Distressing Tomato Problem

I had one Cherokee Purple do that this year in my garden. I blamed it on the horse manure I used. Thought it was some sort of herbicide carryover. I had one die and the other one in the same bed is unaffected.
 
If one has 33 horses , they tend to make plenty of manure. I just scoop it up daily and cover the garden and trees as well as my pasture with 6" of the stuff and my plants do grow like what the "Miracle Grow" adds claim... they grow twice as big !
 
I buy way over 100 tons of alfalfa hay and about 20 tons of oat + barley hay and about 20 tons of corn oat, and barley grains every year from commercial growers and have never experienced ill effects ( I spread the manure straight out of the barn and spread it out in the gardens and pastures ) on any crop or pasture grasses or the horses that I am aware of. And, YES , their fields are sprayed for weed and insect controls with appropriate products at specified rates and times by licensed applicators that use true records. My neighbor that lives across the road from us , his son in law owns a agricultural spraying business. He uses a helicopter and a crew of licensed applicators that sprays thousands of acres of tomatoes, as well as other crops that do not exhibit crop damage. Their livelyhood as well as their farmer clients' depend on proper use of chemicals or they would be sued and/or out of business posthaste. Where there may be some problems , I would look at applicator misuse or overdose or misapplication of any spray or product. Too, since you state that ... " I had one die and the other one in the same bed unaffected." I would look at another cause of your tomato's demise. :idunno
 
For those feeding/using grains or hay products. All pesticides have a withdrawal rate where nothing can be harvested in that window.
 
seedcorn said:
For those feeding/using grains or hay products. All pesticides have a withdrawal rate where nothing can be harvested in that window.
Click to expand...

Many herbicides have some carryover as well. One of the worst is Picloram (commonly sold under the trade names Tordon and Grazon) which has a half life of 1-4 years. It is used a lot on fields where hay is harvested.

The following is part of an article about Picloram and two other like herbicides.
***
"Minute concentrations of picloram, clopyralid and aminopyralid, as low as 1 ppb (parts per billion), can be lethal to sensitive garden plants such as peas, beans, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes and potatoes.

Most pesticides, including herbicides, break down quickly in the composting process. Picloram, Clopyralid and Aminopyralid do not. These chemicals are

  • Easily absorbed by plants.
  • Remain chemically stable and intact in both live and dead plants.
  • Do not breakdown substantially in animal digestive tracts so contaminate manure, urine and bedding with residues.
  • Breakdown very slowly in composts and soils with an estimated half life of 1 - 2 years.
  • Affect sensitive crops at very low concentrations - 1-3 ppb.
The only way to handle this potential threat is to keep materials contaminated with picloram, clopyralid and aminopyralid out of your garden in the first place.

When you're talking to a farmer supplying hay, straw or manure asking about picloram, clopyralid and aminopyralid is probably not enough. You'll need to ask about specific trade names of the herbicides.

These herbicides are sold under the following trade names.
  • Picloram - sold as Tordon, Access, Surmount, Grazon, and Pathway.
  • Clopyralid - sold as Curtail, Confront, Clopyr AG, Lontrel, Stinger, Millennium Ultra, Millenium Ultra Plus, Reclaim, Redeem, Transline.
  • Aminopyralid - sold as Milestone, Forefront, Pharaoh, Banish." ***
If you have any doubt about the safe use of composted hay, try planting a few peas before using it on your garden. Legumes are very susceptible to damage from some of these herbicides. If they grow well your hay is most likely safe to use on you garden veggies.
 
Kassaundras problem is not an herbicide. There is absolutely no indication or symptoms of herbicidal contamination. The symptoms and circumstances also do not point to water wilt. There is, however, every indication of bacterial infection. Without seeing the roots, I can only speculate. It could also be root knot nematodes, but it's unlikely since the onset of symptoms was so sudden. The symptoms she described are textbook Bacterial Wilt. Dipping the stem in a glass of water will tell the tale, if it's not too late.
 
Need an autopsy done, huh. @Kassaundra , if you have any of those plants left, maybe you could have your ag extension agent take a look at it. That's right up their alley.
 
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