Question From: D. Dunkle - Fresno, California, United States
Q: I have 2 of each Celebrity, Early Girl and Better Boy tomatoe plants. All are heavy with fruit but every one of them appears to be dieing. Wilted folage, dry and yellow leaves. I have increased water, then reduced the water. I applied fish emulsion and have gotten no improvement. I prepared the soil with Miraclegrow garden soil and chicken manure roto-tilled in. I have gardened for 60 years and never seen anything quite like this before.
A: Composting using Chicken Manure is dicey. It is very high in salts and can damage and kill plants. The salts suck the water from the roots. Perhaps some of the roots of the plants hit a concentration of the manure. Soil borne diseases also cause tomato plants to yellow and die. They usually start from the bottom and move up. But they usually also sport black circular spots on the leaves. I recommend you take samples of the leaves to your local independent garden center for a positive ID. I do a soil drench of ACTINOVATE before planting and spray with it every couple of weeks. Let me know what you find out. Best Nancy
