White leaves on newly planted vegetables

Last weekend, I planted the tomatoes, zucchini & cucumber I'd been growing in gallon pots. These were well established plants, some with roots growing out the bottom of the pots & I didn't plant them near the spots where I grew tomatoes last year.

One tomato immediately wilted & died - I'm talking overnight - never had that happen before. I'd watered it HEAVILY. Another has leaves that have turned white at the bottom. One of the zucchini also has leaves turning white at the bottom.

Is this some sort of fungus? I'd appreciate any ideas about how to treat the plants with white leaves.

Also, I bought a replacement tomato today & wonder if it's okay to plant it in the same spot, where the one that wilted was.

TIA for any advice!

Liz

It sounds like sun scald or wind burn. How did you harden them off. the tomato I not as sure about. Maybe you damages the stem somehow when you transplanted it.

Hmmmm, we've had unusual winds here, so that makes sense. The tomato was in my "sunroom" (all glass room) before I planted it ... Thanks for the feedback Doug!

Liz - Too much water will kill plants faster than under-watering. Perhaps your tomato "drowned".

It is always a good idea to harden off plants before placing them in full sunlight.

I don't think a fungus would cause your leaves to turn white that quickly, but being bleached by direct sun will.

It's hard to say whether or not you should plant a new tomato where the other one died without looking at your soil. To be on the safe side, I would try a different spot.

The plant got full sun in my sunroom, through glass, which always seems hotter than outside to me. Hmmmm - didn't know a tomato could drown - this was just an initial watering after planting.... Thanks for the feedback Honeybee!

The difference between being in a sun room and outside is twofold. One, the glass filters out the UV light and ,two, It protects the little plants from the wind and its drying effects.

The rays of the sun cannot penetrate the glass in the sunroom. Your plant was well protected, & when you placed it outside, it couldn't take the rays of the hot sun.

Yep, got sunburned. You need to get the plants used to the sun little by little.

I normally harden off my transplants at least for one all week or more before I plant them outdoor.
I keep them under the shade of the porch for a few days and I gradually move them to the sun ... and I am talking Texas sun ...
It works well in this way for me

The good news is the tomatoes will grow more leaves that tolerate the sun and I assume so will squash.

Okay, I guess I learned an important lesson! Thanks much everyone!

Hardening plants off to out door conditions is very important, however it's usually not deadly. It may set the plants back some but they should recover. With squash they grow fast and can always be direct seeded.

Like Honeybee said too much water is deadly too. I lost 1 tomato plant this year and it was in a low spot. The night I planted it rained like crazy, it was wilted the next day and dead a few days later..


I'm still planting out tomato plants tho. I have about 50 planted but I keep digging holes and planting plants. I think I need prof. help. Lol. A wind storm came thru last night and blew over my bean and cuke supports, so far everything looks OK. It was the strangest thing it was just like a regular storm but no rain...

1Lisac,
You ever seen the movie "Holes," with Sigourney Weaver? It might just cure you! LOL!

That's my oldest son's favorite movie I have seen it hundreds of times. Yes, I think about it every time I dig a hole. Lol

I LOVE THAT MOVIE! LOL!