6

I've heard stories of people who have had seemingly-dead tomato plants which they left alone and the plant grew back. How can I tell if my plant is dead as opposed to merely in poor shape? Is there anything I can do to encourage it?

This was the plant a few days ago; since then the brown wilted part has been spreading down the stem. It had some damage to the stem in a storm, losing the top portion with the leaves.

The plant

Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
  • 6,215
  • 8
  • 39
  • 74
Yamikuronue
  • 605
  • 1
  • 6
  • 14

1 Answers1

5

Well it isn't dead, as the stem seems quite green. If you are interested from a botany/plant physiology standpoint let it grow.

There will be nodes where there used to be leaves. These will regrow new branches, but if you are in a hurry for tomatoes, go out and buy a new one, the biggest one that you can find cheaply.

Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
  • 6,215
  • 8
  • 39
  • 74
Grady Player
  • 5,172
  • 16
  • 12
  • The image is a few days old; it's become more brown each day. Is that a bad sign? Should I pinch off the dead part? – Yamikuronue May 16 '12 at 14:23
  • 1
    that is a bad sign... maybe check the roots, make sure the soil smells good, sometimes you can overwater and make the soil anaerobic, will smell like a swamp. – Grady Player May 16 '12 at 15:52