Ugh! I'm so, so sorry that this has been happening to you Zach.

Let us know how the bioassay goes....

Yeah, I’ll post the results once I get them.

Just for reference, this is what all the new growth on my potatos looks like:

All the new leaves are extremely tightly rolled and curled typical of synthetic auxin/plant growth regulator herbicides. The growing tips will eventually curl so tightly as to form a round ball of leaves then the plant will die.

Zach,

Try building a small raised planter. Pick your favorites and see if they grow in the raised bed. That will tell you if it is coming in on the wind. You could make sure it starts with clean soil.

That's a punch in the gut.

I get a lighter version of that leaf roll in the tomato positon next to my $*)@&)#&@^ "neighbor" who uses Roundup 365 that drains down the hill into that area.

I would build raised beds filled with purchased soil, but it's SOOOO expensive. It's nearly $5.00/cuft by the bag and buying it in bulk isn't substantially cheaper. In the end, I simply can't afford to garden in anything but my native soil and so it's looking like I can't garden at all.

I have nowhere else to move to that is A. close enough to a water source or B. somewhere the owners won't mind (one of the very first things they had me do when I moved in was "bulldoze" the tomato garden the previous resident had. They said "We have no idea why he would put that where we have to stare it every time we come up here, especially without asking us, first!" They were not happy...).

I'm shocked you get anything to grow in the spot, Jerry, Roundup 365 is a mix of Glyphosate, Imazapic, and Diquat. The Glyphosate is pretty harmless once it's in contact with the soil but Imazapic is pretty potent for up to a year after application (we use it for pre-emergent cheatgrass control at the Arsenal, but it also works well as a post-emergent herbicide). I am not familiar with Diquat other than that is is a photosynthetic disruptor and contact herbicide, but that imazapic is fairly worrisome to have in your garden. I REALLY wish herbicides weren't as widely available as they are. I believe that they serve a purpose, but when I see people AERIAL SPRAYING herbicides over agricultural fields in 15-20 MPH winds or during inversions, and suburban dip-wads spraying chemicals willy nilly that they have NO CLUE what they are or what they do (most of whom have probably never bothered to read a single line on the label) it SERIOUSLY pisses me off.

I have taken multiple pesticide courses, carry a state qualified supervisor applicators license and spend most of my day-to-day working with and researching herbicides. I can recite numerous labels from memory and I still make mistakes. The fact people can walk into any HD or Tractor Supply and buy jugs of pre-mixed herbicide and concentrates to use however they want without ANY background knowledge is absolute insanity.

That is just so disheartening! I hope it improves for you soon

Zach, that sucks. I think you'd be surprised what you can get for free to fill your raised bed. I regularly see 'used but still good' potting soil advertised on Craigslist for free from grow houses. It would probably need some amending if it has been used, but one bag of compost or new raised bed soil would probably be enough. Next time I see one, I can shoot you a message.

Well, I started the bioassay today. I planted three starter pots with beans and they all sprouted. I soaked the straw and soil in separate jars and now that the beans are up I am watering one pot with the “straw water” one with the “soil water” and one with regular water. We will see what happens. It should only take about a week-10 days.

We got some new directives this month at work regarding the use of Dicamba herbicides. While not as long lived as pyradines, Dicamba is highly volatile at (relatively) low temperatures, around 80-85 degrees and this volatility increases the risk of drift from applications which is a major issue that has resulted in numerous lawsuits and some states may have even banned it’s use due to damage to agricultural lands not planted with Dicamba resistant crops. Again Dicamba herbicides are very common and their use is not restricted in Colorado. Dicamba damage can be similar to pyradines with both them being synthetic auxins. I have been trying to find evidence of drift outside my garden and there isn’t much but I have found a few random weeds showing odd signs. I.E there will be a big patch of lambs quarters and right in the middle will be one plant showing damage. The bioassay will help determine if it’s in the soil or is a drift issue.

The good news is that whatever this is it doesn’t seem as widespread as last year where I am still convinced the problem came from the compost. Many of the weeds that have popped up in last years garden are showing damage and in places out in the pastures where I hauled it out and dumped whatever was left in the pile also have a lot of damaged weeds around them. This year it’s only affecting about 1/3-1/2 of the garden so it hopefully won’t be a total loss.

All the land around me is farmed, there’s not many people in the area who would be looking to “lease” garden space. Looking out for free soil to make framed raised beds and fill them would be a good solution.

Zach,

I just pm'd you.