Originally posted by Alaskan Man
Wow, those plants got tore up.

I dont know if crude oil can evaporate and rain down later (it might, i really dont know)

My best guess is acid rain by the way it turns white and then burns a hole, looks like text book reaction between acid and a base (but thats just a guess).

You should do as others have suggested and try to capture some and bring it to a local university to have it tested.

[edit on 6/19/2010 by Alaskan Man]

What happens when rain comes in contact with the vapors? Do they (the vapors) become trapped in the water?

I'm about an hour north of the OP. I can't speculate as to the cause and I havn't noticed anything like this at my house. I've got tomatoes, squash, zuccini, and peppers. Maybe it's fairly localized. Keep us informed Boondock. Maybe it hasn't quite reached me yet.

Most likely a bacteria, and some bugs. The image of the tomato is the early stages of blight. Although that is an awfully large, developed tomato plant for this early in the year. I farm in NC, and we just put tomato starts our last week. What part of NC are you in?

Also, for the poster who asked, oil does not enter the water cycle.

That looks like a fungal problem. Septoria leaf spot, anthracnose, and
maybe verticillium wilt on the tomatoes. Stem damage is generally how
late blight first attacks as well. The initial stage looks similar to powdery
mildew. Hard to tell from the pix, but powdery mildew has a powdery ever
so slight fuzziness to it. But, it could be Chemical damage as well. The thing to
do is to collect some of the water for testing, and collect some of the leaves for
testing. Put the leaves in a location where they can dry out. Once dry, put them
in an airtight container. Spectral analysis will reveal any chemical present.
You may want to bring some samples to a local tree/plant nursery, and discuss it with your neighbors. Chemical damage has many forms of indication.
From spots like you have, to yellowing streaks, to leaves turning brown black,
to complete defoliation. I know this isn't a slam dunk answer, but just to let
you know, it could be many different things and the only way to be sure would
through water testing. GET A SAMPLE IN A CLEAN SEAL CONTAINER!
I just hope to god it isn't what you think it is. Great Post

I am in Jacksonville Florida . Last week I noticed the white powder
all over my canna lillys . Within the last few weeks my garden has took a turn for the worse . My plants are being cooked , almost as if the leaves were exposed to fire .

Originally posted by Tunatarian
I'm about an hour north of the OP. I can't speculate as to the cause and I havn't noticed anything like this at my house. I've got tomatoes, squash, zuccini, and peppers. Maybe it's fairly localized. Keep us informed Boondock. Maybe it hasn't quite reached me yet.

If it is from the gulf it would necessarily have to land everywhere.

but I am glad to hear you aren't seeing anything.

Originally posted by ~Lucidity
I have this urge to get a flashlight and go check my plants...we've been having some really odd HEAVY sudden rains here in Atlanta.

My brother mentioned the heavy rains in Sumter South Carolina as well. The house he leased was actually scheduled for repairs, but not before the rain found its way into the house. I might be visiting him in a few weeks, so I'll take a look around at the vegetation - maybe take some pictures of the area. I hope there is nothing toxic in the rain, since the source of the water in the area is from a well.

well to answer some questions.
The rain has dried up so I'll have
to wait to get another sample.
As far as where this is located,
between Ft. Bragg NC and Myrtle Beach SC.
And there is no chemical plant within
60 miles of here. The closest one
I know of is Dupont in Florence SC.
So I doubt this is from a chemical
plant. And I will keep checking on
the vegetation and keep you guys
updated.

It might just be a fungus or a bacteria.
But if that is the case, did the fungus
leader tell them to only attack the
top leaves??? How is that possible???

And I saw that video of the MS Bottom and
that looks just like what I have and
it's got us stumped as well.

And we do not use pesticide either.
However the water we use is a combination
from well water and rain. When it doesn't
rain enough we use the hose.

But I'm still stumped as to why it's only on top
leaves or the exposed ones

and thank you all for your help so far.
I have a feeling this is not over yet.

Is there any rainwater that collected somewhere? in a birdbath or plant saucer, for example, that you could put in a sterile jar?

Also, even dried leaf samples can be analyzed. Even dirt, I think.

Almost same exact thing happened here.. In fact tomorrow i will make a thread about this with pictures! Looks exactly like what you posted!

I wonder what is in the rain? I always had a weird feeling about the rain here..

Originally posted by ~Lucidity
Is there any rainwater that collected somewhere? in a birdbath or plant saucer, for example, that you could put in a sterile jar?

Also, even dried leaf samples can be analyzed. Even dirt, I think.

lol
like I have a sterile jar lying around to put it in.
I wished !!!

It's too dark right now, I'll have to wait til tomorrow
to see if there is any leftover rain but I may have to
put it in a ziploc bag. May not be worth testing from
the doggie dish and other places might already be
contaminated. But I'll check.

I can go back and find the leaves, however I wanted
to leave them there long enough to see if they too
indeed burn holes into the ones that were yellow today.
I hope I can find them again. There's a lot of bushes
to sort through for 1 person.

Maybe you all could enlist the help of other gardeners at the gardenweb.com forum. I think these folks would be the most observant ones around that would be most likely to notice anything strange or different. Or also would know if it's blight or pests.

Also if you google "black rain" there was a report of something strange about the rain in SW florida...but seems most people made fun of the person reporting it. Disinfo agents? Or was the OP a hoax? Idk.

Lately we have experienced rain the past few days. The oddest thing I have noticed is that the rain has brought an (appreciated) coolness with it instead of mugginess.