Why is my Tomato dying?
A dying outdoor tomato is usually stressed by dry soil and heat, but soggy roots, leaf disease, pests, cold, and spray drift can look similar at first.
If you can already see the symptom
Answer what you can see
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The causes in full
Dry soil and heat stressMOST COMMON
How to tell
Look for wilting in the hottest part of the day, curled or crisp leaf edges, hard dry soil two inches down, and the worst damage on the sunny afternoon side.
What to do
If the soil is dry two inches down or baked hard and cracked, water deeply and slowly at the base until the root zone is moist, then mulch the soil. During a heatwave, give temporary afternoon shade if you can, but keep the plant in full sun otherwise.
Waterlogged roots or poor drainageCOMMON
How to tell
Check whether the soil stays wet two inches down, smells sour, or the plant wilts even though the ground is wet, especially after rain.
What to do
If the soil is waterlogged two inches down, stop extra watering and let the bed drain before watering again. Pull mulch back for a few days, open shallow channels to move standing water away, and improve drainage with compost before the next planting.
Early blight or Septoria leaf spot diseaseCOMMON
How to tell
Look at the lowest leaves first for many brown or black spots, yellowing around spots, and leaves dying from the bottom upward after wet weather.
What to do
Remove the worst spotted lower leaves, keep diseased leaves out of the bed, and stake or tie the plant so air can move through it. Water at soil level only if the soil is dry two inches down, because wet leaves help these diseases spread.
Spider mites or aphidsCOMMON
How to tell
Turn leaves over and look for tiny moving dots, fine webbing, sticky residue, or clusters of small insects on tender new growth.
What to do
If you see the pests, knock them off leaf undersides with a firm spray from a hose and repeat every few days; use a labeled insecticidal soap if they keep returning. If the soil is dry two inches down, water the plant deeply too, because stressed tomatoes are hit harder by mites.
Herbicide drift or spray burnLESS COMMON
How to tell
Look for twisted, narrow, cupped newest leaves, sudden browning on exposed leaves, or damage that appeared soon after weed killer, lawn spray, or fertilizer spray was used nearby.
What to do
If spray drift is likely, do not apply more sprays or fertilizer; rinse dusty residue off foliage only if the exposure was very recent and the plant is not already sitting in wet soil. Keep the plant evenly cared for and wait to see whether normal new growth returns.
Cold snap or late frost injuryLESS COMMON
How to tell
Look for limp, dark, water-soaked-looking leaves or blackened growing tips that appeared right after a cold night or frost.
What to do
If frost caused the damage, wait until healthy new growth is clear before trimming off dead parts. Cover plants before future cold nights, and water only if the soil is dry two inches down.
Will it recover?
Wilted leaves from thirst may perk up, but scorched, frost-blackened, spotted, or badly twisted leaves usually will not recover, so judge success by healthy new growth.
Stopping it happening again
Keep tomatoes in full sun with steady soil moisture, mulch, good spacing and support, soil-level watering, quick removal of diseased lower leaves, and care to avoid weed-killer drift.
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