Main tomato stalk turning dark color(?)

Mr. Green Jeans 7/8/2013, 6:35 pm

A friends garden I saw today had the bottom six inches or so of main stalk of her tomato plants turning a dark color, almost black (or a VERY dark green). Sorry, no pictures. She's been away for several days, & can't really say when it started or if it's progressing. The rest of each plant look very normal & healthy. She planted early for southern Connecticut & her plants are about 4' high now. NOTHING on the leaves at all.

A stroll through the interwebs suggests this could be caused by Alternaria stem canker, bacterial canker and both early and late blight.

But I don't see lesions or anything like what is described ....
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/stems-turning-black-tomato-plants-25580.html

Is this likely to spread up the plant?

Thanks!

Mr. Green Jeans 7/8/2013, 7:13 pm

Main tomato stalk turning dark color(?) Y8vq

She sent me some pictures.

**camprn** 7/8/2013, 8:20 pm

Oh no, that looks pretty normal to me. Your friend is going to need a bigger and taller stake. Wink

mschaef 7/8/2013, 9:16 pm

It looks to me like the steam is turning to wood. Like a tree trunk. This has happened to my pepper occasionally over the years and is nothing to worry about.

**llama momma** 7/9/2013, 6:58 am

Greenjeans, I wonder if your friend has heirlooms since a couple of mine have dark stems too. Those are growing as well as the others.

Mr. Green Jeans 7/9/2013, 10:05 am

Thanks all for the help so far. The pictures actually don't show how really dark the lower stems are (especially compared to the rest of it). I hope to take some better pictures myself today.

I believe the ARE heirlooms. A few of her plants have died.

**camprn** 7/9/2013, 10:50 am

Some photos of the foliage would be helpful as well. I can see in the above photo at least one brown spot and fome foliar yellowing.

Mr. Green Jeans 7/11/2013, 11:30 am

Here's a shot of a stalk of a plant that was removed to be sent for testing @ the extension.

Main tomato stalk turning dark color(?) Patti_16

Mr. Green Jeans 7/11/2013, 11:31 am

Main tomato stalk turning dark color(?) Patti_17

Sorry the picture is sideways

**llama momma** 7/11/2013, 12:45 pm

Oh ok, I don't think my black stem goes up that far. It turns back to green and stays that way the rest of the way up. There is no leaf damage either like what I see in the last picture. Curious to what's going there, please let us know.

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Main tomato stalk turning dark color(?)

Main tomato stalk turning dark color(?)

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Re: Main tomato stalk turning dark color(?)

Re: Main tomato stalk turning dark color(?)

Re: Main tomato stalk turning dark color(?)

Re: Main tomato stalk turning dark color(?)

Re: Main tomato stalk turning dark color(?)


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