Tomato Plants Dying

[scyap]

Hi,

I planted some tomato plants in a large trough a couple of months ago. However when they were about 2 feet high they started wilting one by one; beginning at one end of the trough. Thinking that it may be some disease/insect/fungi in the soil that was causing the problem I poured insecticide mixed with fungicide into the trough and let it stand for about a month.

Hoping that any disease would be eliminated, I replanted tomatoes in the same trough recently. However the same problem has occurred and the plants are dying one by one. It seem quite healthy the day before and wilted the next day.

Hope someone can enlighten me of the problem and possibly advise a solution. Thank You.

[FarmerDill]

You must be somewhere in a tropical, subtropical zone.The description fits southern bacterial wilt. There are a few resistant varieties of tomato, howver it usually arises whem tomatoes have wet feet. You have good drainage in your trough?>

[Maren Purves]

the email address of the original poster ends in sg (Singapore), I'd call that tropical.

We have similar problems with tomatoes here (Hawaii), and only varieties bred to be resistant to just about any wilt as well as nematodes will grow here - then subject to our sometimes close to foot/hour rainfalls. As FarmerDill says, make sure you have good drainage.

I currently have one bred for local growing conditions in a planter and it appears to hold up - so far.

Maren, > You must be somewhere in a tropical, subtropical zone.The description fits

[R M. Watkin]

Hi All, when you put the fungicide through the trough did you use the same compost ?. as you did not make this very clear. what you should have done is empty the compost out of the trough. then wash the trough, then sterilise the trough with something like Jeys Fluid. [ this is a product name, there must be some thing similar in your area. ]. when you have a clean trough fill it with new compost and start again. then there is no chance of the disease being transfered to the new plants. hope this helps you.

Richard M. Watkin.

[scyap]

Hi,

Thanks very much to all for your swift response to my gardening problem. Yes I live in the tropics; on the top level of an apartment block with a roof terrace and it have been very wet (raining every day for the past week).

I realize that I will have to abstain from growing tomatoes in the trough for a while or to discard the soil from the trough. Appreciate you let me know if there is any special actions or precautions to take in disposing of the soil. ( don't wish to contaminate the surroundings).

Regards.