will too much water make tomato plants wilt and turn yellow

Question

We have received 3+” of rain this week with more forecasted. I turned off the soaker hoses to my garden but my tomato plants wilted and turned yellow and my golden squash plants went from nice green leaves to dead in a week.

Answer 1

If your garden does not have good drainage and the plants spent some time in standing water, then it is possible that they have developed root rot. The roots of the plants essentially suffocate in the water and this is what kills the plant. The amount of rain you received was not to excess, but if it was not draining away, this is what would cause problems.

It is possible as well that there is a wilt in the soil. But the wilts that affect tomatoes are different from the wilts that affect squash. So if the plants both have wilt, then you may just have the very bad luck of getting hot with both types of wilt at the same time. There is not cure for bacterial wilt – of tomatoes or squash.