Knowledgebase
Tomatoe fungal infection. #864608
Asked April 15, 2024, 2:24 PM EDT
Washtenaw County Michigan
Expert Response
Mike - take a look at the pictures in the article below and possibly you can identify the culprit of your challenges.
https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/tomato-diseases-disorders/
Some things we would suggest:
1). Select or start from see tomato plants that are marked as disease resistant (usually on the tag you will see letters indicating disease resistance. (For example F=Fusarium Wilt). See the article below on some varieties that have been hybridized to be disease resistant.
2). Make sure to space your tomatoes far enough apart so that when they are full size there is plenty of air space around them. Don't let the leaves touch the ground. Prune off lower leaves ones plants start growing.
3). Water at the base of the plant instead of overhead.
4). Make sure the plants receive at least 5 hours (or more) of full sun a day
6). Depending upon the disease, regularly apply a fungicide as a preventive measure
7). If you haven't done so already, get your soil tested to determine the health of your soil and find out what you can do to improve the growing conditions for the plants to resist the disease. MSU offers a soil test kit with everything you need for $26. The kit can be ordered from the MSU bookstore or you can stop in an pick one up at your local MSU Extension office. See the link below.
https://homesoiltest.msu.edu/get-started
Hope that helps!