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I've heard stories of people who have had seemingly-dead tomato plants which they left alone and the plant grew back. How can I tell if my plant is dead as opposed to merely in poor shape? Is there anything I can do to encourage it?

This was the plant a few days ago; since then the brown wilted part has been spreading down the stem. It had some damage to the stem in a storm, losing the top portion with the leaves.

The plant

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Well it isn't dead, as the stem seems quite green. If you are interested from a botany/plant physiology standpoint let it grow.

There will be nodes where there used to be leaves. These will regrow new branches, but if you are in a hurry for tomatoes, go out and buy a new one, the biggest one that you can find cheaply.

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  • The image is a few days old; it's become more brown each day. Is that a bad sign? Should I pinch off the dead part?
    – Yamikuronue
    May 16, 2012 at 14:23
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    that is a bad sign... maybe check the roots, make sure the soil smells good, sometimes you can overwater and make the soil anaerobic, will smell like a swamp.
    – Grady Player
    May 16, 2012 at 15:52

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