Is this herbicide damage?

[hunter]

I started noticing some crazy-looking growth on some of my tomato plants earlier this week. Is sure looks like some sort of herbicide drift, but perhaps it could be something in the straw that I am using for mulch. Initially I thought that the plants were just going through a growth spurt after all of the rain and the near-freeze we had last week.

[ginger2778]

No, something else. Herbicide damage causes skinny little cobra head shaped leaves. I think you might have a microbial problem in your soil, bacterial or fungal.

Actually probably fungal, not surprising with all that rain.

[hunter]

Thanks for the diagnosis. I sprayed with daconil for the first time last week. Is there something else I should be doing?

[hunter]

So, I need to decide whether to pull these plants and replace them or wait it out and risk losing the spots. My spares are getting a little long in the tooth at this point. All of the plants are very green and show no signs of any disease that I've seen before, so any help would be awesome. I've sprayed with Daconil and watered them a few time with UF Veg Fertilizer. All are flowering at this point and probably doubled in height over the last week of warm weather. I thought that perhaps they were just growing above ground faster than their roots could handle.

I have a very, very thick layer of straw mulch between each plant that I placed last week prior to our two nights in the high 30s. Since then, it's gotten very warm.

Here are a few other photos:

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by hunter

Thanks for the diagnosis. I sprayed with daconil for the first time last week. Is there something else I should be doing?

I think you can alternate that with a liquid copper fungicide, and do an every 7 day spraying regimen, and add a spraying after a heavy rain. Don't forget to trim off your infected leaves and remove them so they wont add to the fungal source. Also, I wouldn't use the copper any stronger than the weakest recommended dose, or it can stunt the growth, and it takes the plant 3 weeks of precious growing time to come out of that. If your plant has a blue color after spraying, you have too strong of a mix. That weak strength will do the job well.
Also trim out some of the leaves where they are growing densely to allow air flow so fungus isn't so happy. Oh, and wipe down youpr trimming tool with a Lysol wipe or alcohol between plants so you dont spread the infection.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by hunter

So, I need to decide whether to pull these plants and replace them or wait it out and risk losing the spots. My spares are getting a little long in the tooth at this point. All of the plants are very green and show no signs of any disease that I've seen before, so any help would be awesome. I've sprayed with Daconil and watered them a few time with UF Veg Fertilizer. All are flowering at this point and probably doubled in height over the last week of warm weather. I thought that perhaps they were just growing above ground faster than their roots could handle.

I have a very, very thick layer of straw mulch between each plant that I placed last week prior to our two nights in the high 30s. Since then, it's gotten very warm.

Here are a few other photos:

I dont think you need to pull them at all. Really, they have a very mild case of whatever, and the leaf curling you see, well, given the right weather, many tomato plants will do this. Do your preventive sprays and trims of any yellow or spotted leaves and then see.

[hunter]

Sounds great! Thanks, Marsha!

[Gardeneer]

Leaf rolling/curling some times can be due to too much water/rain.
Also some varieties show that more than others. I have had a Black Krim that had curled leaves all season long. Right now I have a Kumato (F3) with curled leave. No other 28 varieties have that.

Gardeneer

[jhp]

I don't see any spots or anything on the leaves. Looks to me like they are just having a hard time adjusting to the temperature swings. We get that here too. They should grow out of that. Of course fungicide won't hurt either way.

Jen

[hunter]

Thanks everyone!