What variety is that 3rd pic? The foliage looks funky, like maybe some herbicide damage. I ask because I have a couple plants that are questionable to me. I'll take some pics and post to show you what I mean.

It is a Brandywine sudduth. We have a "field /lake" about 100 yards from our property. No one has been in it this year due to rain. What else could this be??

I have a couple others that look like that also. For the last couple of weeks actually. Could it just be new foliage growth??? I will get out later today and take more current pics since these were from Monday night. Looking forward to your pics. P.S. Just ran out Ther now and took this of that same plant.

Herbicide could be on straw mulch.

It's grass clippings ... Maybe from that gorbelly??

If I remove the clippings would that help now? Or is it to late??

If the grass clippings came from an area where herbicide was applied, yes. It could definitely be that.

You should definitely remove the grass clippings if there's any chance they could have been contaminated with herbicide. But it may be too late for the affected plants. Plants can outgrow mild herbicide damage and survive, but the chances are slim that they will be as productive as they would have been without the damage.

Thank you so much gorbelly.. I will remove the grass.. It was from a eldery neighbors yard we mow and they have a lawn service come in to deter crabgrass etc. an use chemicals. I told my husband to only use OUR grass and found out he didn't!! I guess I will give the few a week to see then pull if it's no better.. Thanks again!! Appreciate all the help!!

They won't get any better. I would pull them.

I once applied 2-4/D to my lawn before my tomatoes were planted out. After the tomatoes were planted out, the clippings from the mower reached the first row on one side of the garden. And, you guessed it, they got big damage.

I will. It's a hard thing to do but I feel I have no choice. Some of the other varieties like Mexico, Aussie, and Aunt Ginny's purple don't have this. Just the BW. Maybe they were more delicate?? Removing the grass now.. Any other suggestions for mulch??! Thank you for your help.

I use a thick layer of Long Leaf Pine Needles, which are very common in the South.

Pine needle mulch is an excellent option. Unfortunately, it's not available everywhere. I would definitely use it as my first choice if only it was available in my area at a reasonable price.

Straw is a common option, as can be a thick layer of compost. Both need testing to make sure they're free of herbicide residues.

Many people use plastic sheet mulch as well, but that usually works best with an irrigation system, usually a drip line run under the plastic. It isn't a good fit with certain styles of gardening, but it's very effective at suppressing weeds and keeping moisture levels even.

Yes sadly, no pine needle mulch here in Southern IL. We have always used OUR grass clippings and not the neighbors. We had over 11 in of rain in a week so I will think about this for a few days on mulch. The ground is completely saturated. Sprayed dacronil tonight again. Much appreciated advice!

I wouldn't pull them just yet. We have been in the same boat, pardon the pun.:). I have some that look like that although much smaller with no mulch and still in solo cups. I think I have some critters and also a case of gray mold to go along with them. I sprayed them with some pyola and copper today and I guess Ill see how it goes. I know there were spider mites and might also have been aphids or thrips or something. It really is stunning how similar they look to mine.

Hoosier I would love to see your pictures if u can. I found red aphids while pulling off the grass on some plants. Not a lot but a few. Also seen some flea beetles I think. Squished what I could see. Some of my leaves are hurt from the wild winds of the last week. Taking some off that are to far gone.

I don't know if you can see but these are the ones that were curled up. They look a lot better than they did this morning. I had some Sudduth in this batch and they look fine. I had some red spider mites on some of them. These are still in the greenhouse.

These are some from my first batch. I hacked off a bunch of damages leaves. The damage looked like sunburn but not sure exactly what caused it. They have been in the greenhouse since they germinated. I moved them to the porch and then back to the greenhouse for all the wind and rain. The damaged leaves began to look like they were starting to grow some mold after being shut in there for a couple of days with constant rain and cool temps.

To me, rolled/curled leaves from pest or environmental damage is visually very different from the "shoestring" or distorted, miniaturized leaves of herbicide damage.

I am not seeing much if any curling of the stems in his picture. I wish I had taken a picture of mine yesterday as they looked exactly the same. I don't know if it was the spraying or just drying out but they look quite different today. Anyway I would treat for the spider mites and any other pests that might be there and give it a few days before I did anything rash.

Thank you all for the pics! Very interested! Pulled all grass out and a couple of the worse looking plants. My husband now informs me he always uses the neighbors grass clippings with ours to mulch...... He won't anymore but that's another story. Any way I have a couple of plants that I think are bruised from hitting the bucket during the winds. Am posting a pic of one.. Aunt Ginny... What do u all think?? Or is it disease??? Taking buckets off tomorrow and installing rest of fencing..