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Need help to ID some root, crown disease
James Gardner
Posts: 3
in Fruit & veg
Hi,
Been having some issues with tomato plants. So far there are no visible symptoms on the foliage or stem but I dug around the crown area and found this (pictures).
The plants are on drip irrigation. I water 10 min 4 times on a sunny day and once on a cloudy day. The soil is sandy silt but seem to remain moist.
I am lost as is it fusarium, pythium, rhizoctonia or just too much moisture?
Thank you all!
0
Posts
That sounds like a lot of watering, although it depends on the depth of soil / drainage / position / size of plant relationship.
I grow tomatoes in a bed in a sunny hot greenhouse with about a foot of good growing depth before hard clay sub soil and water twice daily on a timer for 10 minutes at the moment, adjusting time to suit growth but not frequency. Feeding once a week from first set.
Thank you Toady. I will adjust the watering regiment accordingly and I will move some soil above the crow in hope of new roots growth in order to salvage the plants. I will try to break the hard pan using metal rods that I will disinfect after each holes. Do you have any other ideas to add to this strategy?
Take a look at the ring culture method, very successful, many people swear by it including Jim on the Beechgrove garden. Was going to give it a go myself but having plenty of success growing in greenhouse beds which I borrowed from Monty.