Tomatoes fold their leaves. Why Tomato Leaves Curl at the Top

If the plant does not like something in your care, then 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 to return to its normal state and grow further. If this is not done in time, then it may die or then give a poor harvest.

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

Why do the leaves of tomato seedlings curl down?

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

Causes of leaf curling down in adult tomatoes:

1. Feature of the variety. This structure of the leaves is observed in tall varieties. These include "Fatima", "Oxheart", "Honey Drop" and most varieties.
2. Infection with bacterial cancer. You can identify this dangerous disease for plants by the following signs:

• the lower leaves begin to fade quickly, change color and dry out;
• cracks and sores form on the stem and petioles;
• when the stem is cut across, a brown ring is visible.

• phosphorus - the leaf plate becomes gray-green, and the veins become purple-red;
• boron - young leaves curl, and the middle ones turn yellow with purple veins;
• sulfur - only young leaves also bend, on which necrotic spots then appear;
• copper - not only the ends of the leaves fall down, but also the petioles, later necrosis and chlorosis begin on them.
• An excess of boron and zinc in the soil. Too many of these elements are accompanied by the following symptoms:
• boron - the bent ends of the leaves become dry and brittle, twisting starts from the bottom and reaches the top;
• zinc - old leaves bend down, in which the underside of the leaf plate from the edges begins to acquire a purple color.

Root damage during transplantation. If during transplant tomato seedlings in open ground, their roots have been severely damaged, then the plant will not be able to immediately receive a sufficient amount of the nutrients it needs from the soil, which, as described earlier, leads to the twisting of the leaves down. In this case, it passes over time without additional feeding.

What to do if the leaves of tomatoes curl down?

With a deficiency of any nutrient, a tomato must be introduced into 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). With an excess of trace elements, it is worth watering the beds with clean water.

If you have diagnosed that a tomato is infected with a 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).

Growing vegetables on their site, all summer gardeners are looking forward to the first harvest. How nice it is to pick the first tomato, the taste of which far exceeds the taste bought in the store. And how anxious it becomes when you approach tomato bushes, and all their leaves have curled up.

The first thought is trouble, there will be no harvest. But don't panic. Twisted leaves on tomatoes are not as scary as they seem.

There are many reasons for this, let's figure it out.

In newly planted seedlings with an open root system, the foliage folds for a period of survival and adaptation to new conditions. After 4-5 days, it straightens out. This suggests that the bush has taken root and started to grow.

A leaf problem can occur due to improper watering. Too frequent watering, prolonged rains, or, conversely, prolonged drought and insufficient watering - all this causes the foliage to curl. It is worth paying attention that at the same time the green part of the plant is not damaged, there are no sores and dried edges. Foliage, without changing color, folds along the central vein.

Improper pinching and excessive removal of the lower leaves also affect the appearance of the plant. The leaf is folded in order to reduce the surface area and not to waste energy on the process of photosynthesis, but to direct them to the healing of wounds.

Twisted foliage occurs with a lack or excess of trace elements. An additional sign of this is that the color of the leaves changes, the stem of the plant is damaged.

• with an excess of nitrogen, the folded edges dry up, and the plant itself intensively increases its green mass. The stem becomes thick, a lot of foliage grows to the detriment of flowering and fruit set;
• a gray-green color indicates a lack of phosphorus. The veins on them become dark red;
• with a lack of copper, twisted foliage is covered with yellow spots, which quickly turn black;
• if there is little potassium in the soil, yellow streaks stand out on the green leaf, and the folded tips turn brown;
• when the lower leaves curl up, and the color on the back changes from green to purple, this indicates that there is a lot of zinc in the soil.

Twisting is not a symptom of the disease. If the leaves do not swell, do not become covered with plaque, if the stems are not damaged, then most likely the plant is healthy.

Foliage curls up when attacked by some pests. It could be aphids spider mite uh, whitefly. They are visible from the underside of the leaf or on the stem in the internodes.

In the fight against aphids, whiteflies, spider mites and other pests of tomatoes, they have proven themselves well: Fufalon, Aktara, Rembek, Decis Profi, etc.

What to do if the leaves of tomatoes are curled

If the cause is identified, it will not be difficult to help the plants:

• adjust watering. Plants in open ground watered once every 2-3 days, in a greenhouse every 5-7 days. If a period of prolonged rains has come, you can make a temporary shelter from excess water by stretching cellophane over the plantings;
• stepchildren are broken out when their length reaches 10-15 cm. The lower leaves are removed gradually, no more than two per week;
• excess nitrogen is neutralized by adding ash. Cooking water solution: one glass of ash per bucket of water. You can make it under the root, or you can spray it;
• the lack of other microelements is compensated by additional feeding;
• when pests are found, they are treated with insecticides.

At the first sign of curling of tomato leaves, fertilize with complex fertilizers and growth stimulants, such as: Zircon, Vympel, Mortar, Epin or others.

Tomatoes in a greenhouse - why do their leaves curl

In tomatoes grown in a greenhouse, in addition to the above reasons, the leaves can curl at elevated air temperatures. When it is hot outside, the temperature in the greenhouse rises above normal, which is dangerous for the plants. At t 33-35 ° C, not only the leaves curl, but the fruits also cease to set.

In such cases, through ventilation and shading from sunlight helps. To create a shadow over the greenhouse, a white covering material is stretched, and if the whole summer is expected to be dry and hot, then the roof of the greenhouse can be whitewashed.

Video

In songs and poetic works, birch, mountain ash are affectionately called curly. The leaves of cabbage of the Kale variety are also fancifully curly - and this is its "zest". But when curling leaves on tomatoes(and seedlings including) - there is no time for admiring. Any change in the color and shape of a tomato leaf signals unfavorable factors. What? Be sure to find out and eliminate the cause.

Why Do Tomato Leaves Curl? 5 reasons

1. Heat or cold, drought and lack of moisture.
2. Lack of nutrients (potassium, iron).
3. excess manganese.
4. Bacterial cancer and other diseases.
5. Potato aphid and other pests.

When the leaves of the seedlings on the windowsill curl, then, in addition to the reasons listed above, this can happen due to poor-quality soil or the activity of a pest called "thrips".

What to do?

I wanted to start with simple reasons, such as lack of moisture and nutritional imbalance. In most cases reasons why tomato leaves curl are obvious and easily corrected.

Cause: Heat, drought, lack of moisture

Symptoms:

• The leaves of tomatoes curl, wilt. The leaves curl the most strongly during the day, and slightly straighten out at night. At the same time, there are no spots on the leaves, and the young shoots and crowns are the first to wither.

Tomatoes can react to an increase in temperature and a lack of moisture by twisting their leaves in order to help themselves: reduce the evaporation area and save moisture in their own tissues. Not all varieties react to heat in this way, and sometimes even within the same greenhouse you can observe the following picture: plants of one variety twisted their leaves, while others did not.

What to do:

• Water, loosen the soil, try not to allow it to compact and dry out anymore.
• Mulch the surface of the soil in the greenhouse (for example, with straw).
• In extreme heat, shade tomatoes in open ground, and ensure good ventilation in greenhouses.

Reason: Cold and temperature stress

Symptoms: The leaves of tomatoes are curled up in a boat (up). This is often preceded by frosts or lower temperatures, which are not typical for this time of year. Twisting can be observed in plants of the same variety, susceptible to temperature changes. The remaining varieties in the greenhouse that are resistant to adverse factors, as a rule, stand unchanged.

What to do:

• Due to cold and temperature changes, tomatoes can also begin to curl their leaves. Preparations like "Epin-extra" will help to correct the situation. The instructions for Epin say that it is advisable to use it for temperature stress and recurrent spring frosts(for seedlings and adult plants).

Reason: Lack of nutrients in the soil (potassium, iron, copper)

Symptoms: With a lack of copper, young leaves first wither, they become bluish-green in color and curl up. With a lack of potassium and iron in the soil, the leaves curl and turn yellow. If the edges of the leaves turn brown at the same time, the interveinal tissues turn pale, and the top of the stems also twists - there is a lack of potassium. In seedlings, the lower leaves turn yellow first. As for the leaves, only the very edges of the leaf turn brown and twist up in case of a lack of potassium:

What to do:

• Feed with fertilizers containing potassium: Potassium sulfate or Humate +7. Potash fertilizers strengthen plants, make them resistant to adverse factors, and help prevent tomato leaves from curling.
• Feed the tomatoes complex mineral fertilizers or folk remedies: Fertika Lux, Emerald, Ideal, Fortress, Gumi Kuznetsova, Rich, Agricola, Infusion of onion peel.

Reason: Excess manganese

Symptoms: Leaves are twisted, as if crumpled or "chewed", which was preceded by top dressing.

What to do:

• Water the plants generously to flush out excess manganese from the soil.
• Try to observe the dosage of manganese when feeding.

Plants can also react to excessive doses of herbicides and insecticides with leaf deformation and tissue necrosis:

Reason: Potato aphid

Symptoms: The leaves of tomatoes are curled up in a “boat” upwards. The pest is difficult to detect - it is very small and lives, as a rule, on stems and petioles.

What to do:

• Spray tomatoes with any drug against the Colorado potato beetle.
• In the literature against potato aphids, it is recommended to use drugs: Aktara, Confidor, Tanrek, Commander, Aktellik, Fufanon, Akarin, Fitoverm.

Reason: bacterial cancer

Symptoms: In addition to twisting, brown spots, longitudinal dark stripes and cracks in the stems can be seen on the leaves. And if you make a cut on the stem, brown rings will be visible on it. Later, signs of the disease also appear on the fruits: on the outside - small black and white dots, and inside - yellow rough strands of blood vessels. In the event of a bacterial cancer, the lower leaves of the tomato curl and wither.

What to do:

• Remove diseased plants from the garden or from the greenhouse, burn them. Unfortunately, plants can no longer be cured.
• Next season, you should not plant nightshade crops (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplants) in this place. The pathogen can persist for up to a year, so crop rotation is very important to eradicate the disease from the site.
• In autumn, it is necessary to carefully remove all plant residues from the site and do not put them in compost.
• Do not collect seeds from affected plants.
• Before sowing, warm up and treat planting material with fungicides.

Tomato leaf curl virus also characterized by leaf curl. The carrier of the pathogen is the whitefly, so one of the main control measures is the destruction of the insect, diseased plants and crop rotation.

Tomato seedlings curl leaves ...

In addition to the above reasons for leaf curl: the following are relevant for tomato seedlings:

• Excess nutrients in the soil due to poor quality soil.
• Thrips pest.

1. Poor quality soil (chemical burn).

Unscrupulous manufacturers sometimes saturate the soil with nutrients so much that plants, once in such a substrate, get a chemical burn. At the same time, the leaves of tomato seedlings look as if they were doused with boiling water. The leaves wither, bulge, twist the edges up or down. More often it is about peat soil. In such a situation, the plants urgently need to be transplanted into a new substrate. You can take this soil and mix it with garden soil in a ratio of 1: 2 (1 part peat, 2 parts garden soil). The soil taken from your own garden should be disinfected before picking seedlings.

2. Attack of thrips.

Thrips often attack seedlings. The pest gnaws out the veins on the leaves, so they turn yellow and dry out. Twisting often begins with the lower leaves. Thrips is active at night, so during the day it is difficult to notice. Preparations will help get rid of pests: Aktara, Iskra, Aktellik, Fitoverm, Fufanon.

Tomato leaves curl: Why and What to do? Table

You can summarize the information in the form of a table:

Friends! Fellow gardeners! If, on your own experience, you have encountered the problem of leaf curl in tomatoes and managed to successfully deal with it, please write a comment on the article. This is important for all of us! 😉

By all indications, tomato plants in a greenhouse "fatten" from an excess of nitrogen fertilizers in the soil.

In this case, tomatoes drive out a large green mass, but do not seek to give offspring, since they do not feel danger to their lives. That is, they form very weak flower brushes with a small number of flowers.

In this case, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers, which include phosphorus, potassium, zinc, boron and other trace elements, will help to balance the nutrition of tomatoes and correct the situation in this case.

For this, ideally, superphosphate is suitable (dissolve 3 tablespoons in 10 liters of water and feed 1 liter under a bush).

But it is best to use an infusion of wood ash as a top dressing, it contains all the nutrients except nitrogen.

Twisting of the apical leaves can also occur for other reasons:

• From the high temperature in the greenhouse (more than + 35 ° C). In this case, the apical leaves curl up by lunchtime, and by night or in the morning the leaf blades are restored. It is necessary to ventilate the greenhouse more often and shade the roof with non-woven materials (spun-bond, lutrasil, agril and others).
• From a large difference in night and day temperatures. In this case, the greenhouses are closed at night, and open during the day for good ventilation.
• From frequent, but shallow watering of plants. It is better to water the tomatoes less often, but more abundantly.
• From belated removal a large number overgrown stepchildren and abundant cutting of leaves, as the balance between the ground part of the plant and the roots is disturbed. It is necessary to stepchild when stepchildren have a length of no more than 5-7 cm. It is permissible to cut 2-3 leaves on a plant per week.
• From damage by viruses or pests. A plant affected by a virus cannot be cured. The fruits from such plants can be used for food, but the seeds cannot be collected.
• Aphids and whiteflies can deform young leaves. In this case, immediately treat the plants with one of the insecticides (Agrolan, Actellik, etc.).

Preparation of ash top dressing
Pour 2 liters of wood ash hot water and mix thoroughly. Bring the solution with water to 10 liters and leave for a day so that all the elements are completely dissolved. To obtain a liquid top dressing, take 1 liter of infusion, dilute it in 9 liters of water heated in the sun, and add 1 liter under the root of each plant.

Below are other entries on the topic "Cottage and garden - with your own hands"

One of the most widespread vegetable crops has long been a tomato. Agrotechnics of its cultivation is not complicated, but requires strict adherence to the rules. Their violation leads to a deterioration in vegetation, which is expressed by twisting the leaves.

Why Do Tomato Leaves Curl?

By appearance gardeners determine how much comfortable conditions they created for their wards.

One of the signs that something is wrong with the plants is the curling of the leaves. There may be several reasons for this phenomenon:

• characteristics of the variety;
• root damage;
• violation of irrigation standards;
• improper formation of the bush;
• heat;
• excess nitrogen;
• pests.

Variety features

Leaf curl is rarely mentioned by producers in the description of the variety as its feature. Only by growing different tomato cultivars side by side, you can determine which of them has such a trait. This feature is often manifested in some varieties of large-fruited varieties:

• honey drop;
• Japanese crab;
• Fatima;
• Oxhart.

The same feature is noted in many Cherry cultivars.

Cultivar - this is how botanists define the totality of varieties and hybrids of plants of the same species.

Eliminate the cause of leaf curl

From the above list, it can be seen that leaf curl is most often caused by a violation of agricultural practices for growing tomatoes. This leads to a significant decrease in their productivity, and even death of plants.

Damage to the root system of tomatoes

When planting in a garden, damage to the roots of tomato seedlings is almost inevitable. Therefore, if after 2-3 days the leaves begin to curl on the plants, there is no need to rush with additional watering or top dressing. In 6-7 days, the roots will recover, and the leaves will become normal.

It is very difficult to avoid damage to the root system of tomatoes when planting in the ground.

Damage to the root system in older plants can be caused by one of two reasons: cracking of the soil in the near-stem circle or loosening it too deep. If the bed is not mulched, then after each watering or rain, the gardener has to loosen the soil. The depth of such loosening should not exceed 5 cm. Otherwise, a crust forms, which cracks and tears the roots.

Violation of watering norms

During the fruiting period, tomatoes especially need water. Unmulched beds are watered 2 times a week, and covered with mulch 1 time. Under each plant, it is necessary to pour 7-10 liters of water, but so that it does not spread over the surface, but soaks the soil as deep as possible.

Watering tomatoes - video

Therefore, water is poured into the near-stem circle in 2–3 doses, pouring out part of the water, letting it soak in, then pouring the next portion. So the soil will be moistened to the entire depth of the roots.

Incorrect formation of the bush

The main mistakes in the formation of tomatoes are the untimely pinching and removal of leaves in one go, which makes it difficult to ventilate the bush. Additional stems grow from the leaf axils throughout the growing season. They must be removed so as not to thicken the bush and direct everything nutrients to the main stem.

Stepchildren must be removed before they begin. active growth so as not to thicken the bush and send all the nutrients to the main stem

Stepping is carried out at least once a week, the plant will hardly tolerate the simultaneous removal of all overgrown stepchildren.

The fruits and stems of tomatoes should be well ventilated and illuminated. To do this, remove the leaves that thicken the bush and are located below the fruit brush. This operation is carried out in 3-4 steps, so as not to subject the plant to severe stress.

Heat

Tomato is a heat-loving plant, but when the air temperature rises to 35 ° C, its growth stops.

Help tomatoes in the heat - video

To reduce the effect of high temperature on plants in the open field, you can:

• Shading. Stretch white covering material so that most of the day the tomatoes are in light shade.
• Soil mulching. Cover the bed with cut grass or sawdust with a layer of 5–6 cm. This will protect the roots from overheating.
• Natural backstage. Plant corn, beans or grapes so that the tomatoes are in their shade.
• Foliar top dressing. Once every 10–14 days, spray with a solution of calcium nitrate (0.5 g of nitrate per 1 liter of water).

To reduce the temperature in greenhouses, apply:

• frequent ventilation;
• spraying with preparations containing calcium;
• shading, which is obtained by planting the wings or whitewashing the covering material.

excess nitrogen

An excess of nitrogen occurs when too much fresh manure or nitrogen-containing fertilizers (infusions of chicken manure or grass, saltpeter) have been added to the garden.

How to remove excess nitrogen - video

There are three ways to fix this situation:

• Very abundant watering (on sandy and sandy soils). Under each plant pour 10-15 liters of water.
• Root top dressing with potash fertilizer. Feed with a solution of potassium monophosphate (1 teaspoon of fertilizer per 10 liters of water).
• Overdrying of the soil. For several days, the tomatoes are not watered. When the apical leaves stop curling, watering is resumed.

Pests

Leaf curl is caused by various pests:

• red spider mite;
• whitefly;

Pests that cause leaf curl - photo gallery

Red spider mite - which can only be seen through a magnifying glass, because its size is up to 1 mm in length
Aphids are sucking insects that feed on leaf sap.
The whitefly is a pest that causes leaf curl in tomatoes.

To get rid of them, use chemical and biological preparations. There are many such drugs. From aphids and whiteflies can be called:

• Proteus;
• Fitoverm;
• Aktofit;
• Verticillin;

Application rates are indicated in the instructions.

Used against these insects folk remedies. One of these means is an infusion of celandine. Prepare it like this:

1. A large bunch of grass is crushed with a knife or with a meat grinder.
2. Pour 10 liters of warm water.
3. They insist for days.
4. Filter.

This infusion is sprayed with tomatoes, trying to get to the bottom of the leaf.

Against ticks, acaricides and insectoacaricides are used, which disinfect the soil:

• Borneo;
• Oberon;
• Kleshchevit.

They stop using 2-3 weeks before harvest.

The dosage of these substances is indicated on the package.

Tomato leaves are curling - video

The reason for twisting the leaves of tomatoes is most often a violation of the agricultural technology of growing this crop. Therefore, only compliance with the norms of irrigation and fertilization will help to avoid this negative phenomenon.