"GS"???

Can't find it at Garden Supply...Do you maybe have a product name?

Face similar problems so I'm always interested in possible help.

Structure -- it's called Root Shield at Gardener's Supply. I can't remember the name of it at Gardens Alive, but you've mentioned it in another post. That's what made me look it up and try it. Hadn't even heard of it before your post asking if anyone had used it. I'd be really interested to hear if it helps you too. You do have to apply it BEFORE the fusarium wilt attacks your roots (so at transplant time) so it probably won't be any good with what you have already planted, but if you could throw something in the ground now, you probably have a long enough growing season to see if it helps you. It hasn't just helped me, it's made growing tomatoes possible.

Thanks again Livvyliv. I ordered some already. I'll repost in 6 months and let you know how it went!

joel

The excerpt below is from the company that makes Root Shield and please note that it says for nursery and greenhouse crops, not outside tomatoes and not the Fusarium that affects tomatoes of which there are three races.

Fusarium affects many crops besides tomatoes, there are many different species of Fusarium, and Root Shield has been great for preventing damping off and other root problems seen with bedding plants, etc.

Just do a general Google search and you'll see what I mean.

When this product first came out and folks saw the word for Fusarium the ASAP thought was aha, no more Fusarium with tomatoes, but that wasn't the case. In a thread here at GW it was discussed and one person e-mailed the company and the answer was that it had not been approved for the Fusarium that affected tomatoes.

here's a snipet from the company's website citing the nursery greenhouse use and below I'll link to the company's website.

if only there was an easy fix for Fusarium and tomatoes, but sadly, there isn't.

(Two new biological fungicides are being touted as potential chemical alternatives. One is already on the market. BioWorks Inc. in Geneva, N.Y., says RootShield protects plants from Fythium, Fusarium, Rhizoctonia and Sclerotinia in nursery and greenhouse crops. The product, developed at Cornell University, contains Trichoderma harzianum as its active ingredient.)

Carolyn

Here is a link that might be useful: Root Shield Usage

I just ordered some of this root shield. I know it's probably too late, but I'm hoping it might extend my season just a little. It's my first year in greenhouse gardening and I'm afraid all but one of my tomato plants is suffering from fusarium wilt. And the ones that are worse are supposed to be the disease resistant greenhouse varieties! I'm also looking at something called Actinovate. Anyone use this and have luck? All of my plants have at least a few good looking tomatoes on them but the yellowing is creeping up the plant and a few leaves have died on two plants, so I'm afraid I won't have many more tomatoes growing.

disease resistant greenhouse varieties

****

While I don't know which varieties you're growing and which disease tolerances have been bred in, there's NO variety, OP or heirloom that's totally resistent to any disease; perhaps better to say tolerant.

And the degree of tolerance can depend on several factors.

The best you can hope for is a couple of weeks more growth and fruit maturation than you might have had otherwise.

Those extra two weeks or so are important to the large commercial tomato farmer in terms of reaching the Brix concentration needed before they harvest.

About 95 % of all seed production is devoted to commercial F1 hybrid seed and the rest to OP seed, according to Jim Waltrip, who used to be the PR/contact person at Petoseed.

Carolyn

Thanks once again for posting Carolyn. Even if it's disappointing...:( I'll give the root shield a try anyway.

Thankfully, containers are working GREAT! I can always fill the garden space with other yummies that don't mind a little Fusarium!

I just wanted to post an update. My father who is an ag entomologist took a look at them and said he could be wrong, but he really thought it looked more like nitrogen deficieny rather than fusarium. I applied fish emulsion to the roots and the green is coming back in many of the yellow leaves! And the others are looking so much better. The dead leaves of course are gone, and a couple may not recover but I'm so relieved it seems to be a simple nitrogen problem. I thought for sure they were already getting everything they needed, but obviously not. I'll probably apply once more this week and then hold off a little while. I did get the root shield in yesterday and applied this morning, just to protect them in the future. Thank you for your help!

I'm going to try Copper Sulfate and Daconil this year. Neem oil products have proven to be useless. I fear my problems may be underground. Has anyone used the Gardens Alive brand of Trichoderma harzianum? Its called Root Guardian. I'm running out of options. If I can't find something that works this year, I'll be converting both sides of my entire 16 foot trellis over to Hydroponic methods next spring which will not be an inexpensive endeavor. I've just about had enough of this organic nonsense. My Indoor hydroponic peppers look lush and green all year round, while by late august my outdoor tomatoes look as though Battery Acid has been thrown all over them. It's just sickening.
~Ken~