I think I used too much liquid copper fungicide....

checkerkitty · May 9, 2013

A few weeks ago I noticed what I thought (and still think) was early blight along with some other kind of fungusy looking problem. I went straight for the big gun since I just haven't stayed with my prevention sprayings (bad Christy

). I pulled out the copper spray and sprayed most, but not all, of my plants. Some I sprayed rather heavily. So fast forward to now. The plants I sprayed the hardest have started to put on new leaves. Yay! Lots of new leaves that are nice and green but they look pretty freaky. UGH! I've been trying to figure out what happened. I think I used 5 TABLESPOONS in one gallon of water instead of 3-5 TEASPOONS in one gallon, like the label said. That is the equivalent of 15 teaspoons and I may have overpoured a couple of measures, also. I left out my measuring spoon so I could clean it really well and it is a tablespoon measuring spoon. Also, I remember thinking that if I use 5 tablespoons everytime I spray, the bottle of liquid copper won't last very long. I have lost the ability to read! I wondered if the lovely blue color on the tomato leaves was normal

. They were so very blue.

Has anyone ever had leaf deformity due to copper overdose? I swear I remember reading an article on the internet a couple of weeks ago that mentioned leaf deformity due to copper sprays. Of course, I didn't bookmark the page and can't find it. The leaves are kind of thickened, rounded on the ends and the veins are more parallel instead of branching. They look like they've been hit with an herbicide but without the leaf curl. I'll try to get pics up later. It's a little misty out right now.

I bought this at Home Depot. The label lists the active ingredient as copper diammonia diacetate complex 27.15% with the equivalent of 8% metallic copper.

So this has been a banner year for issues! I think I can safely say I have a nice long list of what NOT to do when trying to grow tomatoes

.

Christy

RayR · May 9, 2013

I noticed a trend here on TV, Texan's spraying too much with higher concentrations of fungicides for unidentified problems.

What the heck is going on down there?

I'm not familiar with copper diammonia diacetate complex and it's been 4 years since I've applied any copper, but I used a Copper Oxalate fungicide. Yes, that lovely turquoise hue it imparts on the leaves I remember, but if your plants are so blue that they look like they are from Smurf Land, I guess you overdid the mix . Leaf deformity I never saw, but I applied it at recommended rates.

zeroma · May 9, 2013

Yes, I'm afraid you may have done damage to your plants with too much copper. Think of it like when a person has cancer (fungus) and gets chemotherapy (copper). It kills or damages good tissue as well as bad. Copper toxcity is quite harmful. Right off the top of my head, I don't know if there is a treatment to help them get over the copper toxcity or not.

Here is something I googled:

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal...accno=EJ878829

decherdt · May 10, 2013

I had leaf damage with that product at the recommended concentration. The plants grew out of it and the rest of that product went to the County hazzardous waste collection. Copper soap (Copper Oxalate) has not done any harm at recommended concentrations at temperatures under 90F. Don't know that it has done much good either though, daconil seems to work better for fungus.

macmanmatty · May 10, 2013

I have killed plants with too much liquid copper. The leaves turn brown and die. I no longer use that stuff or any fungicide.

ginger2778 · May 10, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by checkerkitty

A few weeks ago I noticed what I thought (and still think) was early blight along with some other kind of fungusy looking problem. I went straight for the big gun since I just haven't stayed with my prevention sprayings (bad Christy

). I pulled out the copper spray and sprayed most, but not all, of my plants. Some I sprayed rather heavily. So fast forward to now. The plants I sprayed the hardest have started to put on new leaves. Yay! Lots of new leaves that are nice and green but they look pretty freaky. UGH! I've been trying to figure out what happened. I think I used 5 TABLESPOONS in one gallon of water instead of 3-5 TEASPOONS in one gallon, like the label said. That is the equivalent of 15 teaspoons and I may have overpoured a couple of measures, also. I left out my measuring spoon so I could clean it really well and it is a tablespoon measuring spoon. Also, I remember thinking that if I use 5 tablespoons everytime I spray, the bottle of liquid copper won't last very long. I have lost the ability to read! I wondered if the lovely blue color on the tomato leaves was normal

. They were so very blue.

Has anyone ever had leaf deformity due to copper overdose? I swear I remember reading an article on the internet a couple of weeks ago that mentioned leaf deformity due to copper sprays. Of course, I didn't bookmark the page and can't find it. The leaves are kind of thickened, rounded on the ends and the veins are more parallel instead of branching. They look like they've been hit with an herbicide but without the leaf curl. I'll try to get pics up later. It's a little misty out right now.

I bought this at Home Depot. The label lists the active ingredient as copper diammonia diacetate complex 27.15% with the equivalent of 8% metallic copper.

So this has been a banner year for issues! I think I can safely say I have a nice long list of what NOT to do when trying to grow tomatoes

.

Christy

Yep, I did the same thing, and the same thing happened. The leaf deformity self corrected in a few weeks, but I did slow down the growing cycle, it was temporary.
Now I use 2 tsp/ gallon only and the results are much more like what I meant them to be. BTW- if you have Septoria copper spray works, Daconil doesn't .
They'll grow out of it.

Marsha

Ms. Jitomate · May 10, 2013

I'm so sorry about your mistake. I hope the amount of copper fungicide used doesn't affect your earthworms because copper is absorb by the earthworms.

Worth1 · May 10, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayR

I noticed a trend here on TV, Texan's spraying too much with higher concentrations of fungicides for unidentified problems.

What the heck is going on down there?

I'm not familiar with copper diammonia diacetate complex and it's been 4 years since I've applied any copper, but I used a Copper Oxalate fungicide. Yes, that lovely turquoise hue it imparts on the leaves I remember, but if your plants are so blue that they look like they are from Smurf Land, I guess you overdid the mix . Leaf deformity I never saw, but I applied it at recommended rates.

We can't read and drink a lot of beer.

Really I don't use much of anything do everything wrong according to many here and have almost no problems.

I just don't get it.

Checkerkitty I hope things start looking up for you.

Worth

checkerkitty · May 10, 2013

Thanks for all the responses! This growing season has been a comedy of errors for me. First I start too many seeds too early, then I hose my plants down with a too strong bleach spray for a fungus they didn't even have, then I get bad compost, then I try digging out a bed to replace the dirt, deal with a raised bed that's getting too much rain from the roof line, my dogs laying on caged plants and knocking over pots and now I'm nuking them with copper! If my plants had legs, they'd hop the fence and run for the hills. But, I've learned more this year than in the last few years combined. I can always hope that the fall will be better and next spring even better than this fall.

Christy

PS- Worth, I'm trying to remember if I was enjoying a beer when I mixed my chemicals but I don't think I was. I can only blame myself and not any beer enhanced thinking! Although, I could lie...

. Nah. I'm just really that thick sometimes! And a not a little nutty...

.

BigVanVader · June 30, 2015

Just found this thread by searching forum, I did the same thing

Marsha you use the Southern AG right? Does the active form of copper build up in plant tissue or the fruits?

ginger2778 · June 30, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

Just found this thread by searching forum, I did the same thing

Marsha you use the Southern AG right? Does the active form of copper build up in plant tissue or the fruits?

Not that I've ever noticed, but I use it at 1/2 of the weakest strength they recommend. What happened when I used it stronger was severe new leaf stunting of growth, which it only came out of after 3 weeks, that's a long time to have growth slowed.!
I use 1/2 Tablespoon per gallon now. Works great!

BigVanVader · June 30, 2015

Hmm, it rained today and I applied around 8pm last night. Will that limit the damage or is the damage done as soon as it dries? Thanks for the help.

ginger2778 · June 30, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigVanVader

Hmm, it rained today and I applied around 8pm last night. Will that limit the damage or is the damage done as soon as it dries? Thanks for the help.

I don't know the answer. Maybe RayR?

stevenkh1 · June 30, 2015

Yes, just like human beings, plants can also get copper poisoning.

I continue to use Daconil for early/late blight and anthracnose every 7 days and have never looked back. Ortho and other brands use the same the active ingredient (chlorothalonil which is a chloronitrile fungicide, no copper) which binds up fungal proteins and stops spore germination so the fungi doesn't spread. I spray every 7 days. It is low toxicity and the label says you can spray up to the day of harvest, but my last spray is about a week before harvest. Daconil works well for me - particularly for anthracnose which is a big problem here in SE Michigan. I'm sure the other brands that use chlorothalonil work just as well.

And if you have horrific fungal problems, you can add a copper spray to Daconil (and I'm sure the other brands).

Good luck!

BigVanVader · June 30, 2015

Yes I know it can hurt them as I used to much I was just curious if the rain today will lessen the damage done.

May 9, 2013	#1
checkerkitty Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 239	I think I used too much liquid copper fungicide.... A few weeks ago I noticed what I thought (and still think) was early blight along with some other kind of fungusy looking problem. I went straight for the big gun since I just haven't stayed with my prevention sprayings (bad Christy). I pulled out the copper spray and sprayed most, but not all, of my plants. Some I sprayed rather heavily. So fast forward to now. The plants I sprayed the hardest have started to put on new leaves. Yay! Lots of new leaves that are nice and green but they look pretty freaky. UGH! I've been trying to figure out what happened. I think I used 5 TABLESPOONS in one gallon of water instead of 3-5 TEASPOONS in one gallon, like the label said. That is the equivalent of 15 teaspoons and I may have overpoured a couple of measures, also. I left out my measuring spoon so I could clean it really well and it is a tablespoon measuring spoon. Also, I remember thinking that if I use 5 tablespoons everytime I spray, the bottle of liquid copper won't last very long. I have lost the ability to read! I wondered if the lovely blue color on the tomato leaves was normal. They were so very blue. Has anyone ever had leaf deformity due to copper overdose? I swear I remember reading an article on the internet a couple of weeks ago that mentioned leaf deformity due to copper sprays. Of course, I didn't bookmark the page and can't find it. The leaves are kind of thickened, rounded on the ends and the veins are more parallel instead of branching. They look like they've been hit with an herbicide but without the leaf curl. I'll try to get pics up later. It's a little misty out right now. I bought this at Home Depot. The label lists the active ingredient as copper diammonia diacetate complex 27.15% with the equivalent of 8% metallic copper. So this has been a banner year for issues! I think I can safely say I have a nice long list of what NOT to do when trying to grow tomatoes. Christy

May 9, 2013	#3
zeroma Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 637	Yes, I'm afraid you may have done damage to your plants with too much copper. Think of it like when a person has cancer (fungus) and gets chemotherapy (copper). It kills or damages good tissue as well as bad. Copper toxcity is quite harmful. Right off the top of my head, I don't know if there is a treatment to help them get over the copper toxcity or not. Here is something I googled: http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal...accno=EJ878829 Last edited by zeroma; May 9, 2013 at 04:24 PM.

May 10, 2013	#9
checkerkitty Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 239	Thanks for all the responses! This growing season has been a comedy of errors for me. First I start too many seeds too early, then I hose my plants down with a too strong bleach spray for a fungus they didn't even have, then I get bad compost, then I try digging out a bed to replace the dirt, deal with a raised bed that's getting too much rain from the roof line, my dogs laying on caged plants and knocking over pots and now I'm nuking them with copper! If my plants had legs, they'd hop the fence and run for the hills. But, I've learned more this year than in the last few years combined. I can always hope that the fall will be better and next spring even better than this fall. Christy PS- Worth, I'm trying to remember if I was enjoying a beer when I mixed my chemicals but I don't think I was. I can only blame myself and not any beer enhanced thinking! Although, I could lie.... Nah. I'm just really that thick sometimes! And a not a little nutty....

May 9, 2013	#2
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	I noticed a trend here on TV, Texan's spraying too much with higher concentrations of fungicides for unidentified problems. What the heck is going on down there? I'm not familiar with copper diammonia diacetate complex and it's been 4 years since I've applied any copper, but I used a Copper Oxalate fungicide. Yes, that lovely turquoise hue it imparts on the leaves I remember, but if your plants are so blue that they look like they are from Smurf Land, I guess you overdid the mix . Leaf deformity I never saw, but I applied it at recommended rates.

May 10, 2013	#4
decherdt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 329	I had leaf damage with that product at the recommended concentration. The plants grew out of it and the rest of that product went to the County hazzardous waste collection. Copper soap (Copper Oxalate) has not done any harm at recommended concentrations at temperatures under 90F. Don't know that it has done much good either though, daconil seems to work better for fungus.

May 10, 2013	#5
macmanmatty Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Florida Posts: 55	I have killed plants with too much liquid copper. The leaves turn brown and die. I no longer use that stuff or any fungicide.

May 10, 2013	#7
Ms. Jitomate Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: San Gabriel Valley, CA Posts: 99	I'm so sorry about your mistake. I hope the amount of copper fungicide used doesn't affect your earthworms because copper is absorb by the earthworms.

June 30, 2015	#10
BigVanVader Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Greenville, South Carolina Posts: 3,099	Just found this thread by searching forum, I did the same thing Marsha you use the Southern AG right? Does the active form of copper build up in plant tissue or the fruits?

June 30, 2015	#14
stevenkh1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Metro Detroit Posts: 172	Yes, just like human beings, plants can also get copper poisoning. I continue to use Daconil for early/late blight and anthracnose every 7 days and have never looked back. Ortho and other brands use the same the active ingredient (chlorothalonil which is a chloronitrile fungicide, no copper) which binds up fungal proteins and stops spore germination so the fungi doesn't spread. I spray every 7 days. It is low toxicity and the label says you can spray up to the day of harvest, but my last spray is about a week before harvest. Daconil works well for me - particularly for anthracnose which is a big problem here in SE Michigan. I'm sure the other brands that use chlorothalonil work just as well. And if you have horrific fungal problems, you can add a copper spray to Daconil (and I'm sure the other brands). Good luck!