black Krim plants in pots that I can swap in. I'm just wondering how long to give this one to pull back or whether to dig it out and get rid now. Thanks for any help.

Posts

  • mwtbonesmwtbones Posts: 16
    Oh, and I'm in SW Wales if location helps with any diagnoses.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I've had a few floppy leaves on young tom. plants on occasion, but that usually due to a heat/cold spike.
    The only thing I notice is the split in the stem just above the ground - that doesn't look right and will have some sort of impact on water uptake.
    It sounds like you have a spare, if it were me, I'd pull the dodgy one and replant with your spare.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Fire LilyFire Lily Posts: 296
    How deep did you plant it? Tomatoes wants to be planted really deep, I would remove the lower branches and add soil/compost so only the top is visible, then more roots will form along the stem. Tomatoes are thirsty plants and need a lot of roots. 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I would remove the cardboard, what’s it’s for? They will take up more water without that soaking it up. 
    Im not exactly sure, but I think that split is due to irregular watering,  they’ve got very dry, you’ve water and they’ve tried to take it up too quickly, I don’t think it’s a worry, just water when the top inch or so of the soil is dry. 
    Remove the dead leaves and pile the soil up around the stalks, like you would potatoes covering the split. 
    you will need to pick the side shoots out of those as well. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I would have thought it would be too chilly at night.
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    Fire Lily said:
    How deep did you plant it? Tomatoes wants to be planted really deep, I would remove the lower branches and add soil/compost so only the top is visible, then more roots will form along the stem. Tomatoes are thirsty plants and need a lot of roots. 
    Just to add to this; I like to plant my tomato plants deeply as above, water them in and then don't water for at least a week unless they get very wilted. This basically forces them to put on better root growth to look for water. If you go easy on them they're less inclined to root much beyond the pot they were in.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • mwtbonesmwtbones Posts: 16
    @Fire Lily - I doubt it's an issue with the planting depth. All the tomatoes were planted increasingly deeply when repotted and when placed in the ground.

    @Lyn - The cardboard is primarily to keep the leaves out of the soil and isn't soaking up water from the ground. It's only got damp marks from where the watering can has hit it. The soil is moist. If anything the cardboard acts as a mulch and reduces evaporation. I don't think the plants ever got very dry. I've been watering every few days or more when the greenhouse has been hot, which is why overwatering was my first suspicion. The question really is how quickly a plant should recover from such a situation.

    @Pete8 - I am concerned about the split, which is why I took the close up. As you say, I do have spares which are happy enough in large pots for at least a few weeks. I was concerned that I might be missing signs of an issue that required urgent attention really. As is I think I'll wait to see if this perks up after letting the soil dry out and rewatering and then take a spade to it if not.
     
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