Tomato plant wilting: causes and what to do

The most common cause of tomato wilting in the eastern US is simple heat and drought stress — the plant wilts at midday and recovers by evening. The most serious causes are fusarium wilt, verticillium wilt, and bacterial wilt, all of which are incurable and fatal. The critical di

A wilting tomato plant is one of the more urgent-feeling garden problems. But the urgency depends entirely on the cause — some causes require nothing more than patience, and others mean the plant will die and there's nothing you can do. Here's how to tell the difference.

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The first question: does it recover overnight?

This single observation eliminates or confirms the most dangerous diagnoses.

Wilts during the day, recovers by evening or morning: Almost certainly heat and/or drought stress. Benign. Monitor soil moisture.

Wilts and does NOT recover, soil is moist: Root problem or vascular disease (fusarium, verticillium, bacterial wilt, or root rot). Check stem and roots.