|
| I had transplanted 5 of my regular tomato seedlings which were in a small pot into a a larger 8 inch pot. I kept all the seedling together hoping to keep only 1 or 2 best ones. Upon my usual morning inspection I noticed that the best one among them was as shown in the pic. The bottom of the stem (upto the center) seemed like affected by some disease and blackened and significantly thinner then the upper portion of the stem. At first I thought about asking at GW about what it could be but then I thought perhaps this thing is going to spread through out this pot so I pulled it out. Is it Damping off? I had watered it the yesterday in the morning and last night / early morning today it did get a bit cool (lowest was 60F) . Upon my little research on the internet I found that both cool and wet conditions cause damping off. It is however a surprise that the first one to show such signs was the best one among the lot. Thanks |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Sorry to say that's what it appears to be. I've always thought it's caused by contaminates in the soil. That's why sterilized soil is often recommended. You could sprinkle some cinnamon or sulfur on the soil to deter it further and to, hopefully, save the others. Gail |
|
| Thank you Gail - especially for the cinnamon part. After you informed about it, I came to know that along with it, camomile tea (high in sulfur) and garlic tea are also good options for treating (preventing) this disease. I had a properly sterilized potting mix. However, I was thinking if damping off is possible in a well established seedling with 2 or 3 sets of true leaves? Does it affect bigger seedlings / plants also? |
|
| That is a MOST interesting picture! I haven't had it happen with little seedlings, but when I planted larger plants in my garden, two years ago, some of them looked like that. It almost looked as if something had nibbled away the outer part of the stem all the way around just at the soil line. The plants didn't die immediately, but wilted during the day and revived overnight. Suspecting something nasty, I pulled them up and discovered that the roots looked ok. I sliced the stems longitudinally and found some brown woody "lines". I tried growing the good top part of a plant, and it rooted well in water, but was never quite right. When I did a necropsy, the brown woody stuff showed up again. I suspect something in my soil in certain areas. Linda |
|
| "Damping Off" normally happens with seedlings. I'm thinking Linda had another affliction on her plants. Linda, you could have indeed had something nibble on your plant opening a wound to allow bugs, virus or bacteria to enter. In the end, anything can go wrong, but generally everything goes right. Sometimes they just need a little help. Gail |
|
- Posted by carolyn137 z4/5 NY (My Page) on Wed, Nov 6, 13 at 21:48
| There are three genera and species of fungi that can cause damping off, which is shown in the picture and without one of them being in the grow medium no damping off can occur. I have never used sterile seed starting mix, no need to if you use a good one. In past times those that have Canadian Spaghnum moss have been a problem. And never but never use potting soil or real dirt, only artificial seed starting mix. And not just seedlings can be affected, but plants up to 5 inches tall, which look fine until then. There's a great pictures in my tomato pathology book showing that. Cinnamon does not work to prevent fungal growth although it's suggested by many. Same for sulfur. Linda, what you describe on mature plants could be one of several diseases. Carolyn |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Growing Tomatoes Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
