Tomato plant bearing fruit but has yellow, dead leaves

[Winnythecool]

I have a tomato plant that is yellowing from the bottom up and has dead leaves. It's growth is stunted, but is bearing fruit already. My other tomato plant is huge and healthy! What should I do? What do you think is wrong? Thank you!

 

[Chuck]

I have a tomato plant that is yellowing from the bottom up and has dead leaves. It's growth is stunted, but is bearing fruit already. My other tomato plant is huge and healthy! What should I do? What do you think is wrong? Thank you!

That looks like early blight. It's caused by a soil bacteria and some varieties are more prone to getting it than others. It can be transmitted by the wind but mainly by soil splashing up on the leaves. At this stage there really isn't much you can do except remove all affected limbs and leaves.

 

[Winnythecool]

Okay. Thank you. Should I remove the fruit it's bearing to help the process?

 

[Chuck]

Okay. Thank you. Should I remove the fruit it's bearing to help the process?

No. The plant will NOT recover. All you can do is to keep the plant alive long enough for your fruit to ripen. Early blight is common and can only be controlled, not cured, at the first sign of yellowing leaves. Gardeners use everything from hydrogen peroxide to Daconil to Neem to copper based sprays. In my garden I try to prevent it and have limited success by using whole ground cornmeal. But I can control it long enough to obtain a full harvest. I only wish I knew of a cure

 

[Winnythecool]

No. The plant will NOT recover. All you can do is to keep the plant alive long enough for your fruit to ripen. Early blight is common and can only be controlled, not cured, at the first sign of yellowing leaves. Gardeners use everything from hydrogen peroxide to Daconil to Neem to copper based sprays. In my garden I try to prevent it and have limited success by using whole ground cornmeal. But I can control it long enough to obtain a full harvest. I only wish I knew of a cure

Oh, damn. I guess I didn't quite understand that. Okay. That is unfortunate but I'm happy to know. Thank you.

 

[headfullofbees]

Looks to me more like magnesium deficiency.
Water once a day, for two days, with a pint of water with 1oz Epsom salts added per pot.

 

[Chuck]

Looks to me more like magnesium deficiency.
Water once a day, for two days, with a pint of water with 1oz Epsom salts added per pot.

It certainly won't hurt anything but it is early blight. I have about 40 tomato plants affected with exactly the same thing and I do use ES, a lot of it. I am in the middle of an experiment right now that (seems) to stop it. I'll know more in about a month