There are a lot of different species of Fusarium and yes, some of the same ones that infect tomatoes can infect hostas. The main thing is to use good sanitation practices when dividing - use disinfecting wipes between each cut - since the fungus typically invades a plant after it is wounded. The fungus also favors cool temps and dry conditions, so don't let things dry out too much. We don't see Fusarium too often in hostas, but when a plant is drastically struggling you can check the roots and crown to see what is going on and it is best to pitch any plants that you suspect may have it. But don't lose sleep over this one - it is just another issue in a long list of things that attack hostas. I see bacterial rot more often in potted plants, usually after plants have been severely divided, and again, good sanitation can help prevent this.

If you have fusarium problems, best remedy is to use kinds tolerant to that problem. Your county's extension service office can offer reliable advice. Locate your county's office with this map. http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/ Here is a link that might be useful: locate your county's extension service office

Mattpower and Veggiedreams, I feel your pain. I have a small backyard garden and I have been growing heirlooms for about 7 years. The first two years I had good results, although I dealt with problems of overcrowding such as foliage diseases; I long for those days. By the third year, something really sinister was happening to my tomatoes. I have good quality soil in raised beds, I start all my own seeds, I mulch all the plants with finely shredded leaves, the plants are caged and well supported, and I water evenly from below. I use organic fertilizers and replenish my beds with excellent compost from our township recycling center that is made up of fall leaves (as well as my own compost in the Fall). In essence, I do everything right. At first, not all of the plants showed the same symptoms, which made it extremely difficult for me to know what was going on. Some wilted during the day in the high heat, starting with the tips of branches and progressing to the entire plant over time. Those plants would stop growing and then start to yellow and die. Others had single lower branches that turned yellow and wilted (much like yours in the picture above). I'd trim them, but the problem would progress until only the tops of the plants remained. Theses plants would then stop producing fruit and eventually die. Fortunately I was able get some tomatoes before the disease would take over. I decided to take action, so I sent plant samples to the plant pathology lab at Penn State University. They confirmed a strain of Fusarium wilt supposedly common to Pennsylvania. I don't know how it came to my garden. It also kills my cucumbers, but nothing else. Now, Mike McGrath of "You Bet Your Garden" fame tells me that the university is full of it and that we don't have Fusarium in PA. I respectfully disagree. Since this discovery, I started growing my tomatoes in large pots. However, here's where it gets really weird: the disease has followed my plants to the pots somehow. Each of the past several years, I have had trouble growing in pots as well. Not all plants are affected, but nonetheless, it has been incredibly frustrating. This year, I sterilized the pots, stakes and cages, and used only store bought, high quality potting soil and compost and used plastic mulch. Alas, I have fared much better this year. Only one plant is showing signs of wilting. However, I've been hit hard with blossom end rot, something I've never dealt with before to this degree. I have two plants loaded with tomatoes and every single one has blossom end rot. They are paste tomatoes, so I know this can be a problem, but I've NEVER seen it on every tomato. My point is that growing in pots can be successful, but getting good results can be tricky. One heirloom I have grown successfully every year is Kelloggs Breakfast. This is an incredibly powerful tomato plant that seems to withstand Fusarium pretty well...better than the so called super hybrids that are supposedly resistant to the disease (yes, I've experimented widely with these to no avail). Allison, any suggestion as to how this disease is affecting my potted plants would be welcome! For what it's worth, I have two plants in the ground in a patch of yard away from my raised beds and they are doing really well. So I know the evil lurks only around my garden beds.

Visiting Germany I saw incredible tomatoes growing within thick high hedges. When I questioned lack of sun I was told Germans consider Tomatoes shade plants. This year I am doing an experiment on my west facing Lanai in Southwest Fl. I have 20 plants from seed in large pots - they get Sun only when the sun passes over our building (about 1:30 to 6:30 or 5 hrs). 10 get sun through a dark screen which is cuts down the sun quite a bit. The other 10 get it direct. Results so far: All are thriving even with the 4-5 hrs sun they get. Those that get their sun through the screen have blossoms (35 so fasr), those with direct sun have no blossoms but the plants look great. The ones that get direct sun wilt during the direct sun period, the others do not. Within 2 hrs past direct sun the wilted plants recover. All are watered the same and I use a soil moisture meter to follow that (ususally every 3 days). I will continue the expt a bit longer but will likely get my 10 Sunnies behind a screen.