Last night I put them out in the garden. I tried to do everything right - I hardened the plants off outside for a week and a half; I transplanted them at 6:00 in the evening; I buried them deeply - up to the first leaves; I put composted manure in each hole; I watered thoroughly after transplanting. The only thing I didn't do was wait for an overcast day, because I have time off work when I have time off work.

Today the tomatoes look like they are circling the drain. They are limp and wilted and lying there on the ground. I assume this means transplant shock? Is there anything I can do to save them?

I was wondering if the pulp pots could be the issue - like maybe the watering didn't penetrate through the pots into the roots? Should I dig them up and take the pots off the roots then replant? The basil I transplanted at the same time in the same plot is going gangbusters, so I'm worried the pots are the issue.

I'm wary of over-watering because we have very heavy clay soil. (Yes, I know it should be amended, but I don't have a lot of money to throw at the garden.)

Any chance my tomatoes will live?

Linda

Had you soaked the pots before they went in the ground? Or just watered the ground after sticking them in the holes? Edge of the pots are buried, not sticking up?

Pictures would help.

Assuming the plants are not physically damaged in anyway then before you replant them water them well and make sure the planting hole is well watered too.

Dave

The plants I do use peat pots for I always strip the pots, same with any plants I buy in them.

Unfortunately, I didn't get the advice to dig up the pots and remove them until it was too late - I won't have a chance again until the weekend. Fortunately, though, I started more plants than I needed (I was still looking for some poor sucker to take my tomato starts) so on the weekend I can dig up and replace the plants I put out. The ones in the garden did perk up a tiny bit, but they still look dreadful and bedraggled. I don't think they are going to do very well.

Interestingly, I put a couple of extra seedlings in plastic pots after I ran out of the pulp ones. The ones in the plastic look much, much happier than the rest.

Oh, and cutworms was definitely my first thought when I came out the next day and saw my tomatoes looking like the aftermath of a massacre, but it was just severe wilting.

--- Water them real soaking good, let the pitas get soft, mushy.
--- Take scissors, cut the edged of the pitas(The plastic part) at 3 to 4 places and twist, pull the pieces out gently. You can use a pencil size stick to push them aside and fish them out.

--Then just level around the plant and slightly pack it

The new tomatoes I set out to replace the other ones are, one by one, wilting and flopping over. The stems go all brown and from the soil line to two or three inches above, the plant starts to tip over and wilt, and within a day or two it is deader than dead.

I don't think it's anything in my seed starting mix, since the tomatoes have all been fine until I put them out in the garden, and other seeds started in the same mix/conditions are doing great.

But I also transplanted some basil and marigolds into the same bed around the tomato seedlings (really far apart, honest; I don't think crowding is the issue), and they all look great.

Does this just mean that there is some kind of fungus in that part of my garden that likes to kill tomatoes, and tomatoes alone?

One or two tomatoes are still alive. Do they have a prayer? At this point, I'm willing to say the heck with organic and hit them with whatever unholy toxin might help.

If there's no hope for my tomatoes, can I direct sow some pole beans next to my tomato stakes instead? Or will my killer soil fungus get them too?

Thank you for all of the help everyone. I'm a bit discouraged. I really gave it my all with those stupid tomato seedlings.

Just for your information, cutworms are in fact caterpillars that live in the soil.

Was the manure close to the stem? Perhaps it caused the damping off. I've had problems like that, when using aged cow manure.....

I have read that others have used a weak bleach solution on their soil before planting. Perhaps you could try that if you are concerned.

Linda

Actually, if it was the compost, that might explain why the marigolds and basil plants are thriving while the tomatoes all keel over dead. I worked the composted manure in when I dug holes for the tomato stakes, but I didn't really get the whole bed.

Damn it. Is there anything that can be done? I have two plants that still look alright and one starting to go south.

Linda

As far as the peat pots. This is for the first time I bought few "bonnie brand" plants in the 4-5" peat (I am saying peat but I don't know what they use) pots. That is the only thing they are selling now. Home depot, lowes, walmart they all had only that brand of plants. Any way, none of those plants have grown even an inch and they all look sick. I had taken at least some of the pot pieces off before I planted them. Today I dug up couple that looked really horrible to take them back for a refund. The roots have not grown at all in places where the peat was still intact and grown little bit in bare areas. So, next year, no peat pots.