Tomato plant stem going yellow and bald

wishuponastar · 17 April 2018 at 9:38PM

PHOTOS NOW ADDED-PLEASE SEE NEAR THE BOTTOM OF PAGE.

I've got a few tomato plant babies that I've grown from seed and I repotted them the other week.

Anyway on one, the stem was nice healthy and purple with little hairs on it but since then it's developed a streak of yellow or discolouration on the stem, about 1 cm above the soil and lasts for about 2cm. The stem looks like it is getting thinner at that part too and has lost the hair on that bit also. I'm worried as it is starting to appear in a much smaller area on my biggest plant's stem now too.

The leaves are still green and healthy at the mo but it doesn't seem to be getting much bigger compared to it's buddies and as I say the stem seems to be getting thinner at that bit.

The plant is about 1 finger tall above the soil in about a yoghurt pot size container if that is any help.

Any ideas as to what caused it and how to fix it would be of use?

pogofish · 17 April 2018 at 10:30PM

Yellowing/balding stems on tomatoes are often the sign of a virus, so ditch all the affected plants before it spreads to the others. Its still early enough to plant more if you need.

Linda32 · 17 April 2018 at 10:43PM

Any chance of a photo?

I pricked mine out a couple of weeks ago, buried up to their necks. Now those stems are between 1" and 1½" with the two first leaves dying off.

The stems are not hairy (the shouldn't be) the stem buried was hairy.

But they "could" be described as "yellowing" but I'm not worried so it could be quite normal.

pogofish · 17 April 2018 at 11:03PM

The embryonic leaves dying-off as the plant develops is nothing unusual but yellowing/discolouration on Tomatoes usually means something is wrong and IME it usually isn't worth the effort to try and correct it as you almost always end-up with weakened/compromised plants.

Some info on tomato viruses here but a google will turn-up a host of images of the different types.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=250

wishuponastar · 17 April 2018 at 11:44PM

I'll take a photo tomorrow, it might take me a day or so to download it from my camera as I'm a bit of a technophobe and need to find my lead that plugs into my computer (it's been a while so could be anywhere).

I should have mentioned the discolouration is not all the way round the stem, it appears like how I imagine a stretch mark on the main stem would be if it was growing too wide too fast. If that makes any sense?

When I say bald, I mean the small tiny little hairs that are on the stem when you look close up, that's what are missing from the discoloured part.

It's like a loss of purple pigment so like a cream colour. The first leaves dried up and came off so it's just it's true leaves and they generally look pretty healthy to me anyway.

Pogofish, thanks for the link, I had a look, it doesn't look like that or anything I've seen online. I know what you are saying about starting again but I'm quite attached already to my tomato babies and would hate to give up on them. I lost a few little ones and these ones I have left were my best ones so really hoping they survive.

Linda32 · 18 April 2018 at 5:45PM

Tomatoes do get bad press with regard to virus etc. but I have found them pretty easy, so long as you do not start too early, which you have not done.

I have only ever had one case of blight in 14 years growing outside, and that was last year on two plants in a line, no others effected. Last year being warm and wet. I would hang onto your babies.

wishuponastar · 18 April 2018 at 9:44PM

Thanks Linda, I've taken photos today, just need to keep looking for the lead I need to download...when I find it i'll put them on here.

My babies are indoors, haven't felt brave enough to put them outside yet.

Linda32 · 19 April 2018 at 5:29PM

No, unless you are on the tip of Cornwall, it is too early yet to put them out. I am in the East MIdlands and would not put them out before the end of May.

wishuponastar · 23 April 2018 at 8:43AM

Thanks Linda, I'll keep them inside.

I have found my download lead (last night) so should be able to get the pics up over next couple of days.

Plant update: The worst affected plant is still doing ok and leaves look healthy, it seems like as time has progressed that it looks like something has 'eaten' the first layer of the stem halfway round the plant if that makes sense, hence why it seems to have lost it's purple colour? But it doesn't start until about 1cm up so I'm confused as I would have thought if it was a bug then they would start eating from the soil line upwards or is this not the case?

They have been indoors so not sure what bug it would be... (after some reading realised it is likely to be cutworm)

wishuponastar · 23 April 2018 at 9:20AM

Further update: after loads of internet reading I think my tomato plant might have been affected by 'cutworm' damage.

As they tend to use the first little part of the stem to stand on and then munch which is what it looks like I've got. That would explain the hairless thing too. Not sure though, but that is my best guess.

Going to sprinkle egg shell around the base of my other babies just in case (as I was reading that can work well to deter the nasty things from eating the stems). Just hope it doesn't force them to eat the roots as a result.

If that is the case, am I better to turn the affected part into root? i.e. bury it just above this level?

wishuponastar · 8 May 2018 at 10:25AM

I have my photos and I went to upload them but I can't figure out how to do this? Am I missing something obvious? Can someone help me how to do this? All I can see is the title and description separate boxes and the icons/smiles but no where to put the photo? I've tried copying the photo and pasting into the description box but nothing happens.

Update, the worst affected tomato plant is still growing, I repotted it a week or so ago and it has now grown to be one of the biggest so that is good. I've not covered the affected stem bit so much but figured that when I repot again I will.

Tomato plant stem going yellow and bald

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