This year all my tomato plants have twisted leaves. Initially they grew well but on potting up into their final pots in my greenhouse they started to show the problem. Initially I put it down to cool temperatures in early June but it has not got better. The plants are alive and cropping but the yield is definitely down. I am now wondering if the commercial bag of multipupose compost that I used had traces of hormone weedkiller in it. Not enough to kill the plant but enough to produce abnormal growth.The other plants are OK but tomatoes I know are very sensitive to it. I have heard of this happening with manure and grass clippings but not with garden centre compost. Anyone had a similar experience?
Hi George,
It doesn't look like classic aminopyralid damage to me. But the main reason I'm answering is that my outdoor tomatoes are doing almost exactly the same thing this year (they're all Amish Paste). The ground was top dressed with manure last winter but I tested it for aminopyralid (the bean test) and it was clear.
I just assumed that the leaves were curling because it had been so dry ... I don't have enough water to pamper them so they have to make do with the occasional soaking from me on top of what the sky gives them!
My yields are far less than the previous two years too.
When we first noticed our amino pyramid damage was just like this , the toms had fruit on and the new leaves were distorted, this is because the active ingredient is released when the manure has had some time to break down.
I'd try a bean test and check for aphid damage.
Hope that you are both clear as it can be active for three years which is how long it took for us to stop seeing damage.
Sunloving
Could be physiological leaf curl. My tomatoes have be affected since mid-June. It doesn't impact on yield, in fact I have a very good crop of tomatoes. Limited research has been done as to the causes, mainly in U.S. , but as the plant and yield don't seem to be affected, it is not treated as a serious problem.
Here are a few more pictures on aminopyrilid:
http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Aminopyralid/Aminopyralid.htm (http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Aminopyralid/Aminopyralid.htm)
Tap on pictures to enlarge!
There are four things of which you can never have too much. Three of them are asparagus, champagne and oysters.