Question
Novice gardener...I live in hawaii and have been trying to start a garden with tomatos and peppers a couple times now. I bought my plants from a garden store when they were about 8" high. The pepper leaves are starting to wilt and become saggy. Last time I planted the garden I got one very small pepper, no tomatos and both plants died. I am not sure if I am giving them too much water or not enough sun or visa versa. I usually water them daily.

Answer
Natalie:

Wilting can be a major problem. There are many kinds of wilting. Some are caused by fungus and some by viruses.

Most of the fungus problems are soil borne and are difficult to treat with fungicides.

Bacterial diseases can also cause wilting.

I have enclosed descriptions of various types of wilting which is a little complicated.

Please consider taking one of your plants to a locally nursery and see if they can identify the wilt and then suggest a solution.

I don't think that watering is the problem.

Please let me know if the wilting is described in any of the types listed below.

These problems are complicated and sometimes fatal.

Verticillium Wilt, caused by Verticillium spp. of fungi, affects many plants and is common on tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, peppers, strawberries, and raspberries. Leaf symptoms appear on oldest leaves first and later develop on younger leaves. Leaves turn yellow, dry up (often without even wilting), and drop prematurely. Shoot tips wilt slightly during the day. As defoliation progresses, tip leaves may curl upward at the margin but usually remain alive. Internal woody stem tissue, particularly at the lower part of the stem, is distinctly darkened. Disease is caused by a soil-borne fungus that can persist for many years. Disease is more prevalent in cool than in warm climates.

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Fusarium Wilt, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersicae, affects only tomatoes. Fusarium wilt, like Verticillium wilt, is characterized by leaf yellowing that progresses upward form the base of the plant. Unlike Verticillium wilt, wilting or yellowing may occur on only one side of a plant. Yellow leaves wilt noticeably before they die. Separate shoots, and later entire plants, finally wilt permanently and die. Woody stem tissue often is discolored throughout the plant. Fusarium wilt is caused by a soil-borne fungus that can persist in soil for many years. Many tomato varieties are resistant to a common race (race 1) of this fungus; however, these "resistant" varieties may be susceptible to the recently detected race 2. Development on fusarium wilt is restricted by cool climate.

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Bacterial Wilt, caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas solanacearum, affects several plant species, including tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, and peppers. Disease is characterized by sudden plant wilting without leaf yellowing. Stem centers (pith) become water-soaked, they later turn brown and sometimes become hollow. Pith discoloration helps distinguish bacterial wilt from Verticillium and Fusarium wilts. Woody stem tissue turns brown and roots may start to form on the stem. The bacterium overwinters in cold-frame and greenhouse soils in northern areas, and in field soil in southern areas. The disease can be serious if transplants are infected.

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Bacterial Canker, caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium michiganense, is characterized by wilting of leaflets on plants of all sizes. On older plants, leaves die from the margin inward toward the midrib. Symptom development often is one-sided; usually the leaflets on one side of the leaf are affected first. Eventually the whole leaf is affected. Diseased plants may wilt and die early but many survive, though unthrifty and wilted. Yellowish white streaks may appear on petioles and stems and may develop into longitudinal cankers. Cavities may develop within stems. Spots develop on fruit. The disease-causing bacterium may survive for 1 year in residue from diseased plants. The bacterium also is seed-borne and therefore can infect and be spread on transplants

Best wishes.

Don Battles