Tomato diseases that lead to leaf curling sharply reduce the yield of the bush. As a result of poor photosynthesis, it ceases to receive nutrients in the required quantities and may die. Therefore, it is important to understand as quickly as possible why tomato leaves are curling and take appropriate measures. In this article we will try to understand the main reasons for the development of such a disorder and tell you how to cure plants.

All causes are divided into two large groups: infection and adverse environmental influences.

The main causes of leaf curling are divided into two large groups: infectious infection and unfavorable influence of the external environment. The latter includes the following factors that are destructive to tomatoes:

• damage to roots during transplantation;
• excessive or insufficient application of mineral additives to the soil;
• violation of the watering schedule;
• improper removal of stepchildren;
• leaf eating by pests.

Almost all of the reasons described above can be eliminated, after which the bush will return to normal and continue to grow. The exception is infectious diseases tomatoes (or bacteriosis). Plants infected with them are removed to prevent the spread of the pathogen.

Root damage

If in the first days after transferring the seedlings to a greenhouse or open ground, tomato leaves begin to curl into a tube, this indicates damage to the plant roots. This usually happens when transplanting is late, when the root system of tomatoes has already gone deep enough into the soil, and during the removal of shoots, some of the shoots break off. Until the bushes recover, they will suffer from a lack of nutrients. But don't worry. After all, if you follow the care standards, tomatoes will quickly adapt to new conditions, and the leaves will stop curling.

Excess fertilizer

When excess fertilizer is applied to the soil, the leaves of tomatoes curl into a ring and become fragile, and the stem expands. In this way, the plant reduces the intensity of photosynthesis, since it is not able to assimilate everything nutrients. Some gardeners, in pursuit of a large harvest, begin to fertilize tomatoes immoderately even in the first stages of their growth. As a result, the leaves of tomatoes begin to curl up at the seedling stage.

Due to excessive amounts of fertilizer applied, the leaves may curl even at the seedling stage.

In order for the bush to return to normal, you first need to stop fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers. To restore the balance of metabolic processes, it is recommended to make a solution based on a phosphorus-potassium complex (2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water) or monopotassium phosphate (1 teaspoon per 10 liters of water). When the crop is ripe, you should also avoid applying mixtures containing nitrogen.

Lack of microelements

For this reason, the leaves of tomatoes growing in a greenhouse more often curl, since the soil warms up faster there, which speeds up the release of microelements important for the plant. But the lack of regular fertilizing is also destructive for bushes planted in open ground. The leaves on the tomatoes curl down and change color, and the veins on them become coarser and take on pronounced outlines. A deficiency of the following substances is characterized by the following symptoms:

• phosphorus - leaves, starting from the center, acquire a brown tint;
• zinc – twist upper leaves;
• boron - first of all, young leaves are affected, their yellowing and drying are observed;
• copper - especially affects the viability of seedlings and shoots recently transplanted into open ground, the leaves of which acquire a yellowish tint and die off over time;
• calcium - plants become faded, stepsons fall down;
• iron - leaves turn yellow.

Such plants need to be treated by applying complex fertilizers and, depending on the type of soil, additional fertilizing with the missing microelement. Thus, a lack of copper is observed near peat bogs, and boron - on calcareous soil. In hot weather, it is recommended to fertilize diseased tomatoes with solutions containing immunomodulators or Zircon. If the season turns out to be rainy and cool, biostimulants (Epin) are used.

Excessive humidity

Although tomatoes love moisture, its excess negatively affects their development. With excessive watering or during prolonged rains, the leaves on the bushes curl upward. In the first case, it is enough to simply water the beds less often, and the plants will return to normal. If rainy weather is forecast, the tomatoes should be covered with a film canopy and the soil should be loosened so that moisture penetrates faster into the lower layers of the soil.

Irregular watering

If plants lack moisture and dry out, they trigger a protective mechanism - a curled leaf.

This is perhaps the most common mistake gardeners make. Due to lack of free time, people hope for rain and skip watering. Plants begin to lack moisture and dry out, so they trigger a protective mechanism - the curled leaf loses less liquid from evaporation. Seedlings especially suffer from this.

The solution to the problem is simple. It is necessary to organize a clear watering schedule, and it is not necessary to do it once every 2-3 days. A bucket of water will be enough for the bush for a week, but this volume should be added to the soil in several approaches to evenly saturate it with moisture. In extreme heat, you need to increase the number of waterings to twice a week.

Heat

Gardeners often wonder why the leaves on greenhouse tomatoes curl even with regular watering. This happens in extreme heat, when the air in the greenhouse warms up to 35° or more. Moreover, attentive owners notice that during the daytime the leaves can curl tightly around the central veins, and at night they straighten out again.

To prevent this from happening, you need to regularly ventilate the greenhouse by opening it from opposite sides. At noon, it is recommended to cover the bushes from direct sunlight. To prevent the evaporation of moisture from the soil, it should be mulched with organic compounds. If, despite preventive measures, curling of the leaves of tomatoes still occurs, you can spray them with a solution of potassium permanganate (diluted until light pink) or urea (1.5 tablespoons per bucket of water) in the evenings.

Incorrect stepsoning

If, a few days after removing the shoots, the leaves of the tomatoes curl, it means you did it wrong. In a situation where the shoots were too large, the plant would experience stress and respond with external changes aimed at increasing survival. In this case, in the best case, the top leaves of the bush may curl, and in the worst case, it will lose color.

If pinching is incorrect, the plant experiences stress and reacts with external changes.

Regular pinching directly affects the quality of the crop, but this procedure must be carried out according to the rules. It is recommended to remove excess shoots, the length of which is in the range of 4 - 10 cm. Cutting stepsons bigger size harms the plant. The same applies to cases when gardeners tear off all the lower leaves of a tomato at once and then wonder why the remaining ones curl. This should also be done gradually.

When the mistake has already been made and the leaves on some bushes begin to curl, you need to immediately begin treating them so as not to be left without a harvest. To support sick plants, complex fertilizing with the addition of biostimulants is recommended.

Features of the variety

In some tomato varieties, curled and downward-pointing leaves are the norm. Sometimes novice gardeners do not know this and think that the plants have been affected by some kind of disease. But if the structure of all bushes is the same, and this becomes noticeable even at the stage of planting seedlings, there is no need to worry. Thus, the leaves of tomatoes of the “Honey Drop”, “Japanese Crab”, “Fatima”, “Oxheart” varieties, as well as most varieties of “Cherry”, curl slightly.

Pests

Tomato leaves are attacked by insects, sucking out the life-giving juices from them, causing them not only to curl, but also turn yellow, become stained and dry out. More often, tomatoes suffer from spider mites, whiteflies and aphids. And if the first two pests are easy to see with the naked eye, then aphids initially settle at the base of the leaf, only moving to its surface over time.

To avoid the harmful effects of insects, which will lead to further curling and wilting of tomato leaves, treatment should begin immediately. Any insecticidal preparation of biological origin will do (for example, Fitoverm). You can also get rid of aphids and whiteflies folk remedies, such as tobacco infusion, yarrow or chamomile decoction.

Diseases

Tomato diseases that can curl a tomato leaf are bacterial canker, tobacco mosaic virus, fusarium and verticillium.

The most serious reasons why leaves on tomato bushes can curl are various types of diseases. As in humans, they are provoked by pathogens of a viral, bacterial and fungal nature. Below are the most common tomato diseases.

• Bacterial cancer. The leaves of the plant curl down, quickly lose their juices, turn brown and dry, and cracks form on the stems. Sick bacterial cancer The bushes need to be destroyed urgently. To do this, the tomato is cut and treated in this place with a solution of the drug “Hom”, pouring the roots as well. When the plant dries out, it is removed from the garden bed. Bushes located within a radius of 10 m from the infected tomato are also subject to preventive treatment.
• Tobacco mosaic virus. In addition to curling, leaves affected by this virus develop alternating areas of dark and light green, sometimes swelling.
• Fusarium. This is a fungal disease that initially affects the old leaves, but over time spreads to the rest. Additional symptoms include yellowing, wilting, and pink growth on the stem near the roots. Such plants need to be destroyed, and the remaining ones should be treated with antifungal drugs.
• Verticillium. It appears almost like the previous disease, but with less pronounced symptoms. Tomatoes affected by it, if properly treated, often survive until fruiting.

If leaves curl on tomato bushes, what to do is a very important question and requires an immediate solution. But without a preliminary analysis of your actions and a careful examination of the plant for additional symptoms, it is impossible to answer it.

Curling of tomato leaves is a common problem when growing crops in greenhouses. In open ground, such a nuisance is less common. .

Causes of leaf curling

The main reasons are

1. It's too hot in the greenhouse.
2. Tomatoes lack moisture.
3. Lack of batteries.
4. Excess fertilizer.
5. Damage to roots when planting seedlings or subsequent care of tomatoes.
6. Untimely removal of stepchildren. Leaves also curl when too many shoots are removed at once.
7. Pests sometimes also cause tomato leaves to curl.
8. Features of the variety.

Depending on the reason, the leaves curl either upward in a boat or downward in the shape of a chicken's foot.

reason 1. Temperature

In a greenhouse, the temperature is always at least 5-7°C higher than outside, even if the doors and windows are open. Therefore, when the temperature in the greenhouse is above 27-28° and there is low air circulation, the leaves are curled into a tube to avoid excessive evaporation of moisture. At night, when the heat subsides, they straighten out again.

Very often the leaves curl due to high temperatures.

What to do

To prevent leaves from curling in hot weather, greenhouses are left open at night. To reduce the temperature, the greenhouse is shaded. There should be constant air circulation inside it. Even in cold weather it must be ventilated.

reason 2. Lack of moisture

With insufficient watering, especially in the heat (and in greenhouses these factors are inextricably linked), tomatoes also reduce the area of ​​evaporation due to curling of the leaves.

• It is recommended to water tomatoes in greenhouses at a temperature of 16-20°C once every 7-10 days.
• At a temperature of 20-25°C once every 5 days
• At a temperature of 25-30°C every other day
• Over 30°C - daily, but very moderately.

This applies only to greenhouse plants; this watering regime is not suitable for open ground, since tomatoes there are additionally watered with precipitation. When choosing a watering regime, you should always take into account the growing conditions on your site.

If the leaves of tomatoes are curled, then the first thing to do is ventilate the greenhouse and water the crop.

You should not immediately water the plants abundantly. It is better to water in small volumes over several days. It is especially necessary to observe this regime during the fruiting period.

reason 3. Lack of batteries

If neither watering nor airing helped, and the leaves remain curled, then the problem is more serious than expected: the plants. Leaves curl differently depending on which element is deficient.

Phosphorus deficiency

The leaves curl upward and turn purple on the underside. Phosphorus is a macronutrient, and tomatoes consume it in large quantities.

To replenish phosphorus deficiency, the crop is watered with an extract of superphosphate. To prepare it, pour 1 cup of fertilizer into 1 liter of boiling water (otherwise it will not dissolve) and leave for 12-18 hours, stirring regularly. The finished extract is diluted with water to 10 liters and watered at the roots of the tomatoes. The application rate is 0.5 liters per bush.

You can add ash or superphosphate in dry form, but then you will have to wait 7-10 days longer for the effect.

Tomatoes need to be fed with phosphorus.

Copper deficiency

A deficiency of the element is much less common (especially when tomatoes are treated with copper-containing drugs for diseases), but its deficiency is not as rare as one might assume. With a lack of copper, the edges of the leaves curl upward. Yellow blurry spots appear on the leaves, which turn black in case of acute deficiency.

There are many spots and they are located randomly over the entire leaf surface. The leaf appears healthy but yellow and curled. To eliminate the problem, tomatoes are sprayed with any preparations containing copper. You can water the bushes with the same solution.

Both spraying and watering not only replenish the microelement deficiency, but also protect tomatoes well from many diseases.

Feeding with microelements is required.

Potassium deficiency

The leaves curl up into a tube, and a brown border forms along the edges. Tomatoes consume slightly less potassium than phosphorus, so it is advisable to add it with each feeding. In case of severe deficiency, the bushes are fed with any chlorine-free potassium fertilizer.

The best for tomatoes is potassium nitrate, which also contains a small amount of nitrogen. 1 tbsp. l. fertilizers are diluted in 10 liters of water. Watering rate is 0.5 liters per bush.

An excellent fertilizer would be an extract from ash: 100 g of ash is poured with boiling water and left for 24 hours, stirring regularly. Then the solution is filtered and watered at the roots of the tomatoes. The consumption rate is 0.5 l per bush. If spraying is carried out with ash infusion, then 40 g of laundry soap is added to the working solution as an adhesive.

Such bushes require potassium fertilizing.

Nitrogen deficiency

Usually occurs on poor soils and with gross violations in agricultural cultivation techniques. With a lack of nitrogen, the leaves become yellowish and become smaller. As nitrogen starvation increases, the leaves begin to curl down, turn yellow and dry out.

Urgent feeding with any nitrogen mineral fertilizer is necessary. If it is not there, then the tomatoes are fed with manure or herbal infusion. 0.5 liters of infusion are diluted in 10 liters of water and fed to the plants. The application rate is 1 liter per bush.

Pale leaves on tomatoes are due to a lack of nitrogen.

Calcium deficiency

The leaves curl upward. A little earlier, blossom end rot appears on the fruit. Feed tomatoes with calcium nitrate: 10 g/10 l of water.

And here calcium supplementation is required.

reason 4. Excess fertilizer

Some summer residents, trying to get the maximum yield, apply so much fertilizer (especially organic matter) to their tomatoes that the plants begin to suffer from their excess, and this, in turn, very quickly leads to disease.

Excess nitrogen

The leaves at the top of the bush curl, the rest are very powerful and normal in appearance. To neutralize excess nitrogen, stop all organic fertilizing. An extract of wood ash or any potassium fertilizer that does not contain chlorine is applied under the bushes.

Excess nitrogen can also be harmful.

Excess zinc

It does not occur so often, but most summer residents cannot recognize it and only aggravate the situation. This happens when the multiplicity and frequency of microfertilizer application is violated. The leaves curl up and droop as if in drought.

The main sign of excess zinc is the appearance of a purple tint on the lower part of the stem (no higher than 20-30 cm). To correct the situation, tomatoes are fed with organic matter and no microelements are added for at least 15-20 days.

Some varieties have a genetically determined purple hue. But then the stem is evenly painted in this color.

Excess zinc is difficult to recognize.

reason 5. Damage to the root system

After planting seedlings, especially in a greenhouse, tomato leaves may curl slightly. This is fine. The root system of seedlings is usually less developed than the above-ground part, so for several days after planting, the leaves of the plants may be curled. If after 5-7 days they have not purchased normal look, it is necessary to water the tomatoes with stimulants Kornevin or Heteroauxin.

When planting seedlings in the ground, try not to damage the roots of the plants.

Roots are often damaged when deep loosening tomatoes. The leaves curl upward evenly throughout the bush. Neighboring plants look healthy. To correct the situation, water the tomatoes with root formation stimulants (Kornerost, Kornevin) and substances that support plant immunity: Epin-extra, Zircon.

reason 6. Incorrect stepsoning

Untimely removal of stepsons leads to leaf curling. Stepchildren are removed when their size is no more than 5-7 cm. If they have already outgrown, then it is too painful for the plant, so you will either have to leave them or remove them gradually over several days.

Removing overgrown shoots can affect tomato leaves.

If large stepsons have been removed and the tomatoes react to this by curling the leaves, then the only thing that can be done is to spray the tomatoes with Zircon or Epin-extra.

reason 7. Tomato pests

Greenhouse whitefly very often affects tomatoes in greenhouses. This is a small butterfly that lays eggs on the underside of leaves. Larvae and adults (butterflies) feed on plant juices. Insects secrete sweet honeydew, on which sooty fungus settles. The insect reproduces very quickly. It settles first on the youngest and most tender leaves at the tops of plants.

Avoid large concentrations of pests on tomato bushes.

Signs of defeat.

1. The leaves become deformed and curled, and then turn yellow and fall off.
2. On the underside you can find insect secretions in the form of sticky honeydew and small white scales - the remains of cocoons.
3. Lagging bushes in development.
4. The appearance of black spots of sooty fungus on the stems and leaves.

What to do

Once the whitefly spreads, it is very difficult to control it. The pest reproduces extremely quickly, and most insecticides have no effect on eggs and older larvae. Therefore, emergency measures must be taken when the pest is first detected.

When shaking bushes infected with whiteflies, the butterflies fly up and are easy to spot.

1. To catch butterflies, glue traps are used, which are placed on the tops of bushes.
2. When the pest spread is small, Fitoverm is used. Spraying is carried out on the underside of the leaves. and tomatoes can be removed 2 days after processing. Spraying is carried out repeatedly at intervals of 3-5 days to destroy newly emerged individuals, since the drug does not affect eggs. With strict adherence to treatment intervals, the number of pests can be significantly reduced.
3. Simultaneously with Fitoverm, tomatoes are sprayed with Fitosporin or Alirin-B to prevent and destroy sooty fungi.
4. In case of mass infestation of tomatoes by the pest, all fruits are removed in the technical ripeness phase, and the bushes are treated with Aktara. Treatments are carried out on the underside of the leaves at least 3-4 times with an interval of 4-7 days. After spraying, tomatoes should not be eaten for 20 days.

reason 8. Features of the variety

For some, leaf curl is a genetic trait. Cherry and small-fruited tomato varieties are mainly prone to this.

There are also tomatoes like this.

Usually in this case the leaf blade curls down, forming a “chicken's foot”. But in some varieties the leaves can curl upward. In this case, nothing needs to be done; neither fertilizing, nor watering, nor ventilation will help. This is simply a feature of the variety.

Conclusion

If the leaves on the tomatoes are curled en masse throughout the greenhouse, then this is either a violation temperature regime, or lack of moisture.

If the leaves curl only on some bushes, then most likely this is a lack of nutrients. In this case, they curl gradually, first on one plant, then on the second, third, etc.

First of all, these bushes are carefully inspected, and then one of them is fertilized with the necessary fertilizers. If the measures taken have produced results, then the remaining plants are fed. If there is no result, then they continue to select the necessary fertilizer until a positive answer is received. Only after receiving a positive reaction to fertilizing, all other tomatoes are fed with the same fertilizer.

If a plant is not happy with something in your care, it signals this with the help of its leaves. They may change color or curl up or down into a tube. Knowing what each of the symptoms means, you can very quickly and easily help the plant return to normal and grow further. If this is not done in time, it may die or later produce a poor harvest.

In this article, we will look at the main reasons why tomato leaves curl down and dry out, and we will also find out what should be done.

Why do the leaves of tomato seedlings curl downward?

Gardeners are very sensitive to growing seedlings, so even a slight deviation from the norm in their condition causes them concern. Their fears are not always confirmed. For example: if the leaves of a tomato seedling curl downwards and at the same time resemble the shape of a chicken foot, then this is not a sign of a disease. This change occurs because the vein grows faster than the leaf plate itself, and therefore curls. Also, the curling of the leaf ends may be a species feature of the variety, which is more visible in young plants than in adults.

Reasons for leaves curling down in adult tomatoes:

What to do if tomato leaves curl down?

If there is a deficiency of any tomato nutrient, they must be added to the soil. If you cannot determine exactly what is missing, then you should take any complex fertilizer (for example: Polymicro or Sudarushka), or spray the plants with an immunomodulator (Zircon, Epin or Mortar). If there is an excess of microelements, it is worth watering the beds with tomatoes with clean water.

If you have diagnosed that a tomato is infected with bacterial cancer, then you need to get rid of it. At the same time, you should check the bushes adjacent to it. For prevention, all other tomatoes should be sprayed with a solution of copper oxychloride (40 g per 1 liter of water).

womanadvice.ru

Why do tomato leaves curl and how to avoid it?

Tomato is a rather demanding and whimsical plant. From improper care leaves may change color or curl into a tube. Because of such changes, many gardeners are concerned about the question of why tomato leaves curl. It is known that this is how tomatoes react to temperature changes and changes in watering regime. Are the tomato leaves curling? There is an explanation for this phenomenon. There are a number of reasons for leaf deformation.

Why do tomato seedlings' leaves curl?

Regardless of whether the leaves of a seedling or an adult plant are curled, the reasons should be sought in the following:

What other reasons could there be for leaves curling?

If care is carried out correctly, but the leaves still do not look healthy, you should carefully examine the leaves above and below. Often the reason why tomato leaves curl is due to pests and diseases. If you find aphids or whiteflies, treatment with special chemicals. Products such as Fufanon, Tantrek or Biotlin effectively fight tomato pests. But defeating an infection caused by a viral pathogenic environment is quite difficult. The only way out is to remove the diseased lower leaves and not leave the fruits for seeds. But even in this case, do not despair. You can stop the development of the disease and get a decent harvest by using drugs against late blight. For example, Avixil will stop the development of infection and allow tomatoes to survive.

syl.ru

Every gardener and summer resident tries to grow such a healthy, tasty, beloved vegetable in his garden. And on balconies you can more and more often see pink, red or yellow tomatoes ripening. But you won’t be able to grow this vegetable without problems. It is very delicate, susceptible to many diseases and can often be affected by various pests. Tomatoes are often concerned with the question: why do tomato leaves curl and what to do about it? Let's consider the reasons for this phenomenon and ways to solve this problem.

Feature of the variety

There are a lot of varieties, especially indeterminate (tall), with leaves that droop and curl slightly, with thin stems. Don't be alarmed, this is not a disease at all. Such varieties have this feature: Honey Drop, Japanese Crab, Fatima, Oxheart and most of the cherry tomatoes. When you plant seedlings, you need to pay attention to the leaves. If they are equally thin on all tomato bushes and slightly curled towards the bottom, don’t worry.

Lack of moisture

This is the most common reason why leaves of seedlings and adult tomatoes curl. Many tomato growers either water their tomatoes incorrectly - in small portions and quite often, or do not pay any attention to watering at all, hoping that it will rain. If you water frequently and with a small amount of water, it will only wet upper layer soil - 3-5 cm, and the roots are located deeper. This is how your tomato suffers from lack of moisture. It is enough to water once every 2-3 days on open ground, and once a week on mulched ones, pouring a bucket of water under each fruiting bush. You shouldn’t pour out the whole bucket at once; it’s better to divide it into several portions. This must be done so that the water does not spread to the sides, but all gets to the roots.

Air temperature is too high

Tomato leaves often curl in hot summer weather, especially if there are dry winds. This is how the plant tries to reduce the area of ​​moisture evaporation. In the evening, when it gets dark, the leaves unfold and become their usual normal shape in order to receive more dew at night and restore their balance. The only way you can help the plant is by shading it. Lutrasil or spunbond is suitable for both greenhouses and open garden beds. It needs to be thrown on the plant at noon. Watering tomatoes by sprinkling is not very good good idea. If you do this in sunny weather, then the leaves get burned from the water drops, which act like lenses, and if you water this way in the morning or evening, the plant will not avoid a disease such as late blight. In a greenhouse, the bud must be mulched. If you place the cut grass under the bush, it will significantly cool the roots in the heat of the day and the crop will be a little more comfortable.

Tomato pests

Pests such as whiteflies, aphids, and red spider mites can attack tomatoes when the beds are large. They settle on the bottom of the leaves and very actively try to suck out the juice. Because of this, the leaves curl down and turn yellow, nodules and necrotic spots may appear. If you find such pests, save the plant immediately!

If there are not very many insects yet, then you can resort to traditional methods. If this does not help, then it is recommended to use chemicals. You can read more about tomato pest control here.

Excess moisture

Both a lack and an excess of moisture can cause the leaves of tomatoes to curl, only in this case the leaves curl up. When there are prolonged rains, the water goes to depth slowly, the roots of the tomatoes practically suffocate from lack of air. You will not encounter such a problem if, during the period of planting seedlings, you fill each hole with loose soil.

Thin leaf virus

It develops when drought lasts for a very long time and when there is a lot of light in the greenhouse. In this case, the plant does not die, but its yield weakens, the fruits grow small, wrinkled and have a hard middle. You can try to save the plant. Spray with potassium permanganate and urea solution with a break of 2-3 days, and if there is excess light, shade with some synthetic material.

If nothing helps you, then it is better to remove the plant from the garden and burn it so that the virus does not spread further to other bushes.

Tomato bacteriosis

Sick tomatoes grow poorly, their shoots are shortened, ugly and the flowers are small. The leaves curl up and down even in mature plants. The young grow thin and feathery. The disease is transmitted by seed, and diseased plants also infect the soil. It is almost impossible to cure such tomatoes. The only way out is to remove the plant and disinfect the soil with potassium permanganate. Next, sow mustard; its phytoncides can kill pathogens, and its green mass, after it rots, will be a good source of humus.

Excess fertilizer

On the issue of fertilizers, you need to find a middle ground. Too little fertilizer is bad, too much is even worse. If you apply a lot of manure, especially fresh, under each bush, water it with slurry undiluted to a certain consistency or with herbal infusions, it leads to the fact that the crop cannot absorb all the nutrients and simply curls the leaf to reduce phytosynthesis. And also various fumes that are released during the fermentation of organic substances, ammonia can lead to burns. Therefore, the leaves curl and die. This phenomenon manifests itself both in young seedlings and in adult tomato bushes.

Incorrect stepsoning

If, after such a manipulation as pinching, the leaves curl up or down, this means that you have overdone it:

• missed the time when the stepchildren grew to 5-7 cm in length;
• a lot of vegetative parts were removed at the same time;

If the leaves curl in this situation, then this is a reaction to stress. In this case, flowers may fall off en masse. The way out of the situation is to apply foliar feeding. Within a week the plant will recover. But some part of the harvest will still be lost.

Nutrient deficiencies

A deficiency can occur if the bushes are not fed once every two weeks. Especially in greenhouses, it warms up quickly, but the soil does not. In this case, the plant cannot accumulate nutrients. Thus, tomato leaves curl down and change color, and the vein in the center of the leaf becomes convex and rough:

• if there is a lack of phosphorus, the leaves acquire a red-violet hue;
• if there is a lack of zinc, the leaves bend down, the tops curl, especially in seedlings;
• with a lack of boron, young leaves curl;
• deficiency of copper and sulfur - shoots are crushed;
• calcium deficiency - leaves curl and become pale;
• With a lack of iron, the leaves turn yellow and begin to droop.

You can correct the situation by feeding. It is good to spray the plant with a solution of immunomodulators, zircon, when the weather is hot, in rainy and cool weather - Epin, Mortar - used for general fertilizing.

Start taking care of your tomatoes at the seedling stage, this will help avoid problems in the future and bring you a worthy reward in the form of a good harvest.

pomidorchik.com

Why do tomato leaves curl? How to save the harvest?

It's all about nutrition

In an effort to achieve a rich harvest, many gardeners add too much. organic fertilizers, rotted herbs, nitrogen. And therein lies the danger:

1. Organics alone cannot provide balanced diet. Tomatoes lack phosphorus, zinc, boron and potassium.

2. Rotted manure releases ammonia. This substance can burn leaves. And they will curl up.

Solution: application of complex fertilizers.

Why don't tomatoes grow?

Copper fasting

Tomato leaves often curl due to copper deficiency. This phenomenon is observed on dark lands, wetlands or peat.

Signs of copper deficiency:

• leaves turn white or yellow, become brittle and curl up;
• the plant does not produce flowers;
• Over time, the curled leaves become affected by chlorosis or necrosis.

Boron deficiency

Why do tomato leaves curl: the reason is boron starvation. Boron deficiency occurs in saline lands subject to liming and leaching. Leaves become deformed due to excess nitrogen. Problems with tomatoes are observed only during drought periods.

Deficiency symptoms:

the formation of new leaves below the growth point; the appearance of dark spots and dried areas on the fruit.

Be careful! The same signs are characteristic of excess boron in the soil. If there is a deficiency, the curled leaves become dry, and the top of the tomato retains a healthy appearance until the last.

Lack of calcium

The main symptom is the same - the leaves curl.

Features of calcium deficiency:

• tomato leaves curl up and become smaller;
• the growing point at the base of the stem dies;
• fruits are affected by blossom end rot (not always).

Potassium deficiency

With potassium deficiency, tomato leaves can also curl inward, but rarely. Most often, the foliage becomes smaller and turns yellow, starting from the edges.

Lack of phosphorus

the leaf surface loses color saturation and acquires a grayish tint; The veins on the leaves turn purple-red.

Paying close attention to tomatoes will help you notice a deficiency of any element in time. If you quickly apply the right fertilizer, the harvest will be saved.

One more thing. You can fertilize tomatoes through the root system and leaves. More effective is foliar feeding and spraying of the plant. Tomatoes absorb nutrients faster this way.

Reason: improper watering and heat

Non-infectious leaf curling is typical for the second half of the growing season. And more often - due to excessive watering. The lower leaves curl first. The rest are gradually deformed. The leaves harden, become dense and crumble quickly.

Rules for watering tomatoes:

use for watering warm water(it is better absorbed by the root system); water the bushes in the evening or in the morning, when it is not hot outside.

Curled tops of tomatoes indicate high temperature stress. The plants are hot. This can happen in a greenhouse or in open ground when the temperature rises above thirty degrees.

Rescue options:

1. Provide air circulation in the greenhouse.

2. Find a way to protect tomatoes from the scorching rays of the sun.

3. Treat the leaves with urea dissolved in water (half a bucket - one and a half tablespoons); two days later - with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.

If created for plants good conditions, but the leaves still curl, then the cause is probably a bacterial infection. The disease originated in the seeds. It cannot be cured. You can only stop the infection by treating it with Avixil.

ProPochemu.ru

Repeatedly. Why do tomato leaves curl up and why down? Is it a lack of something or an excess?

Nataly Sitko

down - from the whitefly - they write from it on strawberries, treating tomato leaves with infusion - and I have this whitefly on the tomatoes themselves - I sprayed it with a solution of liquid Vietnamese star - available in pharmacies - 10 drops per liter once a week
and the leaf turns upward when overfed with nitrogen - and it is hard because of this - it ages quickly

New day

“There are many reasons why tomato leaves curl. First of all, this happens from violations of temperature and humidity. Sometimes leaves curl into a tube when the temperature is too high. Elevated temperatures, 35°C or more, which often occur under film in a greenhouse, enhance the respiration process, and rapid breakdown of nutrients occurs, while the absorption and accumulation of these substances at such temperatures drops sharply. The leaves become starved and begin to curl. This is especially dangerous when the roots are in the cold and the top is under high temperature stress. In hot weather, it is necessary to intensively ventilate greenhouses, creating drafts, shading plants, and whitening glass with chalk.
Leaf curling down may be the first sign of bacterial canker damage to plants. After curling, the lower leaves wither, turn brown and gradually dry out. Then, ulcers and cracks appear on the underside of the petioles and on the veins of the leaves, as well as on the stems. On a section of the stem, you can see a brown ring of vessels affected by bacteriosis. The disease spreads through seeds and soil.
Leaves also curl downward during phosphorus starvation. The upper part of the leaf becomes gray-green, the veins are purple-red. Young leaves also bend downward when there is a lack of sulfur. Later, necrotic spots develop on them. Young leaves curl inward due to boron deficiency. The middle leaves turn yellow and the veins turn purple. The same picture is observed with an excess of boron, with the difference that the curved lobes of the leaves become dry, like paper. Although the top of the plants has an almost normal appearance, it then also curls. When there is an excess of zinc in the soil, old tomato leaves bend strongly downwards, the underside of the leaf turns purple, starting from the edges to the center of the leaf.
Young tomato leaves curl in the form of a tube towards the midribs when there is a lack of copper. The petioles are bent downwards. Later, these leaves usually develop chlorosis and necrosis.
Lack of calcium in the soil affects plants by deforming tomato leaves and curling them upward. At the same time, the leaves become smaller, the growing point dies, and later blossom end rot appears on the fruits. The edges of the leaves “curl” due to a lack of potassium. Necrosis subsequently develops on older leaves. The smallest veins turn pale, and the edges of the leaves turn brown. With an excess of manganese, which is often abused by gardeners due to its availability, young leaves become wrinkling rather than curling. They are more intense in color. "

Excerpt from an article by Candidate of Agricultural Sciences Lebedeva.

I’ll add on my own – when there is an excess of nitrogen, the leaves curl downwards.

Elena Akentyeva

I rather agree with the high temperature and excess nitrogen. But first of all - high temperature. When planting seedlings (in a greenhouse), the leaves are quite even, green, and actively growing. Then, as the temperature rises, curling of the leaves is observed. This does not negatively affect the harvest of my tomatoes, so I don’t do anything.

Often, owners of home gardens notice a problem when growing tomatoes: the upper leaves of the plants curl. Curled tops prevent full photosynthesis, and the plant begins to wither from nutrient deficiency. Why is this happening?

A possible reason why the leaves of tomato seedlings have begun to curl is damage to the roots during planting. After some time, the root system will recover and the tomatoes will take root. This is the most harmless option for curling tomato tops.

Necessary procedures such as pinching and pinching can also cause tomato leaves to curl if carried out incorrectly. The first pinching is carried out 20 days after planting the seedlings in the ground, then once a week. In this case, you can remove no more than 2 lower leaves in 1 procedure, otherwise the plant will weaken. Only shoots that have reached 10 cm in length can be planted. Excessive pinching is stress for a tomato bush, which can lead to curling of the leaf tips and falling off of the ovaries.

There are more serious options for why tomato leaves began to curl.

Humidity and high temperature

Excessive or, conversely, insufficient humidity can affect leaf curling. When a plant curls its leaves up in a boat shape, it means it lacks moisture. This is how tomatoes compensate for its deficiency: they reduce the area from which the liquid evaporates, “saving.” Abundant but infrequent watering will help to avoid drought (once a week is enough, in hot weather - 2 times). Excess water has a detrimental effect on the roots, leading to their rotting. In this case, the plant ceases to receive sufficient nutrients and oxygen, and as a result, curled tops. Tomatoes are whimsical vegetable crop. The soil should always be loose so that excess moisture does not accumulate at the roots of the tomatoes. Therefore, mulching is a mandatory procedure that will not only help cope with excess water, but will also prevent the rapid evaporation of moisture from the soil.

Tomatoes do not like extreme heat. If the temperature in the greenhouse or outside exceeds +34...+35°C, the leaves of the tomatoes curl into a tube. In the evening or at night, when the temperature is noticeably lower, the tops that have curled straighten out and return to their previous state. A thick layer of mulch and covering the bushes from direct exposure to sunlight with light-proof material will help save tomatoes from high temperatures. If we are talking about a greenhouse, then in addition to these measures it must be frequently ventilated.

Lack and excess of microelements in the soil

Insufficient levels of micronutrients in the soil will lead to curling and discoloration of tomato leaves. Basically, the plant may be deficient in potassium, phosphorus and zinc. Insufficient potassium content in the soil leads to the crown of the leaves curling upward, their color changing to brown, and light spots appear on ripe tomatoes. Phosphorus deficiency can be identified by curled leaves and purple veins. Zinc deficiency is manifested by large tomato leaves curling and their undersides turning purple. Fertilizing with ash or mineral fertilizers (superphosphate, potassium nitrate) can compensate for the lack of microelements.

Excessive feeding with nitrogen fertilizers can also lead to curling: the leaves roll into a ring. The stem becomes thick, new, powerful shoots are formed. The tomato will delight with lush green leaves, but good harvest it won't. Nitrogen blocks the roots from accessing important microelements such as phosphorus, potassium and zinc. It is necessary to stop nitrogen feeding and replenish the missing microelements.

Tomato diseases (video)

Insect infestation and infectious diseases

Can cause leaves to curl upward and be damaged by pests: black aphids, spider mite and whitefly. Insects inhabit the underside of the leaves, sucking the juices from them. This causes the affected part of the plant to curl, turn yellow, then dry out and fall off. First, the pests hide in the leaf axils, where insects are difficult to immediately detect, and then they infect not only all the leaves, but also the stems of the tomato, which can lead to the death of the entire bush. Thorough treatment of tomato bushes (every leaf, every stem) with insecticidal preparations will help get rid of insects.

Another threat to growing tomatoes is damage from microorganisms, bacteria and fungi. In a plant affected by bacteriosis, all the leaves and stems curl down, the tops and flowers become smaller, become pale and fall off. Carriers infectious diseases there may be some pests, or the seeds were initially affected by microorganisms. Sick bushes must be carefully destroyed. The infection also affects the soil, so all neighboring plants and beds containing infected tomatoes must be disinfected with Pharma-iodine or another antimicrobial agent. In the future, it is advisable to plant cruciferous green manure, radish or mustard in this place in order to completely rid the soil of infection.

By finding out in a timely manner why tomato leaves curl and promptly eliminating the cause, you can achieve success in such a difficult agronomic task as growing tomatoes.

Related posts:

No similar entries found.