Looks like it might be herbicide damage, but I'm not sure. What I em sure about is those Topsy Turvy things in my opinion aren't worth a penny. I say save your money next time and plant more tomatoes in the ground. Good luck and sorry to here about the sick plants.

Damon

"Looks like it might be herbicide damage..."

It's almost definitely herbicide damage; specifically, it looks like 2,4-D damage (weed-b-gone, etc.) Have you or your neighbors sprayed any broad-leaf weed killer?

Tomatoes are very sensitive 2,4-D based weed killers and when you or someone a decent distance from you - sprays that stuff, it will inevitably drift in the air and land on your plants - the smallest of drift can cause the damage seen in your pictures.

Aphids eh? Could be Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV)....

Check out the link below.

Here is a link that might be useful: CMV photos

Or one might ask -- has any weed killer been used in the recent past? (Weed killer damage to tomatoes is far more common than virus, at least in my part of the world.)

Thanks for the responses.

I have no knowledge of any herbicides being used around my plants but I'll have to ask my neighbors (you can see their fence in some of the pictures). Otherwise, I see some similarities to the CMV virus that Lee suggested. One of the three affected plants looks much worse than the other two. Should I remove the plant from my garden or wait and see if it recovers?

One last thought: could exposure to cold weather, 36 degrees, (briefly, a couple weeks ago) cause these symptoms?

Interesting post.... I have a question about this topic too.

My tomato plant exhibits the same "concaved" look on a few of its outer large leaves as the large leaves illustrated in the bottom right half of the 3rd image (reference link below). Note that those leaves are not completely curled the way his "sick" leaves are to the left, only mildly concaved at the edges.

Can someone tell me what causes this? It doesn't seem like a problem because the majority of leaves are very healthy but it irritates me a little. Is it because they're just big and far from the center?

Thanks.

Here is a link that might be useful:

OP asked "could exposure to cold weather, 36 degrees, (briefly, a couple weeks ago) cause these symptoms?"

No.

rootleaf asked "It doesn't seem like a problem because the majority of leaves are very healthy"

The majority of older leaves are normal. The newer leaves are damaged by the weedkiller.
Whether or not the plant will grow out of it, will be determined by how much weed killer the plant absorbed. Only time will tell.

If the damage to the new leaves is due to virus, the plant will either NOT improve or will continue to get worse.

jean001,

Perhaps I wasn't clear enough... I was not talking about the herbicide problem that gdanielny appears to have.

I was referencing another foliage condition illustrated in one of the pictures, which I have seem to hvae too and was wondering that one was. I'm pretty certain it's a different symptom than the one diagnosed to be herbicide.

Here's a photo of my plant and what I described earlier.

What do you think? Should I worry about this?

As you can see, it's only happening on the long stems. Most of my young and short foliage is quite healthy.

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So, after asking my landscaper and my neighbors if they used any herbicide, I don't seem to think this is the cause. I believe more strongly that CMV may be the culprit. I can't be sure obviously, but over the past week I have noticed there are now white colored bugs on all the plants. Additionally, the plants in the ground are also exhibiting major symptoms. Please see the pictures below. Is there anything I can spray on the plants to deter these pests? Should I consider this year's crop a total failure? Is the fruit safe to eat if the plant is infected with CMV?

Click on the pictures to enlarge.

I wouldn't b so quick to rule out the herbicide... especially if you have used any manure or hay for top dressing. I compost horse manure from the local university. This year, all of my tomatoes and potatoes look like the two pictures you have provided. Until now, my plants have been the envy of my street. Research aminopyralid damage and you will read pages of accounts and see lots of photos that look just like your (and my) tomatoes this year. If that is in fact the culprit, some sites are suggesting not to eat any contaminated produce from the same bed/garden/plot/pot for at least 1 year. Any leftover unused material such as compost or mulch should be hot composted and left to age for at least a year or two before incorporating. Bacteria are the main means of breaking down the chemicals.

Herbicide damage can occure from quite a distance away if someone applies it on a windy day.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Based on the first pictures, I would stand by my original opinion of herbicide damage, but the straight spindly pencil-like growth of the leaves in the pictures you just posted look much more like CMV - especially the 2nd picture.

At this point, you can remove the insects you see, but only time will tell as to what you have. If it's herbicide damage, they will get better eventually, if it's CMV, they will be stunted and won't produce much if anything and the growth you see now will continue indefinitely.

Our topsy turvy tomato plants are in hot sun all day. Temperatures in the 90's daily. (S.C.)We are thinking about putting them inside our screened porch. They would only get the morning sun. Do you think they would still grow and produce?

I have also been told to reduce the sun going to a few distressed plants. (14 hours of high colorado sun)

I am going to try a sort of "umbrella" or sun lid to throw a shadow over the plants for the brightest noon sun. This after one day out of the sun to rest.

d

After seeing all this, I'm sure my Cherokee Purple and my Roma have CMV. I brought the Cherokee Purple home the same times as an egplant, which became infested with aphids, but was planted in a separate planter with a Husky. I cut it off and threw it out. That Hasky seems fine. But the Cherokee Purple seems to have infected the Roma as well. So, how can I reuse my expensive tomato planter next year? Will bleach be enough to kill the virus so I can replant with new MG soil next year?

Thanks,

msaunt

gdanielny, if you shake those plants in the last pics, do you see the white things flying off? Looks like you may have whiteflies.

rootleaf, your leaf curl is probably aphids or physiological from the moisture in the self watering container soilmix. Unroll the leaves and check for any type of pests. If none, it could be certain blends of soilmix used in the SWC hold too much water making the leaves curl.

Hope this helps.

I use a mixture of warm water and dish soap in a spray bottle to get rid of white flies. It really works. But, my topsy turvy plants as well as some others in other containers are starting to look shriveled up. Even the tomatoes on one plant are shriveled and squishy. Any ideas?

If herbicide truly wasn't used in the vicinity, I would ignore virus and consider contaminated organic mater -- compost and or manures, even though commercially packaged sort.

Lots of problems with these contaminated products the past several year in the US, UK, and Australia. Symptoms mimic damage from 2,4-D.

Read this info from WSU
http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/soilmgmt/Clopyralid.htm
And note the part describing an easy bio-assay any gardener can do to verify or not.

Here is a link that might be useful: contaminated organic matter

I started late this year for my first attempt at tomato growing. My brother (former Bonnie Growing Station Mgr) suggested I try the inverted 5gal pail method.

The unused adjustable basketball goal is a perfect way to hang the pot.

A good amount of flowers and early fruit growing now. September will probably be a bounty month.

Some curling to the leaves and I've picked off a couple brown hairless catapillar insects but the fruit is undamaged.
Is there something I should be applying to prevent or rid the plant of the catapillars?

My first time, I appreciate any advice.

I sure know how frustrating not knowing what has happened to tomato plants that are healthy for 6 or 7 weeks and all the sudden it's question after question, what's wrong here. I have expereinced this all year long.This is my June plants and it happened again.I posted on another thread and got some different things to be aware of.The most being herbicidal spraying. I'm really glad I didn't give up on them I watered trying to flush them ,didn't hurt, then fertilized them 1 bag in early morning with MG,and 1 bag late evening, they look much better and are producing flowers now.If it isn't a virus and doesn't put other plants at risk then I can't see the harm in waiting. I'll tell you if I see tomatoes getting ripe.

This is one weel later

varocketry wroteI started late this year for my first attempt at tomato growing. My brother (former Bonnie Growing Station Mgr) suggested I try the inverted 5gal pail method.

Is does not appear inverted at all?