Question
Hi,
I have moved to 12 degrees N in the Caribbean. Much of the land has been fallow for years. I bought in seeds of several varieties of tomato and chillies from reputable Internet sources. Germination and early growth was excellent. Growth after transplantation seemed great. Then: It looked as if all the tops were dehydrated. I had watered them, but things got worse as the rains got more "rainy". Some then just died. Some had obviously been flattened by cane toads and others chopped up by caterpillars. The rest have curly deformed leaves (no obvious discolouration) and the stems of the tomatoes,in patches, first turn white and then brown. The nodes are getting small lumps or nodules that look like incipient roots. Looks like no photos I can find on the internet. Any suggestions?
Thanks.

Answer
It sounds like you have three problems:

Insects
Nematodes on the roots
Wilt or Blight

You can spray for the worms, nematodes there is nothing that you can do without damaging the plant. For the wilt, there is a product that you might find at your local nursery for this. Your location is not so good for growing ordinary tomatoes. You need a thick peel type that grows in hot climates like Thailand.

This is a difficult thing for you to deal with and you may want to start over with a new set of special seeds.

Best wishes.

Don Battles