I bought the "best looking" Sweet 100 cherry tomato plant I could find, and the poor thing is slowly passing to that big garden in the sky. Hardened off properly, watered when needed, lightly fertilized, and it is so sickly. Here's my question--what variety of cherry tomato (salad tomato) do you recommend? Another question--should I keep nursing this pathetic plant along or replace it with another? Either way I'm going to try to find another plant and put it in a different spot in the garden.
Sorry to hear about the cherry tomato woes. That is the same variety I've grown, and also Super Sweet. I thnk I preferred Super Sweet. I don't know if this helps, but I have had issues with purchased tomato plants being ringed along the soil line. If you check just at the soil level along the stem of the plant, sometimes there can be an area where there are no fuzzy tomato plant hairs ( trichomes). This is from the tomato being overwatered, sometimes from a seller eagerly trying to keep it lovely and lush before sale. I have also found soil pulled up over it in an attempt from the seller to "help"the plant, or eek it along. Sadly it is usually fatal if it is all around the stem. I've tried burying a lot of the stem with little success. I hope you find some answers. I guess the up side is you get to shop for another tomato plant
I have a few things to suggest: 1– try and get hold of some “ Mountain Magic”. Seeds. They are slightly larger than the usual cherry tomato...but boy, oh boy are ther especially delicious. 2– you could leave the plant in the pot and cut it off about 4-5 fingers above the soil level and see what happens. I did this to a tom in my greenhouse one year and it went on to behave normally and produce fruits. 3– you could then take that plant segment that you have just removed and plant it in seeding soil after removing all of the leaves except the top two or three. *you could use a rooting enzyme powder or not—your call, but I do not believe that it is necessary. You could also slip a plastic sandwich bag (or something similar) over your cutting for a couple of weeks.. I also do not see this as essential with toms; however, it is SOP with doing cuttings so you could not be faulted for doing this. The reason for removing all except two leaves and the use of a clear plastic bag is to avoid moisture loss. ** I also find it important to keep your cutting warm during this process. I use a heating pad on the lowest setting for this. It is also your call if you want to use a propagator or just the sandwich bag. You know we do not know what is going on with the one sick plant and for that reason I would strictly isolate it from the rest of your plantlets. You could have a wilting disease ( I do not know the English term for this) but it is caused by a Verticillium sort. In this case it is a lost cause and you must destroy the plantlet with fire or something similar. Take the utmost precaution as you do not want this to spread to your spuds or strawberries. Do not take this thing lightly. I have had this and it wiped out most of my potatos and strawbs one year.
If someone has warm soil, any helathy tomato ( including Cherry) can have it's stem buried from what I understand. I cannot because my soil is too cold. I was referring to evidence of an illness on the stem at the level of soil. Trying to bury that will not, in my experience, help. I think Sjoerd has the best advice on this - totally different growing situation than I have.
The tomato is in the garden, and frankly didn't look all that great when it was in a pot. I think I'll follow the good advice I've been given--cut it down and hope the "mother plant" recovers, root the cutting, get it buried deep when rooted. I checked for the ring at the soil line, and there was none. I suspect I just got a bum plant! I'm going to purchase another from a different supplier and plant it in a different bed. I don't suspect wilt. I've seen it before and this plant doesn't exhibit any of the symptoms. It is good to know how invasive it is. If wilt appears, those plants go on the burn pile immediately!
You may try to drench it with Povidone Iodine (Betadine) first, 2-3 Tablespoons per gallon water. It is a contact killer that will not harm the plant. It will not work if the pathogen is inside the plant already or its a soil oddness.
If it has verticillium or fusarium will it wont survive and could infect the soil and other plants. I would discard it. It's encouraging that your plant doesn't seem to have those however, Sungold always does very will for me. Very vigorous. I always had good luck with Supersweet 100 and 1000.
I agree about infection. The problem with the real nasties is they are hard to get to in the soil. If its bad fungal I would use potassium phosphites. It will do a number on both of those you mention, and it is systemic and organic. Basically a false potassium, it gets about inside a plant and can be taken in foliarly as well as by root. Even injected. Here is a pic from a Thesis where fusarium is being chased away by potassium phosphites In Petri dishes at different concentrations. Basically hit it hard and keep after it in a garden. View attachment 23697
