Tomato problem

Hi Folks,

Something is wrong with my tomatoes and I'm not sure what to do. I think I'm watering them enough. But the are long and not many leaves. And some of the leaves are curled up. Some plants near the sides of the raised bed have leaves that look better. I grew the plants from seeds. Started them about 4 weeks before the last frost. In general how big should they be at this point? 

Thanks
Bart


Enlarge this image

Could it be Fusarium Wilt?

Not sure exactly what your plant has because I am not an expert. If it's already curling like that, you might want to start another one in a pot from a nursery - just in case. I had to pull up one much larger that I had nursed from a seed started mid Feb. Oh the pain

It gave in to the yellow leaf blight and I don't know the scientific name, but it has hit my tomatoes hard and early this year. The rest are sort of hanging in between the blight, some leaf curling, high heat and humidity. I'm upper/mid Georgia.

The others from seed that I started are being kept under control (sort of) by cutting away diseased leaves and stems and alternating copper fungicide with peroxide spraying. It's still a daily battle, just trying to keep them going until the tomatoes they do have ripen.

We recently picked up a ready to transplant hybrid at HD on sale and it's set away from the rest.

I thought about pulling up the tomato in question. I even drove by the nursery where I was going to stop and get a new plant. But as you suggested, it's hard to pull something up when you've grown it from seed. But, if it doesn't get any better in the next few days, I'll be going back to the nursery to pick up a healthy plant.

Bart, can you email that photo to your extension office?

CC

Did you plant the seed in regular garden soil? Sometimes when I've done that, I get diseases carrying over from previous years and get severely stunted plants. Dunno if that's your problem, but I've grown babies that look like that. These days I use a sterile soil medium -- straight vermiculite, usually.

It's Mels mix. Who know what was in the different bags of added compost.

You might google 'tomato curly leaf'.

Here's one hit:
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/tomato-leaves-curling.html

It's possible that it's a virus, but there are  physiological causes as well.

I took one of the diseased plants to my local extension office. They sent it to VA Tech. I will know in about two weeks what the problem is. The current consensus is that it's a virus transmitted my white fly.

2014 crop with curly leaf virus.  The leaves turned under. I had to pull them out and forgo tomatoes last year.

If the tomato is infected with this virus - and it appears that is case - the ONLY choice you have is to remove and destroy the plant. Pull it and either burn it or bag it and put it out with trash. Do not recycle as compost or yard waste.
Yes, the white fly is the vector. Prevent the fly from "visiting" your toms early in the season is the best approach. For now, destroy the infected plants and do what you can to discourage the fly from hanging around your garden for the rest of this season.

Curling leaves can also come from herbicide drift.  Did anyone near you spray for weeds.  I cant tell the difference between curly top disease and herbicide drift though.

Rolling Stone wrote:Yes, the white fly is the vector. Prevent the fly from "visiting" your toms early in the season is the best approach. For now, destroy the infected plants and do what you can to discourage the fly from hanging around your garden for the rest of this season.

In my area it is the infected lead hopper.

I went to Lowes and bought a Bonnie beef stake tomato plant to replace the plant that was sent to VA Tech. I normally don't like doing that because I want to grow my plants from seeds and Bonnie uses neonicotinoids which I try to avoid. But the plant said resistant to diseases. We shall see.....

This from Virginia Tech concerning a sample of my tomato plant that I sent to them.
++++++
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
one tomato plant began to exhibit leaf curl of upper leaves, followed by nearly all other tomatoes over a period of 2-3 weeks how to treat and prevent in future GROWER INFORMATION
Bart Yount
Somewhere, VA
Diagnosis/Recommendations
_____
Diagnosis: Chemical Injury
Category: Chemical
Comments: We tested the plant for viruses that could cause these
symptoms, but virus tests were negative. Symptoms were consistent with chemical injury from a growth regulator type herbicide, such as 2,4-D, a commonly used lawn and pasture herbicide. 2,4-D can volatilize and drift for some distance. It can damage nontarget plants at low concentrations. It is important to avoid 2,4-D applications during hot or windy days. Only leaves developing at the time of the exposure are damaged. Was any 2,4-D or related chemical used in the vicinity?
Residue of growth regulator herbicides in straw mulch from herbicide-treated pasture or manure from animals fed on herbicide-treated pasture can cause similar symptoms. Make sure to inquire about the history of any straw mulch or manure used prior to application, i.e. whether the field from which the straw came or on which the animals fed was treated with herbicides or not. If the history is unknown, it would be best not to use it.
+++++
I'm wondering if one of the bags of compost that I bought to rejuvenate the bedding mix might have been contaminated. Or it might be a field near my house that I think was sprayed recently.

Bart

Wow.

Thanks for sharing that.
CC

CapeCoddess wrote:Thanks for sharing that.
CC

+1

We've talked at times about regional outbreaks of herbicide contaminated materials used in compost.  You might watch for others in your area with the same problem.

I can attest to the volatility of 2,4-D.  I have a fence line that I have to use an herbicide on.  I always use Round-Up, but once I tried 2,4-D because it was considerably cheaper.  I took the same precautions: not too hot or windy, and I was a good 100 feet from my veggies.  Within a few days, my pea stems became knarly, and the leaves curled.  I took them to the county extension office, and it took the expert 5 seconds to declare the problem was a classic case of herbicide drift.

2,4-D. Active ingredient in agent orange.

I don't believe it was in the compost. The plants grew well, then about a month after they were originally planted, the leaf curl started. I have used a homemade concoction of weed killer consisting of white vinegar, Epsom salt and dish washing soap. Kills the weeds dead. But that was after the leaf curl was well under way. The only thing I can think of is possible damage done by one of two sprays. One: a deer and rabbit repellent. Two: Neem oil to help control the Japanese beetles. I'm thinking it might be the Neem oil that has effected the tomatoes. What do you think? Or perhaps one of my neighbors used some herbicide. I doubt I'll ever find out.

Bart

So many of us use Neem so I can't see it being the culprit.  Unless is was applied in the heat or sunshine, or not diluted enough.  What are the active (and inert) ingredients in the deer and rabbit repellent?

Here is a closely held secret:  All of my tomatoes have leaves that are curled upwards.  (Downward would mean they are diseased and will not produce many flowers or set fruit, so they have to be removed.)  Despite the curled leaves, they are all producing.  They are embarrassing looking     but as long as they are flowering and producing, I'm a very happy camper (and beginner canner).

Mine are curled tight and not producing.....

Every leaf on my green zebras was curled last year, but they still produced. So all hope is not lost.

Bart, No flowers on the plants?

Yes, some of the healthier plants have flowers.

Now, I have another concern:

I have bird netting around my garden, it was used for a six feel high vertical fence around my garden. The top of the fence is open. Will the pollinators for the tomatoes be able to get to my plants?

Thanks
Bart

Yes they will, but tomatoes don't require pollinators.

A breeze can knock the pollen loose, and some of us give the plants a little jiggle everyday.

Some folks use a tuning fork or an electric toothbrush to vibrate the pollen loose.