White lesions & wimpy tops

[Chapinz8]

This Box Car Willie & all other tomatoes planted 4 weeks ago look like this. Same raised beds as last year, amended with same compost, cottonseed meal as last year. Same cypress mulch source as last year.
I'm guessing herbicide damage. I very carefully sprayed a 6 in strip outside of garden 2 weeks before amending & planting. Calm day & nozzle held 3 in above ground at low pressure.
Any damage in prior years from herbicide caused the tops to turn white. Tomatoes are other healthly except new growth is too spindly & tips are curled.

[KarenO]

What did you spray?
KarenO

[Chapinz8]

I sprayed Crossroad at about 2 -3 times recommended rate. I use it to kill anything I don't want to live. That's why I am very careful with it. It works faster than say, Roundup. I was killing aggressive lawn grass & crabgrass.

[KarenO]

I would say that’s the issue. It persists in soil and leeches. May I ask why a tree/ brush herbicide in or near a food garden at 2-3 x the already very toxic rate?
Tomatoes are very sensitive to any herbicide even scant residue will damage them.

KarenO

[Chapinz8]

I agree, that's the reason I was especially careful, or so i thought. Waited for a very calm day, low pressure, close to ground, etc. My goal was to kill the grass &/or vines so they will not grow thru the fence & into the garden once it was planted. Somewhat amazing to me that there could have been drift as careful as I was. But lesson learned I guess.

[Chapinz8]

I might add that I planted seeds for cucumber, squash, okra & beans. The are healthy so far & growing fast.

[b54red]

Tomatoes and beans are especially sensitive to 2,4-D herbicides and that is one of them. If it doesn't kill them it will cause weird growth and eventual death to tomatoes. It only takes the tiniest amount to affect tomatoes. I would take my chances with Roundup near the garden because a tiny amount won't usually kill tomatoes but a good drift of Roundup mist will; so be careful. I have used Roundup around the edges of my garden due to a weedy lot that runs right up to the edge of my garden which if left to grow will take over my nearest bed. I have only damaged a few tomato plants using Roundup to control the weedy edge of that lot. The plants were very young and I was very careless but I have lost over a hundred tomato plants over the years from 2,4-D drift from some neighborhood lawns being treated.

I don't think most people realize how dangerous to tomatoes any use of a 2,4-D herbicide can be. I have heard of some local tomato farmers losing their whole fields because of careless spraying of nearby pastures when wind conditions allowed some drift. If it gets in your garden soil through contaminated manure or compost it will ruin the soil for tomatoes and beans for years. Never use manure from cattle grazed on fields treated with any 2,4-D herbicide and most pastures are unless they are used for organic dairy grazing.

Bill

[Chapinz8]

Thanks Bill. I'm a definite believer, NOW, in what you said. I would otherwise never have believed, as absolutely cautious as I was, that it could spread or drift in any way. If I spray anything next year it will be Roundup which I still have (& I will be just as careful with it).