Soil has been tested and is good. Rotating has been taken to extreme of even planting in places where nothing has been previously grown. See earlier posts. I just wish I knew exactly what the disease is. I guess many different pathogens cause similar symptoms.

 

Someone on a different website looked at the pictures and suggested burying crystals around the plants!!! What's next - I don't talk to them enough?? At least here at FTE the answers are a bit more grounded in reality! Makes you appreciate the folks here when you visit other forums.

Only other one I have found that I would put at the level of FTE is the Apple iTunes help forum. Good folks there too.

 

this looks close to what you show in your pics. But it's an Aussie tomato disease.
I dunno, can you see the link above?
http://www.organicdownunder.com/tomato_diseases.htm

 

What you need to do is get a guitar, and sit with each of your sick plants for at least an hour a day singing to them - softly....

Just kidding, people are freaks. Bury crystals, HA! Yeah and when you're done with the crystals invite us all over to do a moon dance and sacrifice a chicken...

 

Although my father was unable to view your photos he seems to think it is a blight, just email those photos to a head of ag department at a local university or closest ag agent. I can give you an ag agent here that will help you as well if you email my yahoo address. YELLOJACKET9 - I hope this is not removed. Anyway all these guys love thier jobs and are very knowledgeable. Put tomato in subject .

 

I'm pretty convinced of that as well- especially because of the symptoms (sick plant growing next to healthy one). That would normally rule out insect infestation or soil issues.

FWIW, I started growing flowers (dahlias) in between the tomato plants and had spectacular results.

 

I don't have much to add to this, other than to say that I have found some varieties to be less trouble to raise than others. Last year I planted several varieties, and the only ones that did well were the Fourth of July tomatoes, and they all did well. Hope you have better luck this coming year, and can report back on your findings. Brady

 

The pictures on web sites of all the various diseases look much the same. I am thinking it must not be thrips since it is only some plants. But... the pictures sure look like the virus spread by thrips??? I found a web site, (Colorado State University), that lists several varieties of tomato bred in Hawaii that are very resistant to the virus. But can not find any company that sells the seed. Maybe Monsta can tell us if they are available in his new home state? I think he recently moved to Hawaii.

http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA...TS/tswilt.html

Maybe it is blight, as the symptoms look similar, but how to tell for sure? As I said they all look very much alike. I wonder how blight is spread from year to year??

 

Have you ruled out moles, gophers and nematodes?
They destroy selectively.
Ray Mac

 

I always had good luck with seeds from Johnnys Select Seeds. They have multiple seed farms in Maine, and put out a spectacular product. Excellent people to work with, too. A bunch of old hippies run the place. It's really quite an interesting farm.

 

Well, there seem to be many, many possibilities. I will try to sterilize the cages this year, using the swimming pool method. Shock the pool to raise the chlorine level way up and then sink the metal cages over night. Also will use mostly new walls of water and keep track of the old ones I do use to see if those plants get sick and the ones with new walls of water stay healthy. This will at least tell me if it is something I am spreading from year to year.

I will also plant more than we need again in case of the losses I have seen in the past few years.

This will have to be a long term project to see if I can figure something out. In that regard, it's almost time to start the early seedlings in the greenhouse. Just Cloroxed the greenhouse from top to bottom last week, so that is ready to go.

 

Shepard, I too am a fellow tomato grower, and also battle wilts each year. I grow about a dozen heirloom tomato varieties that are pretty much completely susceptible to Fusarium, Verticillium, Anthracnose and all the usual suspects.

The extension folks are real big on crop rotation and garden sanitation...but I've not found it to be much use. I wouldn't bother cloroxing the cages. These disease organisms are common soil inhabitants and are universally present in everyone's garden. If it weren't for these decays and rots, everything that fell to the soil would just lay there and accumulate, forever.

I did notice one thing in 2004. We had exceptional rainfall all season and mild temperatures. We didn't hit 90 one time in August...which is unusual for Iowa. Generally moisture and cool temps favors plant diseases, but I raised my best tomatoes ever. It appears to me that brief periods of moisture stress, trigger the diseases to overwhelm the plant. Although I usually water, it is never as adequate as natural rainfall.

I believe plant spacing is a useful technique and I usually leave at least 3 to 4 feet in all directions, between plants. This does allow the foliage to dry out better after heavy dews, and lowers the competition between plants - reducing stress for moisture, light and nutrients. Good luck with your search for a solution!

 

I have even grown some tomatoes by themselves. One plant in an area never planted before and 50 to 100 feet from the nearest other tomato. Still got sick. Also the very healthy plants are often right next to (leaves touching), a sick plant of the same variety. Very frustrating. Other people around here grow tomatoes with out much trouble, so must be something I do. The only thing I can think of is reusing the cages and Walls of Water from year to year without sterilizing.