Lost Brandywine, Cherokee Purple Next

[Keger]

Looks like I tried and it wasnt such a great idea.

I have some great looking Brandywine and Cerokee plants, or did. I'm in SE Texas and this was kind of an experiment. I am sure that a fungus got em. leaves turning brown and curling, wilting, same on the stems, brown splotches.

The plants were 5ft or so tall, really rolling, then BOOM! The ones I havent pulled are starting to yellow and shrivel on the leaves a bit. I figure they are next.

As we are growing for local markets I think I'll keep it real simple from now on.

[TomNJ]

Is it possible you could have had some overspray of herbicide from some adjacent property? That will cause a lot of sudden curling on the new growth.

TomNJ

[b54red]

I can't vouch for Brandywine down here because I have had a terrible time with it in the past but last year it did great. Cherokee Purple is one of the ones that seems to do pretty good in our high heat and humidity. I even set one out last year in the first week of June and it did great. I do keep them pruned some so they have good air flow and you have to keep them sprayed; but I found the same troubles with the hybrids I grew. The trick is finding the heirlooms that are more consistent in your area. I have spent the last several years just experimenting with numerous varieties to see what worked for me. I now have a core of 25 to 30 that are fairly dependable but I would never go with just one or two because anything can happen any given year with tomatoes. As a wise master gardener once said "Tomatoes are just looking for an excuse to die".

[rnewste]

Keger,

You might want to hedge your bets next Season, and try to grow a mix of Heirlooms as well as disease tolerant Hybrids. Here are the ones I am growing this Season:

Applause Hybrid (VFFA) 66
Better Boy Hybrid (VFNASt) 75
Big Beef Hybrid (VFFNTASt) 73
Champion 2 Hybrid (VFFNTA) 65
Jetsetter Hybrid (VFFNASt) 64
Momotaro Hybrid (VFNSt) 70
Odoriko Hybrid (VFNSt) 75
Parks Whopper Hybrid (VFFNT) 65
Supersonic Hybrid (VFFN) 79

V - Verticillium Wilt
F - Fusarium Wilt (FF - Races 1 & 2)
N - Nematodes
T - Tobacco Mosaic Virus
A - Alternaria Stem Canker
St - Stemphylium Gray Leaf Spot

Raybo

[BarbJ]

Aint it the truth! I had a customer today that brought a list suggested by a local master gardener group of the best heirloom varieties for our area, and except for two, none on the list of about 15 kinds were available to us from a wholesale grower!

I would love a list of varieties that do well here, AND, that I can get from wholesalers!
It sure would help to stave off the long line of customers who show up 6-10 weeks later with a long list of diseases, folier and soil. LOL!

[rnewste]

Barb,

You might want to suggest to your customers (as well as your Suppliers) to use a ratio of about 2/3 Heirlooms, backed up by 1/3 Hybrids. Last year, we got hit with a spate of Alternaria, so this Season I have selected several Hybrids which exhibit tolerance to Alternaria. I would ask your Suppliers to provide you some of the ones I cited above.

Ratbo

[feldon30]

Originally Posted by Keger

Looks like I tried and it wasnt such a great idea.

I have some great looking Brandywine and Cerokee plants, or did. I'm in SE Texas and this was kind of an experiment. I am sure that a fungus got em. leaves turning brown and curling, wilting, same on the stems, brown splotches.

The plants were 5ft or so tall, really rolling, then BOOM! The ones I havent pulled are starting to yellow and shrivel on the leaves a bit. I figure they are next.

As we are growing for local markets I think I'll keep it real simple from now on.

I cannot think of any fungus present in Richmond, TX that would take down plants in a matter of days/weeks.

Can you talk about your soil, your mulch, how you were watering the plants, etc.? I grew Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, and a variety of heirlooms in NW Houston and had no problem with plants going down in a hurry. Early Blight takes weeks and weeks to take down a plant, and can be remedied by careful watering, application of mulch, and removing of diseased foliage.

Tomato plants don't just die. There's always a cause. Photos would help.

Originally Posted by rnewste

Keger,

You might want to hedge your bets next Season, and try to grow a mix of Heirlooms as well as disease tolerant Hybrids. Here are the ones I am growing this Season:

Applause Hybrid (VFFA) 66
Better Boy Hybrid (VFNASt) 75
Big Beef Hybrid (VFFNTASt) 73
Champion 2 Hybrid (VFFNTA) 65
Jetsetter Hybrid (VFFNASt) 64
Momotaro Hybrid (VFNSt) 70
Odoriko Hybrid (VFNSt) 75
Parks Whopper Hybrid (VFFNT) 65
Supersonic Hybrid (VFFN) 79

V - Verticillium Wilt
F - Fusarium Wilt (FF - Races 1 & 2)
N - Nematodes
T - Tobacco Mosaic Virus
A - Alternaria Stem Canker
St - Stemphylium Gray Leaf Spot

Raybo

Forgive me but I'm rather sensitive to the "grow disease-resistant varieties in S.E. Texas" mantra because few if any of the diseases these hybrids have been developed to fight even exist here. There have been a few recent hybrid varieties that are supposed to fight Alternaria which is a problem here, but otherwise, the big problems are Early Blight, Bacterial Spot and Speck, Septoria Leaf Spot, and Anthracnose Fruit Rot, and varieties with tolerances to those are still in the lab or not yet widespread.

* Verticillium, Fursarium, and TMV are a non-issue in S.E. Texas.
* Nematodes doesn't present as brown lesions on the leaves.
* I suppose Alternaria is a possibility but proper mulching and watering should keep this in check.
* Grey Leaf Spot has a distinctive appearance not described by Keger.

[feldon30]

Originally Posted by BarbJ

Aint it the truth! I had a customer today that brought a list suggested by a local master gardener group of the best heirloom varieties for our area, and except for two, none on the list of about 15 kinds were available to us from a wholesale grower!

I would love a list of varieties that do well here, AND, that I can get from wholesalers!
It sure would help to stave off the long line of customers who show up 6-10 weeks later with a long list of diseases, folier and soil. LOL!

As long as you are reliant on wholesale providers like Bonnie's and Chef Jeff's then the selection is going to be rather narrow. Have you considered growing your own transplants for sale? Otherwise, you're kinda limited to what everyone else is selling.

Bonnie's has had real problems with sending out diseased transplants. That might be why customers are coming back and reporting trouble.

[salix]

???Ratbo??? Don't know if I'd take advice from such a person... LOL (probably someone living in an unpainted house!) Sorry, just giving you the gears.

[Tracydr]

Originally Posted by rnewste

Barb,

You might want to suggest to your customers (as well as your Suppliers) to use a ratio of about 2/3 Heirlooms, backed up by 1/3 Hybrids. Last year, we got hit with a spate of Alternaria, so this Season I have selected several Hybrids which exhibit tolerance to Alternaria. I would ask your Suppliers to provide you some of the ones I cited above.

Ratbo

Raybo, which of your hybrids do you like the best? I'd like to plant a couple, mainly for salsa/sauces. Prefer something that is a heavy producer and rather dry, for sauces.
One fresh eating hybrid would be nice, too. I lost half my bed last year to some sort of wilt disease when it got hot. A bunch of people in the area had the same problem.
This spring, my mother lost all her tomatoes, probably TSWV.
Thanks!

[rnewste]

Tracy,

All of these except the Big Beef Hybrid will be new to me this Season, so I'll have to wait until Fall to select out the better performing Hybrid varieties. To me, even some disease tolerance is a safer bet rather than relying on 100% Heirlooms. Guess that is a "risk management decision" each person must make for themselves.

Raybo

[rnewste]

salix,

Just noticed the typo. Sitting here in tears...

RaYbo

[Keger]

I have a few of those, will try more. Fortunately I loaded up about 80% with the basic stuff, you know, Celebrity,Early Girl,Roma, etc, but thought I'de try heirlooms. Put in about a dozen or so all together, and I think all are soon gone. Lesson learned. Cant sell what you aint got. Thanks for the tip!

[Keger]

Here we go, no pics but the leaves start turning yellow near the stem, then get some brown spots underneith. Then the stems get dry brown/gold streaks on them, and the plant wilts. The aggies said a fungus, I dunno. Also, if you touch the flowers, they just fall off. 90% are doing fine, rocking actually, but not the heirlooms. Also, its been cool at nights lately, 50's, and we are 12" over on rainfall. Soil here has always been great. Old Brazos bottom and composted.

[b54red]

Could it be fusarium wilt? I have just found my first two plants of the year affected by it but they won't be the last. I have a bad fusarium problem and have found that the majority of the heirlooms I have tried do not survive because of it. Some of the hybrids have good resistance and others don't. Just because the letter F is listed after a hybrid doesn't necessarily mean it will always resist fusarium well enough to produce a good crop. I have now found enough heirlooms that show some resistance to fusarium from years of experimenting that I can usually have a good number of plants from them that are productive; but I always put in a few of the more resistant hybrids for insurance.