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kate6_gw

tomato seedlings withered at soil line

kate6
11 years ago

Well, I have never had this happen, though I am no expert.

These three Amish paste tomato seedlings withered from the soil line and up (to varying heights) over Easter weekend. I left DH in charge, but he honestly didn't do anything. I noticed Tuesday they had flopped over, but with the top growth otherwise in tact. The other 70+ seedlings of other tomato varieties are perfectly fine. These had already been hardened off and were in a protected area on the porch.

These seedlings had been potted up the week before, so the stem under soil line had not rooted. You can see in the photo that the stem below the soil line was still plump, as was the top growth, though not for long.Just a light brown withered stem at soil line. One was about a 1/4", the others about 1/2" and 3/4".

I am just curious what has caused this in case I need to look out for something killing the others.

Thank you!

Kate

Here is a link that might be useful: withered Amish Paste tomato seedlings

Comments (2)

  • digdirt2
    11 years ago

    It is called "damp-off" a fungus disease caused by soil that is too wet and inadequate air circulation. I linked the FAQ about it below. It should answer all your questions but if not let me know.

    Dave

    Here is a link that might be useful: Damp-Off FAQ

  • kate6
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thank you Digdirt.

    I knew I heard of something in particular doing this before but couldn't recall what the culprit was! It's strange to me that it's happened well after the plants have moved outdoors, but we did have some mild weather over the weekend which may have had something to do with it. I also found two more that had been affected. They are getting a good dose of sunshine to insure the soil is dry on top!

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