Why do tomatoes curl leaves?

Tomatoes, according to gardeners, are a capricious plant.If we talk about the people’s preferred hybrid varieties, then thanks to the efforts of breeders, the problems of betting on cultivation are practically reduced to zero. However, whether it is a determinant or an interdeterminant variety of tomatoes, the leaves often show a specific twist: down or up.

When the leaves curl in tomatoes, it gives the plant a painful appearance and, as a rule, such leaves wither. The change in the shape and color of the leaf indicates that the plant is unwell. Some diseases begin to infect the lower leaves, and others - the upper ones. But the result is always the same: defeat from start to top.

Consider a few of the main reasons why leaves spin.

• If, after planting healthy seedlings in the garden, after removing the weed with a chopper, and also after hilling, you notice that the foliage is curled, then you most likely damaged the root system. What can lead to poor nutrition of the bush. It is not necessary to undertake in such cases, because with minor damages the plant will independently take on its former shape. With a strong damage to the root, nothing can be done, it will fade anyway.
• The intense heat in the street, windowsill or in the greenhouse can also be the reason why the leaves roll. This is a natural process by which the plant reduces the amount of moisture evaporated through the tops. This reason is easy to recognize, because as soon as the heat subsides, the plant immediately takes on its former shape.

• With weak or irregular watering, the edges of the leaves roll up to the top, forming a boat.
• Leaves can curl with an excess or, on the contrary, with a lack of trace elements. In such cases, the leaves tend to dry.
• Tomatoes grown in the greenhouse are more likely to be plagued by pests than their “comrades” grown in the garden. Aphid, spider mite, whitefly, settling on the plant, lead to the fact that the leaves fold into a tube.
• Too much pinching can also cause the leaves to curl. Remember that a tomato is not a grape, which is quickly restored after such procedures. Therefore, to get involved in the formation of the bush is not worth it.
• And the most difficult cause is the disease of the plant. It is rather difficult to establish the diagnosis due to numerous variations of diseases.

As for diseases attacking plants, they most often appear in densely planted places where the water from overflow does not have time to dry. In addition, if the soil does not regularly loosen, then various pests also start there.

Consider the most common diseases found in vegetable gardens in different regions.

• With the defeat of the bush by the stalker, the leaves, acquiring color from pink to purple, not only twist, but also at the top of the plant change their appearance. And the lower part of the bush gets yellow color. At detection of a peculiar color of foliage, it is immediately necessary to begin spraying with the solution of "Fitoplasmin".

• If curling the leaf leads to its further fading, then these are signs of bacterial cancer affecting the shrubs. The manifestation of the disease begins in the lower part of the bush. At first twisted, and then withering sheets become covered with reddish-brown spots. Rising higher, the disease progresses to the complete destruction of the bush. Cancer develops in densely planted areas with excessive watering. Especially if the bush has injuries. A disease is easier to prevent than to get rid of it. For this, watering should be moderate. Working with a hoe, try not to injure the bush. Although, according to experts, you can get rid of the disease if you recognize it in time and start treatment with copper sulphate.

Despite the fact that for the rapid growth of tomatoes need heat, its excess can cause the appearance of thin-leaf virus, which affects even the taste of tomatoes. The bush becomes sluggish, and its fruits are tasteless.Excessive lighting, whether solar or lamp, can affect even the seedlings on the windowsill. An infected shrub must be removed immediately, as there is a risk of infecting healthy seedlings. It is easy to recognize the disease, since the sheets twisted inside the tube become thin, turn yellow, gray spots appear on them. Over time, the foliage falls at all. Disease treatment is not subject to prevention can only prevent. For this hot summer, it is desirable to spray a bush with a solution of potassium permanganate at the rate of one gram per liter of water.

In addition to disease, the twisting of the leaf plate can occur due to the attacking sucking pests, the timely recognition of which can save the life of the plant.

If it’s exactly the bottom sheets that curl up on your plant, then try shaking it. It is possible that you will scare away the whitefly, whose favorite place is the greenhouse.

Seeing her, the plant must begin to spray any insect poisoning substance ("Fufanon" or "Mospilan"). In the absence of marked drugs, you can try to remove the pest by the folk method: we prepare an aqueous solution of yarrow at the rate of 150 grams per 5 liters of water, to which half of a piece of laundry soap is added. Since the whitefly is quickened in cloudy weather, it is more desirable to carry out the processing in the morning and evening, focusing on the lower sheets. Yarrow for infusion can be replaced with garlic or dandelion. Folk remedies are good when the tomatoes are already ripening on the bushes. The use of insecticides is permissible 3 weeks before harvest.

Aphids, unlike the whitefly, start up mostly in open ground, and because of it, the leaves begin to curl on the top of the bush. Recognize it is easy. To do this, you need to turn the sheet, and if it is there, then you will easily find it. Often the accumulation of aphids is accompanied by ants, which are like its carriers. The following drugs will be effective for the fight: Aktara, Iskra, Proteus. From traditional medicine used irrigation infusions of wormwood or celandine with the addition of about a hundred grams of soap. Prevent the occurrence of this pest by spraying the bushes once a week with infusion of ash. To do this, dilute one hundred grams per 10 liters and insist for 2 days.

The spider mite, like whitefly, loves a poorly ventilated greenhouse environment. Settling on the plant, he sucks the juice from the sheets, after which they curl and dry. This pest leaves a cobweb on the underside of the leaf. To combat it, the treatment of the bush with the preparations “Borneo”, “Flumate” or “Oberon” is suitable, the use of which is also allowed 3 weeks before the harvest. If the time is tight, then folk remedies will help: an infusion of dandelions, onions or garlic for 3 liters of water 500 g. And if garlic, then 10 cloves will be enough.

Leaf curl may result in a deficiency or, conversely, an excess of trace elements such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).

Nitrogen, which is necessary for any plant in the right quantity, has a positive effect on growth and yield. Tomatoes need this microelement at an early stage of development and during flowering. In other periods, the plant needs phosphorus and potassium on a normalized nitrogen background.

Lack of nitrogen begins to appear on the lower leaves, which, brightening, curl, and their veins acquire a blue hue with a red impurity.A similar color affects the trunk and leaf cuttings. The plant stops growing, and the new foliage, appearing, acquires a pale green color. All this leads to premature flowering, small fruits and poor-quality harvest.

The excess of this substance appears in large, but fragile, uncharacteristic for a variety of sheets, which are further twisted in small rings, in a rich dark green color and a powerful trunk. Shrubs shed their buds. Fruit ripening is delayed, which also leads to poor yields. Due to excess nitrogen, the absorption of iron is inhibited. For this reason, the plant is often sick.

Phosphorus for plants is no less important than nitrogen, as it takes part in the formation of the root system and predicts the laying of the future crop. Its lack leads to the vulnerability of the plant at low temperatures and soreness.

A characteristic sign of phosphorus deficiency is considered to be a sheet curl upwhich on the bottom side, like the stem, acquires a purple color. With prolonged fasting, the plant completely stops growing, and the leaves curl down. On this background, the fruits, losing the aroma inherent in tomatoes, are formed small.

New leaves, curling, with an excess of substances already appear thin with light veins. Their edges become faded color, and on the lower part there are spots.

In order for the plant to become resistant to pests and temperature extremes, it must be enriched with potassium. With a lack of potassium young leaves grow small, twisted down. Their edges dry and crumble. Old foliage, falling off over time, acquires a yellow-red color. The plant as a whole gets variegated colors. Shrub, giving energy to the formation of stepsons, slows its growth. Dark-spotted tomatoes spiced with a different time interval.

A plant with an excess of potassium becomes brown. The leaves, wrinkling, curl and fall.

Normally noted trace elements, complementing each other, help the plant grow and prepare for the return of a good harvest. And, on the contrary, if there is a shortage of one element, there may be a shortage of another, which excludes the possibility of getting at least a good harvest.

You will learn more about the causal twisting of leaves in tomatoes by watching the following video.

Twisting the sheet both inwards and upwards, leading to a decrease in yield or to its complete loss, may be caused by errors made by gardeners during planting and growing. Before you buy seeds, you need to determine the place where future tomatoes will grow. Choosing a variety, we start from its characteristics. If it is a greenhouse, then it is more expedient to acquire interdeterminant varieties, famous for the bush up to 5 meters high. For open ground, deterministic shrubs are suitable, which with low growth can produce a bountiful harvest. Street temperature drops or greenhouse high humidity for a particular variety can cause death.

Many people mistakenly believe that a large amount of moisture or water will only benefit the plant. But this is far from the case. Excess moisture, as well as an excess of light, lead to various ailments or insects. Watering should be rare, but abundant. Excess sun is easily determined by the twisted sheets, which are always straightened in the evening.

It is not necessary to plant seedlings with inflorescences, because it will take all the energy of the plant, not allowing it to take root. A weak root system is the key to the death of a plant, which first manifests itself in leaf rolling. If for any reason you could not transplant the plant into the open ground in time, and the inflorescences have already started to appear on it, then you must remove them before planting. After that, the seedlings are determined in the hole with a sufficient amount of water.

If your tomatoes are varieties that require the formation of a shrub, then the main thing here is not to overdo the removal of extra leaves. It can also cause the death of the plant, which will begin to manifest itself in the twisting of foliage. Start pinching is more desirable when your plant has reached five centimeters in height.

Of course, problems are easier to prevent than to heal, but if they are still late with a warning, then you have to do something to save the harvest.

Twisted no matter in what form the leaves say the plant is unwell. It is necessary to observe the plant in order to correctly determine the cause. If leaf rolling becomes daytime, then, as noted above, the plant suffers from excessive light. Many in the sultry summer try to save the plant with daily watering, but this can only harm the roots, which will begin to rot. In such cases, greenhouse plants should be provided with good ventilation, and the street ones with potassium, which is responsible for resistance to adverse weather conditions. The shortage of any trace element is easily replenished by fertilizing, purchased in specialized stores. Or you can pour the plants with water infused on the ashes. In addition, there is phosphorus in the ashes, which strengthens the root system. Phosphorus in the ash contains little, so if you need to enrich the bush with this element, then the solution on the ash should be with a large addition of the latter, or digging to the roots of dry ash is allowed. The peculiarity of getting rid of phosphorus starvation is that phosphorus is assimilated with sufficient illumination, therefore it is pointless to conduct dressing in cloudy weather.

If your plant suffers from a lack of nitrogen, which is manifested in the clarification of the lower leaves, the veins of which acquire a blue tint, then enriching the plant with this substance, remember that nitrogen is a rapidly evaporating element, so you must add it directly to the soil. It will be useful to know that manure is enriched with nitrogen, for this reason it is necessary to fertilize the soil once a year.

But do not abuse this, as there may be a nitrogen saturation, which will adversely affect the plant (see above). In such cases, you can escape the so-called washing of the soil or additional lighting.

For the prevention of the appearance of diseases, pests It is recommended to pay attention to a few tips from experienced gardeners.

• We select a variety taking into account the place where it will be grown. Thus creating a favorable environment for the plant.
• Before sowing seeds, it is advisable to soak them for several hours in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate. This will help strengthen the seeds if they are taken from a diseased plant or soil.
• In winter, we fertilize the soil with manure, which will enrich it with necessary trace elements.
• Spring digging garden prevents the occurrence of underground pests, destroys the root system of weeds and enriches the soil with oxygen.
• We plant seedlings in open ground only if the ground is warm. This will tell you the appearance of the first weeds.
• Before planting seedlings, it is recommended to take it outside for acclimatization at least for a day.
• Water the plant rarely, but plentifully. It is advisable to avoid moisture on the sheets, which because of her darken.
• If tomatoes are grown in a greenhouse, then good ventilation should be provided.

But as soon as you see, while observing the measures outlined above, the leaves of the plant curl, you must immediately search for the cause and eliminate its consequences.