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One sign of overwatered tomato plants is drooping stems and foliage.
Read on for more specific signs of overwatered tomato plants and how to fix the problem.
If not corrected quickly, excessive moisture leads toroot rotwhich prevents nutrient uptake and causes plant loss.
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Most tomato plant roots grow in the top 8 to 12 inches of soil.
Using your gloved hands or a smalltrowel, gently remove soil to uncover them.
How to Fix an Overwatered Tomato Plant
The good news is tomato plants are resilient.
Identifying the problem early limits damage and makes it easier to revive the plant.
Even plants with evidence of dying roots can be rescued.
These are the steps that are most important for restoring good health.
Gently shake or rinse off soggy soil.
Small, immature plants can be set out on newspaper for several hours to dry.
Use a clean snipper to cut out mushy and discolored roots.
Discard old soil and refill the pot with a new dry mix, then repot the plant.
Add support to keep it upright.
Rescued plants will lose leaves, but new growth signals a chance for a full recovery.
Smaller roots that feed your plant are closer to the surface.
Use a shovel to dig up the plant and remove as much soil as possible.
Rinse the rootball under a faucet or a gentle sprayer.
Use a clean snipper to remove dark, waterlogged roots.
Replant in a dry location in a wide, deep hole, spreading out the roots.
Plant at the same depth as the original site.
Add support to keep the plant upright and withhold water for several days to let roots thoroughly dry out.
Large mature plants with fruits and extensive root damage are difficult to salvage.
They don’t transplant easily and suffer extensive wilting when moved.
These cases are best treated by allowing the soil to dry out followed by fertilizing.
Treating soil around the base of the plant with a fungicide may help roots recover.
Provide Nutrients
Roots feed plants by taking up nutrient-rich water.
Leaves can be treated withfoliar spraybut avoid treating foliage with severe wilt.
Depending on the amount of damage, the plant should recover in one to two weeks.
Irrigate potted plants daily or twice daily depending on temperature and rainfall supplying a total of 1 gallon.
Soil should never be overly wet or soggy.
It should be moist to a depth of 8 to 10 inches.
Check by inserting a stick or probe.
Moist soil will cling to the probe.
Allow the soil surface to dry out slightly between waterings.
