plants in one location dying

[JohnWayne]

This year I had intentions of starting Rutger's, Kellogg's Breakfast, Beefsteak and New Hampshire Surecrop from seed. I rounded out my list from local green houses
with Brandywine, Boxcar Willie, Park's Whooper, Lemon boy, Carolina Gold, and Cherokee Purple.

Because of the trouble I've had with production of tomatoes in the last few years I tilled a circle around a weeping cherry tree in the field beside the house. The ring was then covered in the composted horse manure I'd just acquired to a depth of 2-3 inches and that was tilled in.

I then planted 30 tomato plants at 24 inch spacing and watered them in. The remainder of the greenhouse plants I set out in the garden, 40 or so. The plants put in the garden took off right away and look pretty good.

But those around the cherry tree started turning yellow right away. They look for all the world like they are not getting water. And some have "dried up" some having lost their leaves and some with brown leaves. And to beat all, 5 or 6 plants look somewhat healthy if lacking the dark green of a healthy plant. Most of those seeming to be potato leafed.

Watering heavily seems to slow things down but don't seem to stop whatever is going on.

I have a feeling herbicide was used on the compost pile or in the fields where the horses were grazing. BTW, although the manure is piled at the lower edge of the garden, none has been worked into the soil or placed around the plants. All those in the garden are healthy.

Any ideas ? Suggestions ?

[rsg2001]

Is it possible that they have a burn from the manure? I never heard of a weeping cherry having a negative impact on tomatoes... not like black walnut trees. That would be my bet.

[JohnWayne]

I don't know as I have never used manure before. I can tell you that it is well composted and has no bad odor.

From what people had said, I was of a mind that horse manure would not burn plants even if fresh. Maybe I misunderstood.

[tam91]

There has been some info on the forum about herbicide residue in horse manure causing trouble in gardens. If you look at some of the recent threads on manure, you will probably find it. I hope that's not it in your case.

[JohnWayne]

I haven't found anything on herbicide as yet but I did some research online and this is looking a lot like early blight.

[JohnWayne]

Trying once more to post pictures. Sorry, my skills with the camera are as weak as my understanding on posting pictures..

[kath]

Congrats on posting them and on the ID- the photos look like EB- are there concentric rings in the spots?

[JohnWayne]

Originally Posted by kath

Congrats on posting them and on the ID- the photos look like EB- are there concentric rings in the spots?

Thanks Kath, If there are concentric rings then they are poorly defined. I can't make them out with reading glasses and a magnifying glass. I did however find a number of very small and perfectly round holes. Don't know what that means if anything..(

[kath]

They get holes when the brown spots dry up. Try Google Images "Early Blight on tomato leaves" and compare yours to what you see.

[rsg2001]

Now that I see the pix, I believe it is EB too. Just pick off the EB leaves (I thought that was what it was from your photos). It is a slow moving disease, but you should get the harvest. Picking off the leaves helps to slow down the spread.

[JohnWayne]

Let me say right off that I'm sorry if this is a double post. I know I made a reply last night but can't find it now.

Most of the 30 plants in the ring around the weeping cherry are already to far gone to have any hope they will recover. As a last ditch effort and after reading all I could find on the subject (I'm still not so sure herbicide isn't involved) I mixed 2 gallons of water with 4 aspirin, a couple tbl spoons of Epsom salts, a couple more of borax and about 6 oz of milk.

Of course my garden sprayer was broken and so I used a watering can and soaked each plant.

There is a rose bush planted last year that had never really taken off. I tilled the ring passing just inside the rose which didn't have a single leaf. (Rabbits?) I added compost to the tilled ring and piled it up around the rose pretty deep and added a little 10-10-10.

The rose came back strong and is now covered with leaves but the leaves seem to have a reverse curl. outer edges curl under somewhat. Anyway, there are 2 large climbing roses beside the house maybe 30 feet away and every summer the spider mites give us fits. Sevin spray don't seem to bother them in the least and spraying with water gives little relief. Pulling vines in under the shade seems to be the only way to stop them. They don't touch the leaves that are shaded.

I wonder if spider mites could be part of the problem with the tomatoes ?

[b54red]

JohnWayne the only thing that has worked on spider mites for me is a mixture of Permethrin, Insect Growth Regulator and enough dish washing soap so it will penetrate their webbing. It usually takes two applications a week to 10 days apart making sure to get the undersides of the leaves really well. The second best thing without going nuclear that I have used is Neem oil with pyrethrin in it. It is organic and fairly effective. Malathion will work but I hate to put it on tomato plants and in concentrations high enough to kill spider mites it usually causes leaf burn. I have not found Sevin effective at all for spider mites.

[JohnWayne]

I kept wondering about this and when a friend who owns a greenhouse offered, I took a number of very leggy tomato plants he had left over. Most I placed in the garden where they are doing quite well. But others I planted in 5 gallon buckets.

I have 4 plants in the buckets with varying amounts of the compost/manure from none to all compost. All of the plants did the same thing as those planted in the circle.
(except that planted in pure soil without compost)
Next I thought about the manure being to acidic and I mixed baking soda and water and added this. The results were shocking as the plants looked like they had been scalded but they kept hanging on and now I am even seeing new growth.

I am still just as much in the dark as I was. all I can think to do is to have soil samples tested. I understand that if you are having a problem like this you can send a sample separate from your others and have it further tested for problems. I have a mind to send a sample of the compost and see what turns up.

[babice]

Hi JohnWayne - just read thru these threads and wanted to mention that I did read that non-composted manure will burn plants while composted manure (like that you're describing) won't.

Also, if those spots aren't EB they definitely still do look like some type of disease. Coulda been in the soil? Coulda been in the manure? Coulda been in the wind? In any case - have you used anything to try to control or prevent fungal diseases? Have you used anything against this yet such as Daconil or even the last ditch effort of bleach spray? It looks like a fungal disease of some kind in your pic. Maybe you should destroy the ones you say are totally gone and if you've got some you are hoping could still be saved then cut off the bad leaves and destroy them along with the bad toms and then treat with something to hopefully get rid of the disease?

[JohnWayne]

The plants in the circle around the weeping cherry was a one off thing. Funny, it was an attempt to try and learn why the tomatoes in my garden weren't putting on fruit.

In every case, the dying plants are in the compost so the problem is there. Maybe the herbicide is being washed out of that in the buckets, I don't know. But the whole plant seems to get a wilted look right from the start and the spotted leaves show up after. I have a feeling that this is a two part thing. Something shocks the system of the plant and thus makes it to weak to fight off that which later kills it.

I guess buring those dead plants might be for the best but I also wonder if sending a plant for testing would be a better idea ?