| my tomato plants were doing great and then the tops of the plants start to shrivel up and kind of curl up then the blooms fall off what could be causing this and what can i do to stop it? |
| Bernice, Those symptoms sound like the plants were either exposed to a broadleaf herbicide product or they may have a virus. Viruses cannot be cured and the plants have to be pulled out and tossed away. Herbicide damaged plants likewise just have to be pulled up and thrown away. Herbicide damage to tomatoes in an urban or suburban setting typically comes from one of two activities. Either a weed and feed lawn fertilizer product applied near the plants somehow gets onto the tomato foliage or soaks down into their root systems. Or, a sprayer that was previously used for applying a herbicide is used for spraying to tomato foliage with another product. Residue left in the spray tank or even more typically in the spray tube and wand then ends up on the tomato plants. One other possibility is that hay or manure from cows feeding on a treated pasture was used around the plants. Tomatoes are sensitive enough for even this exposure to affect them. Thanks for the question. Please stop in again soon! |
