Bacterial Wilt and Your Heirloom Tomatoes
by John Yazo
Bacterial Wilt is a serious disease that can harm your tomato crop. This bacterium will survive in the soil for long periods of time and enter the plant through wounds that are on it's root system. These wounds can be from transplanting, cultivation, insects and even natural causes. This disease can rapidly develop under the optimum conditions of high temperatures and high moisture. It is a bacteria that will also multiply rapidly in the water conducting plant tissues and filling them with a slime. When this happens there will be noticeable rapid wilting of the plant while at the same time the leaves will stay green. When an infected stem is cut off, it will look brown and small drops of yellowish ooze can be noticed draining out of the stem.
This is a disease that is very difficult to control if plants are grown in an infected soil. Crop rotation with non-susceptible plants like beans, cabbage or even a corn crop for a period of at least three years can provide some control. Remove all infected plants and debris from the garden and dispose of them.
When organic gardening, the soil is the key to having a successful crop. Keeping your gardens soil healthy is very important in this method of gardening. A good rich, healthy soil structure will keep your plants growing strong and give them the ability to defend themselves from diseases that can harm them. also keeping a good healthy mix of organic matter mixed into your soil will supply the soil food web the fuel that is needed for it to thrive and keep the microorganisms in the soil working for you, defending the garden from pest and disease naturally.
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