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2,4 d damage? #335273

Asked June 22, 2016, 1:16 PM EDT

Hi There. 
    this year I built raised garden beds at our new house in North Boulder.  I found an alpaca farm on craigslist selling composted alpaca manure and so purchased a good amount to mix into the raised beds.  It appears that something is going wrong with the tomatoes, pepper and even the chard in the bed that I can't explain, but internet searches lead me to believe perhaps that 2,4-d herbicide damage may be to blame.  I'm concerned because i don't want to feed anything to my family if there are potential harmful herbicides in the soil.  I've dumped enough money and personal time into getting my little garden going that I want to be really sure before i have to scrap anything.  in the event that the soil is contaminated, could it be used for anything else?  (Such as to amend soil for some trees i'm installing this month?  I'm attaching photos of some of the affected plants.  tomatoes are the worst- one has only severely deformed leaves (Boxcar Willie), one has slightly deformed leaves (rainbow giant), and one is actually producing fruit (sungold) but the top leaves tend to curl the tightest then somewhat unfurl as they mature.  ( may have included the pepper plant picture too, looks like it's also producing curling leaves)

Boulder County Colorado

Expert Response

Hello- Thank you for contacting the Master Gardener help desk. We're sorry to hear about the issues your tomatoes and other veggies might be going through. First off, the issue of the tomato leaves curling and twisting is difficult to ID. There isn't a silver bullet to say that it is definitively caused by one thing or another based on the symptoms you described and your photos. Included are a few links to sources that may help. In summary, there are many types of viruses that cause leaves especially tomato leaves to curl such as tomato leaf curl virus transmitted by whiteflies. This would cause curled and even twisted leaves and greatly decrease fruit production and cause stunted growth. This virus could spread so removal of the infected plants is necessary. If you suspect damage from herbicide application such as 2,4d, the recommendation would be to not use it around your trees. 2,4d is a broadleaf herbicide to kill weeds but not grasses. Careful reading of the label would indicate exactly what types of weeds, trees, etc it would affect. There are other herbicides that cause twisted/curled leaves but typically you would start noting symptoms right away after application (1-2 days) and then more symptoms such as dry/cracked branches and drooping branches within a week. Some other suggestions would be to contact the Alpaca farm you received the compost from and ask them directly what, if any herbicides they may have applied. You might feel a lot better in knowing their response. At least, this could narrow down your search. When did you first notice the symtoms occurring? Was it within 1-2 days of applying the compost or much later? Lastly, you could do a soil test if you still suspect an herbicide. That may show up in the results if the herbicide is still active. There is information on the Colorado Master Gardener website on soil tests. Best of luck. It is truly not a simple nor easy diagnosis and sometimes starting over is your best bet if you truly feel you don't know what is going on. Here are the promised links: https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/id/id_184_w.pdf http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vegetable/files/2010/10/E-626-What-Makes-Tomato-Leaves-Twist-or-Curl.pdf http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/tomato-leaves-curling.htm http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/hot_topics/2008/05tomato_leaf_roll.html
An Ask Extension Expert Replied June 24, 2016, 1:14 PM EDT
thank you!   after reviewing i do believe it's 2,4 d damage- the plants were put directly into the alpaca manure mulch as starts... they started to exhibit damage symptoms about 2 weeks later, which is about what i'd expect for them to begin to uptake whatever is in the soil....     
The Question Asker Replied July 07, 2016, 4:14 PM EDT
After looking at CSU site, I'm still unclear of where/how to test for 2,4 D contamination...    
The Question Asker Replied July 07, 2016, 4:24 PM EDT

Just to add on to the great response; here is a link to great article, "HERBICIDE CARRYOVER IN HAY, MANURE, COMPOST, AND GRASS CLIPPINGS" published by NC State University.

http://content.ces.ncsu.edu/herbicide-carryover  

It does not address your question about testing for 2,4-D though.



I hope this helps. Replied July 11, 2016, 5:16 PM EDT
At the bottom of the article is describes how to conduct your own pot and field  bioassay  See:  "HOW TO TEST FOR THE PRESENCE OF HERBICIDES: POT AND FIELD BIOASSAYS".
I hope this helps. Replied July 11, 2016, 5:31 PM EDT

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