Insxncere
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Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2022 8:21 pm

Under or Over watered?

Help, this plant has been perfectly green but wilted for the past few days now. It’s ohio summer here, 80s everyday, ive been watering 1x and in the past few days its been very rainy. Ground is still wet. They are mulched with manure compost.
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Insxncere
Newly Registered
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2022 8:21 pm

please help!!

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applestar
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Posts: 30551
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

I can’t quite tell what the culprit might be.

One other possibility I can think of is this —
:arrow: STALK BORER in my Tomato , Potato, PEPPER - HelpfulGardener.com
viewtopic.php?t=58700

This year, I again found one plant with a hole near the base — actually about 6 inches up.

imafan26
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Posts: 14002
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

I can't tell either. However, if it is in the 80's during the day, especially if it is windy, wilting may be a normal way for the plant to cope with the heat. If the plant perks up in the evening and is fine early in the morning, this can be normal. This is especially true if you are not growing a heat resistant variety.

Sometimes it does not have to be that hot during the day. Sometimes the problem lies in the fact that the night temperatures are too warm. It can promote fungal diseases and root rot.

Pests can definitely cause issues as well. My usual suspects are nematodes and that is why I either grow tomatoes in containers or only plant nematode resistant tomatoes in the ground.

Wilting is usually a plant response to stress. From either losing too much water (or not getting enough), or not being able to move water from the roots to the leaves.

I can't tell what kind of soil you have. A soil that is high in organic matter will retain more moisture longer, mulching can help reduce water loss from the surface. However, I don't mulch with manure, it can actually burn the plant and cause more problems especially if the manure is hot. Compost does help but it should be a couple of inches deep. Tomatoes are not as fussy as other plants about mulch close to the stem. If it a problem with heat and the sun intensity, choosing a heat resistant cultivar will help as will providing some shading.

If the soil is still "wet", what is the drainage like? If the soil is moist at the root zone. It does not need more water. I grow tomatoes in containers, they dry very fast and will start to wilt after a day and a half, so they need to be watered daily. The tomatoes I have in the ground can go 2-3 days before wilting. I have clay soil and a lot of organic matter in the soil, and the main garden is raised 8 inches so it drains very well. I don't use an organic mulch. I use a reflective mulch in some containers or I under plant containers. Under planting does the same thing as mulch, it helps to shade the soil and conserve moisture. I get a second crop in the same space. Plants will either use up excess water and nutrients or they offer some benefit as companions. Because of where I live, I select heat and disease resistant cultivars.



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