That is sort of odd, but I've seen it before in my garden and it wasn't pretty. Has there been mulch up against that stem up to the point where the white ends and the green becomes visible again?

Often, that sort of white fungal growth at the base of a plant in our weather is a symptom of southern blight (Sclerotium rolfsii). I've only had it one time on one single tomato plant in my garden, and that was way back in our earliest years here---probably not the first year here but likely the 3rd or 4th. I cannot remember if I saw the wilting of the plant first, or the white fungal growth, but either way, if it is southern blight the plant likely is a goner. I don't know of any treatment for southern blight once it is affecting a plant.

And, as an odd bit of a coincidence, the only plant hit by the southern blight in my garden was a tomato variety named Southern Night. I guess I could have written a rhyming poem about Southern Night having southern blight, but I wasn't amused by it at the time.

Is your plant showing any sign of wilting foliage?

I'm going to link a photo of a pepper plant with southern blight for you. Does it look familiar? On the linked page, just scroll down to the words Southern Blight and click on them and the photo will appear.

Once I had determined my tomato plant had southern blight, I removed it from the garden and bagged it up and threw it away. I did not want to put that sick plant on my compost pile. Southern blight can affect at least 500 different plants, including edible and ornamental crops/plants. It can survive on organic matter in the soil, so take great care not to spread it in your garden by moving around mulch or soil from that area of the garden. You could attempt to fix the soil by adding more organic matter to it, or by putting clear sheet plastic over that area for a couple of months and solarizing the soil.

Hot, humid, wet weather with temperatures in the 80s and 90s contributes to the growth and spread of southern blight.

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: Pepper with Southern Blight

Apologies for the delay. I've been working. Thanks for the response. I'll get some daylight pictures. The only stress the plant is showing was from a lack of water on 2 week old growth. New growth is fine and the peppers are rapidly growing.

Be back with pics.

That's exactly what it is. Now, I'm wondering about control. I'm going to burn everything. There is a tomato plant nearby whose leaves are destroyed from touching this area. Again, the pill bugs have done their work and eaten off that dead tissue so I've no idea of the state of necrosis on the tomato plant. That tomato plant is not bearing, btw.

Should I pull up and burn the tomato plant, too?

I have a ton of space. I will solarize this area and leave it be for several years.

I will need to sterilize my hose, too.

Now, I'm going to say something. This is the first and only time I have ever bought STORE-BOUGHT TRANSPLANTS. I'll never do that again.

Well that stinks Bon. I have a few store bought peppers but I do definitely prefer to grow my own.
Btw how do you get pepper seeds to come up more easily this time of the year? I have 2 flats that never even sprouted. I really wanted different varieties this year.
kim

Kim,

I really hate the reality that the temperature for seed germination is different than for growth. Below is a link to seed germ temps. I must start them indoors and yank the tray outside right away into dappled shade. Then, I take it from there. The garden is too hot for most germination.

> Seed Germ Temps

Bon, I don't take out a single plant unless I have to, having learned from experience that plants that look crappy at a certain point in summer can make a remarkable comeback sometimes. So, I wouldn't touch the tomato plant if it doesn't have symptoms that convince you it is legitimately ill with a disease that could spread to other plants.

You don't have to burn everything, and you can plant whatever you want in that spot next year as long as it isn't a type of plant susceptible to southern blight. All I did to the spot where I had southern blight was add more organic matter and work it in deeply. I've never had southern blight again and it isn't anything to panic over. You might never see it again. I didn't plant tomatoes there again the next year, but I planted them the year after that and at least every other year since then.

One thing to be careful with southern blight is that sometimes working only partially decomposed matter into soil seems to encourage it, so it is better to make sure compost is finished before adding it.

Southern blight just happens when certain conditions occur that allow the fungus to grow. It thrives in very wet soil in hot and humid conditions. It is a very major issue in southeastern states that routinely have high humidity and lots of rainfall that leaves their soil wet for far too long. You know how we all see mushrooms pop up here and there after heavy rainfall? That happens when we have just the right conditions they need. Well, southern blight, and every other fungal disease is the same way. Wherever living fungal diseases exist, they can pop up, grow, spread, etc. when the conditions are just right, but then not be a problem again in the same area for a long time, if ever. The fact that I plant 100-200 tomato plants per year (and 300 in one year and 600 in another) in the exact same garden where I had southern blight exactly one time on one plant and never have had it since makes me think it likely does not persist here as easily as it does in wetter areas, or that it does not persist as easily as some other diseases, like Early Blight, do. Our recurring droughts that leave our soil far too dry for months (or sometimes years) at a time probably help us in this regard.

I don't think this can be blamed on store-bought transplants. It is likely that store-bought transplants are routinely treated with restricted fungicides (which are much stronger and persistent than anything you or I could buy over-the-counter) during the process simply because they grow seedlings on such a huge scale, so I'd be surprised if it found its way into your soil via a purchased transplant. All kinds of diseases pop up for all kinds of reasons. Many are soilborne, many are airborne, and some are both. Plant diseases can be fungal, bacterial or viral. We live and garden in the real world and the real world is full of fungi, bacterial and viruses. It is just a part of gardening.

Dawn

Thanks, Dawn. I am absolutely certain it is because 1) The moisture we have received. Shrooms are everywhere right now and 2) My allowing things to grow and crowd in blocking air flow.

What you write makes absolute sense. It's in an area that gets the dreaded nearly all day and afternoon blistering sun. That should help. What I don't have right now is organic material to put there. I'll cover it with some visqueen so the wind doesn't blow it around. And when good compost is ready, you can bet it'll go there.

I had the kids hand-pollinate that tomato plant and it's just now starting to fruit. For their enjoyment, I hate to pull it. So, I'll wait and watch.

I haven't even had time to get over there. As soon as I stepped onto the porch it was obvious I needed to water everything.

Well, all this certainly contributes to how I'll be shaping up the garden rows and how neat I need to be!

Bon, I have a fungus that looks a lot like what you have almost every year, never as bad, and seldom on the plants. I try to use a lot of organic matter, and often I will find a fungus or some kind. I was finishing using up a pile of shaving yesterday and found a type of fungus ( I think) that looked like Bermuda grass runners. I don't recall finding any that has done a lot of damage to my plants.

Larry.

Thanks Larry. I've downgraded the threat from a big green monster stalking the garden bent on complete destruction, to an issue that need be watched carefully. ha!

You do know that tomato flowers are self-fertile and fertilize/pollinate themselves, right? Just checking. Y'all can hand-pollinate it all you want, but in reality it pollinates itself when temperatures and other conditions are just right. Often, at this time of the year, the pollen gets sort of sticky and clumps together so that it fails to move around inside the perfect flower and, thus, pollination/fertilization does not occur. You can thump the flowers when it is hot and humid and sometimes that thumping will help shake the pollen up and help it move around inside the flower.

I get various fungi around the garden on mulch or other organic material like Larry does. Sometimes I even see slime mold. None of them last long here in summer because no matter how much rain falls, we get very dry again very quickly.

That's good to know. Kids still learned a bunch. And it worked on a couple. I guess it was the movement.