My tomatoes are dying at the soil line!!!

Discussion in 'Fruit and Veg Gardening' started by jenny_b, Jun 24, 2009.

  1. jenny_b

    jenny_b New Seed

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    Oh Help Please!!
    I've planted 4 varieties of tomatoes in my garden. 24 plants in all. In the last two weeks I've lost 7 plants. At first I thought it may be ants, but I don't know.
    The plants seem healthy enough, but then the stem starts to look very thin and tapered at the soil line. Next the bottom leaves go yellow, the plant falls over as if it's been cut and then it's gone!!!
    Any help would be wonderful. I'm not a natural gardener. I don't know blight from cut worm. And the online help is getting confusing. Do I trash the plants? Can I save any of them?
    Thanks!!
     
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  3. gardenmama

    gardenmama In Flower

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    This is a link to explain what blight it. Basically the plant turns all black all over.

    http://www.thegardenhelper.com/blight1.htm

    Cut worm damage looks as if the plant has completely been cut off at the soil.

    http://www.essortment.com/all/cutworms_rcit.htm

    You can prevent cut worms by placing a newspaper collar around the plant, just bury it in the soil and root ball around the plant. The worms are lazy and won't climb over or eat through. I have mine planted in tires and no cut worms get at them.
     
  4. Sjoerd

    Sjoerd Mighty Oak

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    Hi,

    Could you post a few pics of your plants...including a close-up of the soil line and perhaps a removed plant showing damage to the stem?
    I would like to see fotos of the leaves as well.
     
  5. jenny_b

    jenny_b New Seed

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    I'll wrestly my camera away from my daughter today and send a picture.
    Thank you both for your help!
     

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