Tomatos & Eggplants grow well, then wilt why? Plus Imag

[Lawrence Croeser]

Good Day,

I have grown the eggplants from seedlings, supplied from a reputable dealer. The tom's I grew from seed and transplanted both when they were well established and strong.

Both veg beads had a light dressing of both LAN & 2:3:2, watered a left for about a month before I transplanted the veg. All the plants took well and then one by one over a period of a few weeks wilted & died. The wilting of a plant takes about a week, from the first leaf wilting untill the whole plant is done.

I live in the southern hemisphere, with hot sunny and humid weather. It is beginning to cool now.

You will notice in the images that my chillies do very well, as do my bush beans, green peppers. My sorrel and rocket are not prolific. I don't know if this will indicate a problem.

20 years ago, this used to be sugar cane lands, I suspect this may be part of the problem.

Please help, as you know it is very disappointing to see your plants die off.
[img]https://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae271/lawrencecroeser/Veggies%20Wilting%20take%202/DSC_01360001.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae271/lawrencecroeser/Veggies%20Wilting%20take%202/DSC_01370002.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae271/lawrencecroeser/Veggies%20Wilting%20take%202/DSC_01390003.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae271/lawrencecroeser/Veggies%20Wilting%20take%202/DSC_01410004.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae271/lawrencecroeser/DSC_01330001.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae271/lawrencecroeser/DSC_01340002.jpg[/img]
Many thanks............Lawrence

[rainbowgardener]

Your plants have indeed died a horrible death... So sorry, I know it has to be very disappointing and frustrating.

I think you really need to look around for local gardening clubs/ societies, good local nurseries, etc. -- find knowledgeable local people to help you with these questions. Google garden clubs + South Africa (or more specific location) you should find some starting places.

I don't feel like most of us can be much help from half a world away. I know so little about your soil, common insects/diseases, weather patterns, etc, I can't even hazard a guess.

We're even having some communication problems:

"Both veg beads had a light dressing of both LAN & 2:3:2, watered a left for about a month before I transplanted the veg"

I don't know what LAN is and I can't follow the rest of it...

Someone who knows your conditions will be MUCH more help! All gardening is local!

[GardenJester]

hmmm... looks like it might be some kind of root damage. There's a balance between root mass and plant size. If the roots are damaged, the above ground part fartherest from the root will start dying because water and nutrians can't get to it. Pull one of the afflicted plant out of ground, if it comes away easily without much attached dirt, and the root size is considerably smaller than the plant, then something is causing your root to die.

[cynthia_h]

It occurred to me earlier this afternoon that perhaps a disease is lurking in the soil. Both eggplants and tomatoes are in the Solanaceae family of plants (which they share with potatoes and peppers), so on a random whim I looked at

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verticillium_wilt

simply because it was the first soil-borne disease affecting these plants whose name came to me. Yes, tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and eggplant (Solanum melongena), as well as peppers (Capsicum spp.) and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), are listed as susceptible plants.

However, not having seen the roots of your plants, I can't say with any certainty that V. wilt is causing your plants to die; my main point is that, since the plants are planted close together and initially thriving, then dying, on approx. the same schedule, the same agent is likely responsible for their demise.

Since you have been sedulous in your care, we need to look elsewhere for the agent of their destruction. I looked at the soil as a possible host for V. wilt. But there are other possibilities, both in the soil and airborne. (For example: I'm not even certain that V. wilt has been transmitted to RSA.)

Please look at the photos provided of plants affected by V. wilt, both in the Wiki article and elsewhere on the Internet, and discern whether the same condition has affected the roots of your tomatoes and eggplants.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[DoubleDogFarm]

My sorrel and rocket are not prolific. I don't know if this will indicate a problem.

Lawrence croeser,

Sorrel and Arugula. Probably can't use these as any kind of indicator species. Both are cool weather varieties that don't do well in the heat.

Where were they grown Could hardening off be the issue

[SP8]

From the look of those pics if your peppers weren’t doing so well I'd put my money on over-watering and/or poor drainage but your peppers look great so……..?

Are your peppers ‘uphill’ of the rest?

[Lawrence Croeser]

Thank you all for the replies.

My chillies are great, they get the same treatment water etc. They on exactly the same level.

I am careful not to over water. The problem above I had experienced a few years back when we planted veggies, same plants same problems.

Many thanks.................Lawrence

[applestar]

If it IS Wilt, maybe it would help if you solarized the soil in the area. I believe I've read that 2 layers of plastic works even better than 1 layer -- a black layer directly on the ground and a clear layer on top. Make sure to soak the ground first.

Personally, I would add GOOD compost to the area after solarizing to restore the beneficial microbes which will have been killed along with the bad.

[garden5]

Hmmm, if it is verticillium wilt that has affected his tomatoes and eggplants, don't you think it strange, then, that it didn't affect the peppers? They are both of the same family. How close are your peppers to your eggplants?

[applestar]

This is just a conjecture, but maybe the capsaicin in the HOT peppers helped to fight off the disease.