What to do if the leaves of tomatoes are curled

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

When growing tomatoes in greenhouse conditions, it is the responsibility of the gardener not only to ensure regular plant care, but also to carefully examine each planting for signs of any disease. One of the symptoms that summer residents often find in their greenhouses is that the leaves of the tomato bushes are curling. Many do not know what to do and why this is happening.

The presence of this defect appears when a disease is affected, the effect of parasitic insects or improper care of tomato seedlings. To eliminate the problem of leaf curling, it is necessary to identify the cause of its occurrence.

The reason for curling the leaves is improper care

Even a gardener with a long experience is not able to establish the exact cause of leaf twisting only on the basis of appearance. This symptom can occur for a variety of reasons.

An important role is played by the direction of the twisted sheet and the presence of additional external deformations of the bush. To eliminate the defect, when examining the planting, the accompanying symptoms of the affected bush should be taken into account.

We will find out why the leaves of tomato seedlings in a greenhouse can still curl, consider what to do with this and how to help the plant.

Damage to the root system

Curling of tomato leaves in greenhouse conditions can occur due to damage to the root system. Often, the roots of tomato bushes are deformed when the planting material is transplanted to a permanent place. Root damage occurs when the seedlings are removed from the container in which the young shoots were grown. However, even if a minor injury is inflicted on a fragment of the root system, a few days after transplantation, the leaves of tomato bushes will take a twisted position. The straightening of the leaves will take place as the deformity heals. It takes several days to completely restore the correct shape of the leaf.

Note: Leaf curling in tomato bushes often occurs when working with overgrown seedlings.

Also, it is possible to damage any fragment of the root system when loosening the soil. Despite the deep bedding of the roots, it is unacceptable to loosen the soil to more than five centimeters deep.

Wrong irrigation regime

The deeper part of the root system should be watered more thoroughly. With surface watering, moisture reaches only the top layer of the soil, without entering the plant itself. Thus, insufficient watering is the next most common cause of leaf curling on tomato bushes.

To eliminate this problem, it is necessary to carry out frequent abundant watering of tomato plantings. Bushes that bear fruit in a polycarbonate greenhouse are watered every 2 days in the amount of 10 liters of water for each planting. It is considered correct to gradually pour out all the liquid to the barrel so that the water is absorbed into the soil and does not have time to spread. Also, when mulching the loosened soil, a sufficient level of moisture will remain in the soil, and it will not dry out.

Note: Symptoms of inadequate irrigation are green leaves rolled upward that do not have spotted lesions or parasitic traces.

In addition, the leaves of tomatoes in the greenhouse can curl due to over-watering. Why this is happening and what to do, we will find out further. Frequent "flooding" of tomato plantings leads to a lack of oxygen in the root system, which manifests itself in the upward bending of the edges of the leaves.

The need to maintain the soil moisture level at the required level is due to the fact that with a lack or excessive abundance of moisture, the plant may begin to wilt, and the root system may begin to rot. The risk of developing fungal infections also increases.

Excessive heat in the greenhouse

Tomatoes belong to a thermophilic garden crop, however, at a temperature of 38 C, the planting will undergo burnout. Curling of leaves in tomatoes in a greenhouse is a sign of too high a temperature. Why does this happen and what to do in this case?

Externally, this reason can be determined by the following sign: leaf curling occurs in the daytime, and in the evening, when the air temperature drops, the leaves begin to straighten, completing this process by nightfall.

It is possible to achieve a decrease in the temperature in the greenhouse and restore the state of tomato plantings when airing. Spraying tomato bushes with urea can also return the plant to a normal temperature regime. Leaf processing is carried out using a solution made from 1 tablespoon of urea in a bucket of water. Spraying with urea can be carried out only in the evening or with the establishment of cloudy weather.

Shrub forming error

When growing tomatoes in greenhouse conditions, summer residents try to carry out the formation of shrubs in the most compact way, getting rid of unnecessary stepsons and lower leaves. Carrying out this procedure helps to improve air exchange in the greenhouse and prevent plant rotting and damage to certain diseases. By removing excess vegetation, the ripening of vegetables will significantly accelerate, and the quality of filling will improve.

A mistake in the formation of tomato bushes is to carry out this process while the plant has not yet had time to adapt to a permanent place of growth. This is usually done in order to accelerate the harvest. Without the presence of organs of the vegetative system, delivering nutrients to the plant organism, the functioning of the root system as a source of mineral compounds becomes impossible.

Thus, if the bushes are not formed correctly, the leaves begin to bend. This problem can be corrected by introducing useful fertilizers by the foliar method.

With competent and timely formation of a tomato bush, leaf twisting can be avoided. The first stage of processing, which consists in removing foliage and stepsons, is carried out after three weeks from the moment of transplantation to a permanent place in the greenhouse. After that, the bushes are formed every two weeks, getting rid of no more than three leaves at a time.

Determining and eliminating the causes of leaf curling is not difficult: leaf curling occurs without spots, streaks with a color unusual for a healthy plant, or parasitic insects. Having restored the correct mode of maintenance work, it will be possible to notice the return of the bush plantings to a healthy state and the straightening of the leaves.

Rolling the leaves of tomatoes for a short period of time will not affect the yield or the health of the plant.

What to do with this ailment and how to continue growing tomatoes in the greenhouse? Without a diagnosis of painful lesions, bushes are more likely to die. It is necessary to find out the reason why this is happening in order to grow a decent harvest in the future.

Seedling diseases

The leaves of tomato bushes can curl due to the influence of parasites or some kind of disease. To identify the problem, you should pay attention to some external signs.

Diffuse damage to tomatoes

The symptoms of the disease have the following signs:

• the curling of the tomato leaves is directed downward, there is a rapid wilting, the leaves
• turn brown and dry out;
• the lower stem part is covered with cracks and bumps;
• ripe and unripe fruits are covered with yellow round spots. The cut of the tomatoes has
• blackened areas.

Tobacco mosaic disease

The disease occurs due to the effects of viruses and rapidly spreads through neighboring plantings in the greenhouse. Infection with this disease is manifested by curling the leaves and coloring them in a brown shade with the formation on the surface of the leaf of a pattern of alternating spots of various shades of green.

Knowing why the leaves of tomatoes curl in a home greenhouse, it is necessary to determine in a short time what to do with this disease. This will help you grow healthy fruit later on.

The emergence of fusarium

The disease consists of a fungal infection, sometimes referred to as fusarium wilting. With the gradual twisting of the foliage and the spread of signs of the disease from the lower region of the stem upwards, then this particular ailment should be considered as the cause.

Symptoms accompanying the disease are as follows:

• the color of the leaves is light green;
• the fall of the affected foliage;
• wilting of leaves and shoots located in the upper part of the plant;
• the formation of a pink bloom in the lower stem part.

Exposure to parasitic insects

Leaves containing useful juices become objects of parasitic insects. Due to the appearance of parasites, the foliage withers, turns black, curls and dries up. Leaves in the greenhouse curl up due to the defeat of aphids, spider mites or whiteflies.

A spider mite wraps a tomato leaf with its cobwebs, settling in a twisted leaf. Black aphids are dangerous by injecting a poisonous substance that tends to curl yellowed leaves.

To get rid of parasites, chemicals are used or special traps are placed. Spraying with chamomile broth or infusion of tobacco or yarrow is considered an effective folk remedy.

Having found out the reason why the leaves of tomatoes curl in a home greenhouse and what to do in this case, you can harvest an excellent harvest from the beds.