What is happening to these Tomatoes??

[rnewste]

I have my seedlings in 2 containers, until they go into their individual Earthboxes in 10 days. Those in Container "A" are doing just fine:



But those in Container "B" are starting to "droop" with their leaves pointing inward to their stem.



Here is a close-up of a 1884 plant.



Both containers have received the same amount of water, and neither has had any fertilizer added. Any ideas on what is happening in Container "B"?

thanks,

Ray

[feldon30]

Were the containers completely clean? Is there any chance of herbicide/weed killer drift? Were the earthboxes side-by-side?

[rnewste]

Hi Morgan,

These containers are brand new. We live in a residential area so not likely due to pesticide wind drift. What I see on the undersides of several leaves is a purple blotching:



I have now taken all the plants and put them in dry, Miracle Grow Potting Mix each in their own 4" container. Moisture content in the container was pretty high, but again, no (apparent) problems in the other container.

Ray

[rnewste]

I would also note that I cut down a large tree on Saturday, and there was a good amount of pollen and seeds that fell into the container. As all of these plants exhibited this wilting and leaf curl problem within the past 24 hours, the cause must be widespread to affect all 24 plants at the same time.

Ray

[carolyn137]

Ray, I know you posted elsewhere for answers and someone said possible P deficiency but that spotting is not typical of P problems at all.

What kind of tree did you take down? Any chance it was a type of walnut or butternut?

[dice]

What about washing them off, maybe with dilute
hydrogen peroxide in the water (10-1 or less).

You could get a coffee can sized container of water
with a little peroxide in it, stuff a plastic grocery bag
or wet piece of newspaper in the top of the 4" pots
to keep the container mix in, and dip the whole seedling
in the water, then lift it and shake it, maybe spraying
it with a hand sprayer, too, while it is hanging there upside
down in your hand.

If it is some kind of fungus or bacteria, the peroxide
should at least inhibit it and keep the wetness from
enhancing it, without harming the seedling. If it was
pollen from the tree that was toxic to the seedlings,
that might wash it off enough for them to recover.

At first glance, I thought either overwatering (roots
are not getting enough oxygen) or something toxic
or some disease in the container mix that is inhibiting
root development, but the tree event is certainly
suspicious, and those leaf symptoms look rather
unusual for tomato plants. So none of those seedlings
showed any symptoms at all (the purpling, for example,
or the semi-wilting), before cutting the tree? That container
got pollen, etc rained on it but the other one escaped
completely?

[dice]

One thing you could check: dig out one of the
seedlings from the container that is showing
no symptoms, and one of the struggling ones
from the other container, and compare the
root systems. If it is a root issue, the one
from the healthy seedling should be visibly
more developed than the seedling showing
those symptoms.

[rnewste]

I have re-potted the 24 plants and rinsed them off before putting into new MG Potting Mix. As of this afternoon, some (Earl's Faux and Purple Haze in particular), are making a comeback. Others like 1884 and Prudens Purple are still in a "drunk" pose.

Here is a photo of a tree similar to the one I cut down Saturday:



The pollen cloud and seed modules it released all over the yard was amazing:



Even today, my raised bed solar cover is still covered with the pollen, and as this container was right next to this cover when I dropped the tree, I am certain the container was sprayed with the same intensity of pollen and seeds:



The irony of it all is that I cut down that darn tree to provide more sunshine for the tomato plants this year. Now, what if the tree has its "last laugh" in killing off those very tomatoes. Makes you think about the Circle of Life...

Ray

[Worth1]

What kind of tree is that?

Worth

[rnewste]

Worth,

It was there when we moved in. I am told it is an Ash tree. Maybe the leaves in photo #2 can give a clue. It is a small leaf, non-nut tree (not Oak, etc.).

Ray

[dice]

Could it be this (Modesto Ash)?

http://www.canopy.org/db/main.asp?tree=104

Picture of leaves of Modesto Ash:

http://trees.stanford.edu/images/Fra...s-velutina.jpg

I do not know whether ash trees are allelopathic to other
kinds of plants. There are quite a few different kinds that
look similar and do pretty well in your part of California.
There is a "fragrant flowering ash" from Europe that looks
very similar and has smooth bark.

[rnewste]

dice.

Yep, that appears to be the tree (Great detective work!!). Now, how would I find out if the pollen and seed pods are poisonous to the tomato plants?

Thanks,

Ray

[Worth1]

Thats it, an Ash tree I should have known, I forget about Ash trees all of the time.

Never did like the things.
Glad to see you cut it down.

Worth

[dice]

Now, how would I find out if the pollen and seed pods are poisonous to the tomato plants?

No idea. Here is a survey of a lot of information
in the field:

http://www.soilandhealth.org/01aglib...il.ptIV.6.html

It notes some compounds found in other plants that
are toxic to tomatoes, and it indicates that some kinds of
ash tree exude compounds toxic to some other kinds of
plants, but nowhere does it put the two together.

My hunch would be that either something in the pollen or
some exudation on the bark (released by sawing and vibration)
is toxic to tomato seedlings. (That seems at least as likely as
one of those bags of container mix being fine and the next
one being polluted or diseased enough to show what you are
seeing with those seedlings.)

While I have never tried this, and it may kill the seedling,
a dip in some TSP in solution or rubbing alcohol might strip
any volatile oils from the ash tree off of those seedlings.
If you try that (maybe with one seedling that is showing no
signs of recovery so far), I would say hold it in there for 10
seconds or so, shake it around a little to agitate the solution,
then dip it in or spray it with fresh water to wash off the solvent
(and anything that it soaked up).