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Strange Wilting

I have several plants that have one growing tip or one leaf branch that is wilting. Otherwise the plants look great. The affected areas are not in any specific location, some closer to the top and some closer to the bottom. My guess is maybe some type of critter but nothing is apparent. Anyone seen anything like this?

Comments (12)

  • 10 years ago

    I have also one plant that one of its branch shows wilting.

    The leaves turn dark green/black and roll.

    I will post a picture tomorrow.

    Sey

  • 10 years ago

    As said above, I have a plant with 2 main branches. One of them how wilting while the other is normal. No other plant in that and other beds have this problem.

    Here a is a fresh cut leaf branch:

    Lets take a look at the plant.

    The wilting gets worse during the day when the sun shines. and it looks ok early in the morning.

    Any hints ?

    Sey

  • 10 years ago

    Have you checked for physical damage to the stem further down?

    Maybe this is the very beginning onset of some vascular disease? Although those usually involve yellowing, etc. first.

    Maybe a stem borer? I've never experienced one and have no idea whether you have them as a problem where you are.

  • 10 years ago

    @gbehazinb ... maybe watering??? i have seen a few of my plants where i lived before and the weather there was HOT, HOT, HOT ... i added an extra watering to the schedule .... just a thought ... we live in spokane now, and wishing for some warm, not even hoping for hot .... <sigh>

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    When my plants wilt from heat, which is pretty rare, it's not just one branch of the plant but the entire plant. Sometimes, the newer, thinner, more tender foliage is more affected, but evenly all over the plant, not just on one side or one branch. Heat wilt is also much more subtle than what sey shows, in my experience, but I'm in PA and not in a climate that gets super hot and dry.

  • 10 years ago

    gorbelly,

    Mine is not a water issue for sure, but it does present as such on the effected branch. No yellowing or signs of disease at all. I have looked for damage or insects but have found none. I will try to post a pic but the last several times I have tried I haven't had any luck doing so.

  • 10 years ago

    Tomato wilt can be caused by verticillium, fusarium, walnut toxicity, vine borer or some viruses. I have had whole plants develop wilt that starts on one branch then takes down the whole plant within a few days. I think it was walnut toxicity from leaf compost in my potting soil, but I'll never know. Here's a good resource: http://lancaster.unl.edu/hort/articles/2002/tomatowilt.shtml

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    No one has mentioned genetics... I grew a heart shaped tomato last year--Joe Peschi--and the foliage was always wilty but otherwise, the plant grew and produced normally. I did some searching on the internet and found out that this happens with some tomato types, specifically heart shaped tomatoes. I almost removed this plant but did not due to laziness. Glad I did not, wonderful tomatoes.

  • 10 years ago

    Thanks for the link ohiofem. Rhoder, I have several heart varieties and they always look like death but keep pumping out tomatoes! The affected plants were not hearts however. I haven't seen the wilting for a few days so maybe im past it. It could have been a fert issue, not sure.

  • 10 years ago

    I just remembered an experience I had a few years back with wilting that turned out to be caused by a sudden influx of aphids. I rarely see them so didn't recognize what was happening right away. I was able to get rid of them and my plants bounced back. I learned later that over fertilization with nitrogen can make your plants particularly attractive to them. I've adjusted my fertilization practices and haven't had that problem since. Just another possibility.

  • 10 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    I also recommend putting plants with tiny, open flowers among or near your vegetables. This year, I planted sweet alyssum and yarrow and have a sedum in my borders that produces tiny yellow flowers through late spring, and my lemon thyme really hit its stride and has been flowering profusely for weeks. Between these, I always have something blooming that draws small wasps and tons and tons of hoverflies (not exaggerating--a LOT of hoverflies), and almost all of the aphids I've found on my plants have been dead or dying. Obviously not a quick fix for an existing problem, but something to consider for next year's garden planning, maybe. I'm usually skeptical about how effective these sorts of strategies really are, but this one really does seem to be working for me.

  • 10 years ago

    Ohiofem,

    That might be it and I did spray some spinosad and haven't seen anything since. Don't know if that works for aphids but so far so good.

    gorbelly,

    I need to plant my scarlet runner beans again. Those things were simply covered in critters.

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