Thoughts on why my tomato plants are dying???

[cone9]

This started a few weeks ago with just a couple branches on a couple plants drying up crisp as if I'd dried them in an oven.
I removed the effected branches.  It's been spreading slowly but in the past week it has rapidly spread and my plants are now doomed.  The plants are loaded with fruit and I'd just been getting a nice daily harvest of tomatoes.  Now they'll just rot on the vine - some already are.
 
Anyway, just for information I'm wondering if anyone might have some idea what this might be.
 

 

 

 

 

[DevilsEyes]

Caring too much for the peppers and forgot about the tomatoes?
 
Now serious, maybe : Fulvia fulva, syn. Cladosporium fulvum. (Eng.: Leaf mold)?
---edit---  but then in a real bad way
 
Greetz,
 
Oli

 

[catherinew]

This looks like blight.  Look at the stems for brown patches - that is most likely late blight.  Late blight leaves also have spores attached to them and also the tomatoes may have the spores.  Early blight is more common and can be treated easier, but still does not totally stop the damage. Look at the leaves for concentric brown spots.  There's lots of info on the internet about both types.  Early treatment is the key to slow down the damage.
 
http://www.tomatodirt.com/tomato-blight-early.html
 
http://www.longislandhort.cornell.edu/vegpath/photos/lateblight_tomato.htm
 
Found other good info on late blight
 
http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=d026b209-36bd-4aa6-aeff-7e3da663f585

 

[SacFly]

Sorry to see this.  My parents around Pittsburgh had the same thing happen in the last two weeks.  Their small garden looked like a jungle with tons of fruit ripening.  Now it looks like someone hit it with agent orange.  Late blight was also suggested to them.  It progressed incredibly fast. 

 

[cone9]

Looks like my weekend will be devoted to removing all my tomato plants.
No doubt that late blight is the problem.  The descriptions and the pics in those links were spot on all the way.  Nasty stuff.
 
Damn shame as this turned out to be the most phenomenal year of growth and fruit production of tomatoes I have ever had!
Green Zebras were over 7' tall and Purple Cherokee producing huge, delicious fruits.  I was really looking forward to the harvest to come in the next few weeks.  Now 7" diameter beefsteaks that were just starting to turn ripe are rotting on the vine.
 
So far the ground cherries seem not to be effected.  Maybe next year I'll just plant 4 kinds of tomatillo!
 
Thanks for the information.
Sorry for the self pitying rant!

 

[neoguy]

Where in NE Ohio are you?

 

[cone9]

Dover

 

[neoguy]

Is that down by New Philly?
Grey/Gray Mold is often misdiagnosed as late blight. Have you heard of other reports of late blight in your area? Is there an extension office you can contact? I'd hold off on ripping the plants until your fairly certain.

 

[cone9]

Is that down by New Philly?
Grey/Gray Mold is often misdiagnosed as late blight. Have you heard of other reports of late blight in your area? Is there an extension office you can contact? I'd hold off on ripping the plants until your fairly certain.

Yes, Dover and New Philadelphia are next to one another.  But for the corporation signs you wouldn't know you were passing from one to the other.
 
I sent an e-mail to our extension agent.  I'm going to call in the morning and see if they'd like to see a piece of my plants to confirm a diagnosis.
Everything I've seen and read about late blight seems to fit with what has happened to my plants.

 

[catherinew]

Yes, it could be gray mold fungus which may overwinter in the soil. In any event, make sure next year's tomatoes are rotated and a fungicide is applied early in the season as a preventative measure.

We got a milder case of both early and late blights in our community garden - my tomatoes had been sprayed 3-4 times early in the season plus I removed 2 plants so the disease wouldn't infect others' tomatoes. Not the best of years, but they're still producing fruit.