Is this herbicide damage?
- Thread starter CO_Grower
- Start date
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yes the cupping and ragged leaf edges indicate herbicide drift. Ask your neighbours if they use weed killer in a sprayer.
It doesn't take much. I sprayed Roundup about 25 feet from my tomato plants in the spring on what seemed to be a perfectly calm day. The drift damaged the tomato plants quite severely. They recovered after a month or so and are now doing fine. The point is, I though there was absolutely no chance of any drift that day. So if a neighbor has used a herbicide on a day when there was even the slightest breeze, it could have easily drifted into your vines.
I get damage like that every year. Not sure where it comes from, my guess is weed and feed from the neighbors. This year it killed several of my tomato plants.
They say the worst times for spray is windy or hot and calm
The 2,4-D can volatize in the heat and slowly drift when it's calm.
I think I get most of my damage from hot and calm drift.
One year I had a bottle of weed killer in my garage right next to the door. I've got a vine right next to the door and it showed herbicide damage. I think it was just drifting out of my garage.
They say the worst times for spray is windy or hot and calm
The 2,4-D can volatize in the heat and slowly drift when it's calm.
I think I get most of my damage from hot and calm drift.
One year I had a bottle of weed killer in my garage right next to the door. I've got a vine right next to the door and it showed herbicide damage. I think it was just drifting out of my garage.
2,4-D eg "Killex" can give leaves ragged edges
This year in early July I lost 4 of 6 tomato plants from drift.
My grapes and Linden tree also showed damage.
Now it looks like the garden was hit again a few weeks ago. The last 2 tomatoes are looking sad, the okra leaves are crazy, and potatoes leaves are curling.
I finally complained, and shockingly got a real response. The likely primary offender, a grassy school playground, said they would stop spaying.
Plus I had Cc'd the state regulators and a guy showed up this afternoon to take samples.
Hopefully I won't see as much damage next year.
This is usually peak tomato season for us and we are missing our big bold heirloom tomatoes.
My wife searched for tomatoes last weekend and found a poor and expensive substitute. So it goes.
My grapes and Linden tree also showed damage.
Now it looks like the garden was hit again a few weeks ago. The last 2 tomatoes are looking sad, the okra leaves are crazy, and potatoes leaves are curling.
I finally complained, and shockingly got a real response. The likely primary offender, a grassy school playground, said they would stop spaying.
Plus I had Cc'd the state regulators and a guy showed up this afternoon to take samples.
Hopefully I won't see as much damage next year.
This is usually peak tomato season for us and we are missing our big bold heirloom tomatoes.
My wife searched for tomatoes last weekend and found a poor and expensive substitute. So it goes.
