How can you tell if a tomato plant is dead?

It might be difficult to discern whether a tomato plant has degenerated to the point that it is no longer salvageable. A tomato plant may become weak or unhealthy as a result of several illnesses, upkeep, and climatic conditions. Inspect your plant’s leaves, fruit, stem, and roots to see whether it displays any indications of life worth sustaining.

1. Examine the leaves for wilting, discoloration, or drop offs. The state of the leaves and fruit is generally what causes a gardener to wonder whether his tomato plant is dying. A plant with wilting, dry, yellow leaves may still have hope but is a symptom of a problem and should lead you to investigate further.
2. Check the fruit size, if the plant produces any, to verify that it is not excessively little or smaller than it was before. A dead plant will not produce fruit, but the presence of frail and spotted fruit indicates the plant has a problem that may result in death if not corrected.
3. Examine the tomato plant’s stem and roots. Collapsed, dry, decaying stems and roots without pliable, supple growth or greenery indicate that the plant is dead. Even a tomato plant with tiny indications of life in the stem and root is not worth attempting to resuscitate since it has little chance of growing into a healthy plant.

Related Questions

• Will dead tomato plants grow back?

  Tomatoes are perennial in their natural tropical habitat, but will perish if exposed to freezing conditions. Tomatoes can regrow from fallen seeds when warm spring weather arrives (volunteer plants), or can be propagated from cuttings in the fall.

• Why does my tomato plant look dead?

  Possible causes include lack of water, fungal wilt diseases, tomato spotted wilt virus, walnut toxicity and stalk borers. Water scarcity. Tomato plants need around 1 inch of water every week. Plants may wilt badly when soils are dry, but will revive rapidly when they are watered.

• Should I pull up dead tomato plants?

  It’s important to pick up any dead and diseased leaves as you are clearing out to minimize future problems in the garden. Best wishes with your late-season tomatoes!

• What happened to my tomato plants?

  Tomato plants and leaves can wilt when the soil is either too wet or too dry. Too wet and the roots literally drown, while very dry soil won’t supply plants with all the moisture they need. Tomato plants may produce yellow leaves and seem wilted. Watering should be done with caution.