# Tomato Question



## HillCountry Hunter (Apr 9, 2009)

Is there something wrong with my tomato plants? The bottoms look ok but the tops are all shriveled up? Is this just the new growth? The leaves are very dry as well. I water regularly and the soil is moist\damp. They aren


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## lockhart (Jun 1, 2004)

My guess is you got herbicide damage. Someone's been spraying their yard with weed killer and some drifted over the fence. Tomatoes are very susceptible.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Also they were not plant deep enough, the peat root ball is exposed. Bury tomato plants deeper than they come in the pot, all the way up to a few top leaves. Tomatoes are able to develop roots all along their stems. You can either dig a deeper hole or simply dig a shallow tunnel and lay the plant sideways. It will straighten up and grow toward the sun.


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## Devilray (Jun 26, 2006)

*Virus*

Viruses will cause deformation on new growth. Nothing you can do to change it. The plant will survive, may not produce as much. There is some insect that is transmitting the virus from plant to plant.

If the damage is uniform from plant to plant then it is some enviromental cause, like herbicide contamination. If damage is not uniform or started at one plant then spread, then I'll go with my virus theory.


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## Devilray (Jun 26, 2006)

*Virus Management*

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/notes/oldnotes/vg15.htm


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## HillCountry Hunter (Apr 9, 2009)

lockhart said:


> My guess is you got herbicide damage. Someone's been spraying their yard with weed killer and some drifted over the fence. Tomatoes are very susceptible.


They did just come fertilize my yard last week, they must have got oversprayed.


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## HillCountry Hunter (Apr 9, 2009)

is it too late to plant some new ones?


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## westexas (Oct 14, 2006)

Classic 2,4-D herbicide damage. Did you treat your grass with something like weed-be-gone? Maby your neighbor?


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## Haute Pursuit (Jun 26, 2006)

HillCountry Hunter said:


> is it too late to plant some new ones?


You can try. I would'nt eat any tomatoes off of those even if they managed to survive. The heat is the only thing that may keep the blooms from setting now. Your plants don't look like they had many blooms anyway. Plant them real deep... nothing but the top few branches out of the ground and use some Miracle Grow starter. Water them twice a day for a couple of weeks also. Good luck!


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## rvj (May 14, 2006)

HillCountry Hunter said:


> is it too late to plant some new ones?


 NO. It is not to late to plant some new plants. Just try to find some that are rather large.


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## Pocboy (Aug 12, 2004)

Maybe it's been cool lately and we've had some of the first really hot days so the plants are feeling a little hotter than normal and using water at a faster rate. I bet a good watering will make them look normal again.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

water the heck out of em every other day and give a shot of fertilizer in between waterings, they migh pull thru. that bed looks pretty dry 

if you have to replant , make sure the new ones are planted to the first leaves in the soil


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## HillCountry Hunter (Apr 9, 2009)

Well, I tore them all out Sunday and planted some new ones. This time I planted them a lot deeper like I should have done the first time. We'll see how these come out. I'm blamming it on the fertilizer though because some f my other plants got affected as well.
thanks 2cool.


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## HillCountry Hunter (Apr 9, 2009)

OK, so, I replanted some new tomato plants, deep like everyone said to and these are doing the same thing as the first ones did (as seen in the pics) They started out great and then just stalled, with the tops curling in like that. What is going on??!!


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## RiverRat1962 (Mar 23, 2009)

Contact your county agent, they can test it and tell you if its a disease or if your soil is contaminated or needs some other nutrients etc..


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## RiverRat1962 (Mar 23, 2009)

Check them real good for these bugs...



> Aphids - tiny, green to black soft-bodied, winged or wingless insects that cluster on the underside of leaves or on stems. They are sucking insects that can cause curled and distorted leaves & stunted plants. Localized aphid infestations can be hand-picked or pruned out or blasted off the plants with water. Applications of insecticidal  soap, horticultural oil, or Neem oil may also be effective. Aphids are a favorite food of lady beetles. Damsel bugs and the larvae of lacewings and flower flies are also effective predators of aphids. Many tiny wasps act as parasites of aphids as well so use even organic pesticides with care.


http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/tomato/2000080812028696.html


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## JPO (Oct 15, 2005)

they will out grow it when the roots get deep enough


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## HillCountry Hunter (Apr 9, 2009)

RiverRat1962 said:


> Contact your county agent, they can test it and tell you if its a disease or if your soil is contaminated or needs some other nutrients etc..


yeah, my Dad looked at them this weekend he thinks its something with the soil. My okra, cucumbers and peppers are doing good, just not the tomato


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## baytownboy (Jul 24, 2009)

Try to plant upside down, that's the way I'm going now.


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## sharplazer (Feb 25, 2010)

mosaic virus. Could be from your cukes or from tobacco. do you smoke. These viruses will be transmitted by bugs and by hand. If you stuck new plants in the dirt that had the infected plants in it you just stuck them back in the virused area. Mosaics and also curly top virus will make plants look like this. My best guess is it is a form of curly topvirus and you wont get tomatoes from the plant anyway.

Make new beds from composted piles of organic matter. Best thing you can do is cook and I mean cook a big compost pile up and plant in it.


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## Sea-Slug (May 28, 2004)

Been growing maters all my life. That looks like aphid damage to me. Go buy 2 thousand ladybugs for 11 dollars, spread them on the plants after sunset. Water every day. In one week they will recover. I get aphid problems about every 3 years. Top leaves curl and shrivel. Look at the bottom of the shriveled leaves and on the stems with a magnifying glass, you will see them. Some black and some red ones I suspect. Nasty little buggers.


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## Bone Pile (Jan 23, 2009)

Looks like they grew good for a while. Try and water every other day. Water thoroughlly as long as you have good drainage. Apply Miracle Grow once a week. Mix in a bucket and apply to base of the plant. When planting new plants,make sure you wash the roots good. This will unbind them(could be root bound-roots growing in circles from being in planters too long) and help with growing. Cut/pinch off all suckers(small leaf growth on stem of plant). If your dirt has manure in it,horse or cow,their could be some 2-4-D tied up in the soil which came from weed control in pastures or the hay they eat.
My dos centavos


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