Some tomato plague

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cybercrone Dundas,, ON(Zone 5b) Jun 03, 2021

Hi:
I started my tomatoes, as usual, and had promised some to young relatives.
I had started 4 - one for each of us and a spare. I had been taking the 3 outside each day for hardening off - they were only about 6 inches tall, but this is a slow-growing tomato. I was going to deliver them that day, so didn't take them out and they were on the kitchen counter looking fine. I stepped outside to fill the water dish for the birds and bees - 3 minutes tops - and came back inside to find all the tomatoes fallen over, limp and *shrunken*. They looked like scraps of lettuce that got left in the fridge until they liquefied. Also some round, bright white fungus spots had sprung up on the earth the plants were in.
I've grown tomatoes all my life and NEVER have seen anything like this. The speed of it made it seem like something out of a horror movie.
They had been sitting overnight on the counter next to one of those huge planters with 57 types of salad greens in it, and there was definitely something wrong with them, but I thought just overwatering at the nursery. And no fungus on their soil.
I'm telling you, I'm not exaggerating about the speed of this. I had picked up the pots before I decided to go outside.
Does anyone know what happened? What it is?
And is the soil dangerous and what should I do with it?
I've never been creeped out by gardening before, but this did it.
All suggestions welcomed. TIA.

Post #10517583
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MaypopLaurel Cleveland,GA/Atlanta, GA(Zone 7b) Jun 04, 2021

It's probably "damping off" and was happening under the soil line before the plants keeled over. It can be caused by several molds or fungi that thrive in cool, wet soil. Dump the soil and plants. You can find online images of the problem, including white mold spots on soil, to confirm.

Post #10517609
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cybercrone Dundas,, ON(Zone 5b) Jun 04, 2021

Thank you. I'll look right away.

I did look and I'd say you were right. I'd suspect the culprit was phytophthora as they were past the 2 or 3 leaf stage.

Thank you again.

This message was edited Jun 4, 2021 8:46 PM

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