Problem with tomato garden

[kirk1701]

Welcome to the forum.
After reading all the post, I believe it is the grass if you are adding it before it drys out. In the summer and when plants are young and tender you cannot add fresh grass clippings. It will wilt the young plants. Pull the grass clippings back from around the plants and the root lines. When it cools down you can push it back around the plants.

Crabbergirl I think you nailed it
To early to be for sure but I do believe the grass was the culprit here. Normally by now the spring rains have stopped and your looking at 1" or rain a month; and were watering and the water bill triples

We've done got .75" of rain since midnight and its 11 AM but I pulled the grass back and removed it from most of the plants yesterday and were looking better.

Question:
I'm being told the Fertilizer/pre-emergent combo product I put on the lawn back in March could now be transferring in the grass clippings now to the garden? I find that hard to believe so could there be any truth to that? And if so would it even do this to the garden?

 

[Crabbergirl]

There are a lot of opinions about that. But here is a scientific comment, and I wish I could remember what website I got it off of. They say that the amount of the residual product that could possibly show up in the clippings is so minimal that it will not effect other plants. It also said that if the clippings are dry that there is no residual in the clippings. It is not that long lasting. The systemics are usally limited to the living plant. I will see if I can find the link for you.
Glad you found the issue. Now at leaset you know how to correct it

 

[kirk1701]

There are a lot of opinions about that. But here is a scientific comment, and I wish I could remember what website I got it off of. They say that the amount of the residual product that could possibly show up in the clippings is so minimal that it will not effect other plants. It also said that if the clippings are dry that there is no residual in the clippings. It is not that long lasting. The systemics are usally limited to the living plant. I will see if I can find the link for you.
Glad you found the issue. Now at leaset you know how to correct it

I'm just coming in for the day, set out about 30 new plants; pulled the grass out from around the plants over the weekend like I said in above posts.

Also see I have some red tomatoes on the vines that made it through this little war

 

[Crabbergirl]

You go! That's awesome in spite of your issues. Go get the salt shaker ready

 

[kirk1701]

You go! That's awesome in spite of your issues. Go get the salt shaker ready

Thanks, I'm not giving up yet, LOL

 

[Crabbergirl]

Gardening is an ever changing , evolving, challenge. Keep at it. It can take several seasons to find your stride, but in the end it is all worth it. The joy of looking at the "fruits" ( pardon the pun) of your labor is a great feeling.

 

[kirk1701]

Gardening is an ever changing , evolving, challenge. Keep at it. It can take several seasons to find your stride, but in the end it is all worth it. The joy of looking at the "fruits" ( pardon the pun) of your labor is a great feeling.

I'm still looking good, spite the setback with some of the tomatoes. I like taking monthly pictures of my lawn, landscape and garden each year to show the progress and just so happen I'm due to take those today so soon as I get them uploaded to facebook I'll post a link for everyone.

It is actually amazing what a difference a month makes.

 

[kirk1701]

Update for you all.
Got the report back from the extension office and yu know what??

Think I'll mix some dam 2,4-D up and spray it straight up in the air and say LOOK MOM!! no drift

/Joking aside

I'm glad I'm off the hook with the boss now for this one, and me having told and been honest with the extension office I'm surprised they didn't come back with drift but its my original diagnosis, I said southern welt and they say Southern Blight
http://www.ca.uky.edu/agcollege/plan.../PPFS-VG-3.pdf

Whats going to be curious to see is if the new plants I planted right back in the same place I pulled the dead ones up at also end up dead???

Everyone telling me (My sister, brother-n-law, mom) it was preem, the grass, the 2,4D hell I started to believe yea I did it and stopped listening to my gut and what it was telling me.

Now I'm sure the grass didn't help, which was why I removed it but it wasn't "Chemicals" from the lawn transfered to the garden it wasn't 2,4-D in the grass clippings it was the grass PERIOD keeping the ground wet which didn't help matters even though the blight was there.

I promised some picture for everyone and I haven't forgotten, I started taking a few day before yesterday in between peaks the sun came out but as usual, hasn't stayed sunny here long enough to get decent outside pics so I'm hoping to finish up tomorrow (God willing and weather co operating) and get some links posted.

 

[Crabbergirl]

I am surprised that the extension agent didn't tell you not to replant tomatoes in the same spot for at least one season. The virus can survive in the soil and be transmitted to new plants. Usually if I get blight I will not plant that crop in that spot for several years.
Here's wish you luck. It is painfull to see all your work end up like that. I had it wipe out my entire crop of tomatoes one year with late blight.

 

[kirk1701]

I am surprised that the extension agent didn't tell you not to replant tomatoes in the same spot for at least one season. The virus can survive in the soil and be transmitted to new plants. Usually if I get blight I will not plant that crop in that spot for several years.
Here's wish you luck. It is painfull to see all your work end up like that. I had it wipe out my entire crop of tomatoes one year with late blight.

They did tell me not to replant in the same place, but that was in the letter I got yesterday. Last week when I took the plants to the extension office I was told not to pull anymore up till they could determine what was wrong and if there was a cure. We'll I could see the plants were too far gone to be saved so they came up reguardless but not knowing till yesterday I replanted new plants in the same place

Guess now all I can do is hope and wait.

Problem is, not replanting in the same place next year is out of the question, there is no place else to plant.

As promised, I got the pics taken yesterday and uploaded a few minutes ago; here yu go.

Garden
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1641230924096.72560.1636527708&l=3415ebd535

Landscaping
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1642326031473.72618.1636527708&l=a03d1367ff

Lawn
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1642355912220.72620.1636527708&l=fef9622e9b

Enjoy

 

[Crabbergirl]

I like the way you have things laid out. Looks like you have a pretty good sized area to work with. With respect to the tomatoes the thing you can do is to just move them across the garden. Try to just not plant them in the exact same spot. I can appreciate the lack of info playing into your decision to replant there. I rotate all my crops every year it helps to prevent what you just went through.
Your lawn looks like a golf course it is so green. We are in the middle of one of our worst droughts and we are not supposed water but a couple hours and only 2 days a week. My lawn will never look like that again
It will be interesting to see your garden progress.

 

[kirk1701]

I like the way you have things laid out. Looks like you have a pretty good sized area to work with. With respect to the tomatoes the thing you can do is to just move them across the garden. Try to just not plant them in the exact same spot. I can appreciate the lack of info playing into your decision to replant there. I rotate all my crops every year it helps to prevent what you just went through.
Your lawn looks like a golf course it is so green. We are in the middle of one of our worst droughts and we are not supposed water but a couple hours and only 2 days a week. My lawn will never look like that again
It will be interesting to see your garden progress.

I have a few friends in the drought area I've told I wish I could send them some of our surpluss, I haven't had to water the lawn yet once this year. I have had to put some expensive fungicides down to prevent Brown Patch; Eagle 20, Clearys 3336 and just this week an application of Heritage yea, Heritage is $125 for 4 oz bottle

I just got some info on Lawnsite.com where I am also a member for the tomato's a member says:

Joe, I was at the Southern Ag in Hendersonville and ask a guy in there that see almost everything. He said that Southern Blight could be handled with "Calcium Nitrate" and to bring them back to use a high phosphate fertilize to get the roots going. Might be worth trying. I told him that you pulled up 40 or so.

I'm awaiting reply back on what brand name or product with the Calcium Nitrate and high phosphate fertilize he recomends.

Might take a run to my local Co-Op and get it this afternoon

 

[kirk1701]

Hey got a question for you all.

A couple of you have mentioned rotating the crops; ok maybe I am and I really haven't thought about it being such as we get two crops a year off the same land

Beans go first, then the tomatoes and that area is workable by mid August at which time it gets planted in turnip greens and turnips which last till the first hard freeze; usually January.

Does that count as rotating?

 

[RonsGarden]

The basis for crop rotation is used to plant in alternating years with different crops!
The reason for this is because each crop uses particular nutrients, as well as, pathogens accumulate in the soil as a result from any particular plant species!
This is just a rough explaination on why crop rotation is important, and this is especailly so for tomato crops, and similar species in the nightshade group!
Here's a good article which will help you out to understand the need for crop rotation:
http://porchsidegardening.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/crop-rotation/

 

[kirk1701]

The basis for crop rotation is used to plant in alternating years with different crops!
The reason for this is because each crop uses particular nutrients, as well as, pathogens accumulate in the soil as a result from any particular plant species!
This is just a rough explaination on why crop rotation is important, and this is especailly so for tomato crops, and similar species in the nightshade group!
Here's a good article which will help you out to understand the need for crop rotation:
http://porchsidegardening.wordpress.com/2010/07/23/crop-rotation/

Thanks bud

 

[Crabbergirl]

Good link Ron. Thanks. I need to book mark that.