Will I ever be able to produce a tomato since my plants wilt and die every summer? February 2, 2006
Question Will I ever be able to produce a tomato since my plants wilt and die every summer?
Answer Yes you can. There are several diseases that cause tomato plants to wilt and die. These diseases live in the soil. They enter your plant through the roots and grow inside the stem. Eventually, the disease population inside the stem gets so high that it clogs up the cells that transport water and nutrients. This clogging effect causes your plants to wilt and die.
Since there is NO chemical control, the standard solution is to rotate your disease prone plants around your garden. Plants in the same family should not be planted in the same place for at least 3 years. By the way, peppers, eggplants, tomatillos and Irish potatoes are in the same family as tomatoes.
There is another solution for folks with limited amount of land to rotate. The second solution is called the pot-in-pot method. Basically, you dig a hole and put one container in the ground, then plant your tomato in a second container. When the weather is warm enough, you set the second pot inside the first pot.
Nursery containers (often called pots) work well. The best sizes are 3 and 5 gallon. Be sure to use two pots that match in size and shape. A square peg won't fit in a round hole.
The key to the success of this method is the small gap between the two pots when they are nested together. This gap prevents (at least slows) the soil born disease's ability to reach the tomato roots.
This method gives you the ability to rotate the soil instead of the plants. Use a commercial soilless mix or make your own by mixing 1 part compost, 1 part sand and 1 part milled pine bark.
To prevent the bottom of the tomato from rotting before you pick it, be sure to add a couple tablespoons of gypsum per gallon of potting soil. Also mix in at least one tablespoon of lime per gallon of potting soil.
The tomatoes will have to be staked and fertilized as usual. Always sterilize used pots with a 10% bleach solution before using. Mulch around the tomatoes inside the pot will reduce moisture fluctuation in the container.
The Sheriff's Department frowns on growing pot in a pot, but doesn't have any problem with the pot-in-pot methodology for tomatoes. If you want more information about diseases, then call me at 910-893-7533, write me at PO Box 1089, Lillington, NC 27546 or email me at gary_pierce@ncsu.edu More info can be found on the web at http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/ppa/ppa19/ppa19.htm
By the way, there is no truth to the rumor that adding Viagra to your potting mix will prevent you from having to stake the tomato vines.
| 
