Tomato Plant Stalk Appears Diseased

Question

Found this in my garden today:

My tomato plants appear to be quite ill. The lower stalk is covered in bumps, and it looks like they start at the base. Most parts of the plant are fine, but I am getting blossom end rot... I'm not sure if the two are related. Lack of calcium in the soil? I've grown tomatoes in the past in this garden, but this is the first time I've had a problem.

My garden is an eight by ten patch of my lawn that I've been tilling up the past few years. This is my only tomato plant. I'm also growing cumbers, which are thriving, potatoes, corn, and a bell pepper plant.

Does this look familiar to anyone? Anything I can do for my tomatoes? I imagine I'm going to have to pull the plant and try again next year.

I'm not sure how accurate it is, but to me it looks like it was trying to root on the stalk. I would bury it up to all of the bumps. — black thumb, Jul 17 '16 at 18:28
@GrahamChiu Look like a healthy plant under the bumps. I think the advantageous roots are the most likely answer. — Jon Buys, Jul 17 '16 at 21:27

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 17 '16 at 11:58

They look like adventitous root bumps to me - because there are so many, it likely means your plant is/has been very stressed. The usual cause is environmental, that is, things like poor or fluctuating availability of water, too much water, insufficient feeding, possible disease, and generally poor or crowded growing conditions. There may well be a problem with the roots, and/or a problem with the vascular flow inside the plant, and this is the plant's response, and would contribute to the problem with blossom end rot.

Tomatoes often have adventitious root bumps, but not usually quite so many, more info here

http://www.tomatodirt.com/bumps-on-tomato-stems.html

Thanks, I think you are right. The plant is probably reacting poorly to infrequent and irregular watering, as well as being encroached upon by the potato plants right next to it. — Jon Buys, Jul 17 '16 at 21:28

Tomato Plant Stalk Appears Diseased

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