My tomato plants are wilting and dying

Question

I set out 44 plants. They were fine and in about a week I fertilized and composted them. In about a week or two I noticed a couple of them wilting. Overnight more wilted and now I probably have less than 12 plants left and I keep losing some every day. It seems I will lose all my tomatoes. This may be a factor. The squash plants I set out are now doing the same thing after fertilizing and composting. I notice there is an ammonia like smell in the soil when I pull up the dead plants. I wondered about the fertilizer or could it be that weed killer got into my compost mix? Puzzled

Answer 1

It is possible that they are suffering from fertilizer burn if the fertilizer your used was too concentrated or, if organic, un-mellowed (as in raw manure).

If the plants were all grown from the same source, it is also possible that they have a wilt. This can spread through the soil quickly and cause wilting in many plants. This article explains more about wilts:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/disease/verticillium-wilt-treatment.htm

Answer 2

In response to Heather, my tomato plants did all come from the same source. I raised them myself starting them in peat pellets. I can check with friends and neighbors that I gave plants to and see if they are having any problems. I raised about 200 plants and 14 varietues and it seems the problem is in all varieties. I pray that it is something that I did setting them out, rather than it being a systemic problem in the soil.