Why do the leaves of tomato seedlings curl up? Why do the leaves of tomato seedlings turn yellow, dry out and curl? All forces go to the root
Tomato leaf blades curl not so rarely; a similar phenomenon can be observed every year both in protected and in open ground. More often, leaves curl only on individual bushes or even branches of tomato bushes, and sometimes a similar phenomenon is observed almost throughout the entire plantation. Why do tomato leaves curl, how to solve this problem and how to prevent this phenomenon from happening again next year? We will talk about all this in this article.
Curling tomato leaves. © ichard Smith
1. Damage to tomato roots
Tomato leaf blades may begin to curl immediately after seedlings are planted in the ground or in a greenhouse. This usually occurs due to damage to the roots during the process of transplanting seedlings. In this case, it is difficult to help the seedlings with anything; if there is sufficient nutrition and moisture in the soil, you need to leave the plants alone, and after 4-5 days the leaf blades should return to normal.
2. Improper watering of tomatoes
This is perhaps the most common reason why leaves curl. Everyone probably knows that tomatoes love plenty of moisture, but these plants need to be watered not from time to time, taking long breaks, but regularly. It is precisely the violation of water doses, irrigation timing, and frequency of soil moisture that can lead to troubles in the form of curling leaf blades.
For example, tomatoes especially need moisture immediately after planting seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse, that is, in a permanent place. During this period, you need to pour 4-5 liters of water under them. Further, repeated watering can be done 9-11 days after the first; 6-8 liters of water can be poured under each bush.
In the future, tomatoes should be watered regularly in the greenhouse - once or twice a week, depending on whether it is hot or cool in it, and in open ground - depending on the presence or absence of natural moisture (rain). If there is no rain, then watering should be done every week, pouring 5-7 liters of water under the bush, but if it rains periodically, then watering may not be necessary.
During the formation of ovaries and the beginning of fruiting, the tomato watering should be increased by a third, but again, you should look at the weather.
When there is a lack of moisture, the tomato leaf blades begin to curl inward, so the plants protect themselves by minimizing the amount of evaporated moisture. If you notice this, then you need to quickly start watering the soil, but you should not pour out a lot of water at once; it is better to pour out 1.5-2 liters of water at room temperature every day for a week, until the condition of the leaf blades normalizes.
If, on the contrary, there is a lot of moisture in the soil, then the tomato leaves will curl with their edges up, thus increasing the evaporation of moisture by the plant. Here you need to immediately stop watering and do not moisten the soil for 10-15 days.
Do not forget that it is better to water tomatoes in the morning or evening to avoid curling of the leaf blades. Avoid watering your plants during the heat of the day, especially if it is very hot and the sun is shining brightly. For irrigation, use settled water at room temperature.
3. High temperature
Violation of the temperature regime when growing tomatoes in a greenhouse or extreme heat when growing in open ground can also cause leaf blades to curl in these plants. So, in a greenhouse for tomatoes you need to create conditions with temperatures from +21 to +23 degrees during the day and from +17 to +19 degrees at night.
When the temperature rises above +30 degrees, plants begin to experience temperature stress. In this case, in addition to curling of tomato leaf blades, shedding of flowers and ovaries may also occur. In a greenhouse, you can lower the temperature by opening doors and vents, but you need to ventilate the room in parts, without creating drafts. If the greenhouse is designed in such a way that it does not have windows, then in order to lower the temperature, it can be whitewashed inside or covered with a white cloth.
In open ground, you can try to shade the plants, increase watering of tomatoes in the evening and morning, and additionally add nitroammophoska in an amount of 15-20 g per square meter dissolved in water. In addition, the row spacing should be mulched with hay, straw or covered with a white or light-colored non-woven covering material.
If the leaf blades of tomatoes are severely curled from the heat, you can try to eliminate this problem by applying foliar fertilizing, that is, spraying the plants located both in the greenhouse and on the site with an aqueous solution of urea (one and a half tablespoons per bucket of water, the norm is 8-10 plants). After three days, you can carry out another foliar feeding, but this time with potassium sulfate, dissolving 8-10 g of fertilizer in a bucket of water, the norm is for 10-12 plants.
4. Excess or lack of fertilizers
You can’t get a good tomato harvest without fertilizers, many people know this, but some, for fear of harming the plants, apply too little of them, while others, wanting to get the maximum yield, apply too much of them. Both of these lead to curling of tomato leaf blades.
So, when there is an excess of zinc in the soil, the edges of the tomato leaf blade begin to bend. This can be confused with similar symptoms with a lack or excess of moisture, however, with an excess of zinc in the soil, the lower part of the tomato plants becomes purple in color, which is not typical for these plants.
When there is an excess of manganese in the soil, tomato leaves first curl, and then wrinkle and become bright green.
When there is an excess of nitrogen in the soil, the leaf blades of plants begin to curl, usually at the top of the plant. To neutralize the effects of nitrogen, you need to add potassium sulfate (8-10 g per square meter) or wood ash (50-80 g for each plant) to the soil in advance loosened and watered.
When there is a lack of elements, for example, calcium, tomato foliage begins to curl upward; this state of the leaf blades is often accompanied by the appearance of blossom end rot on the fruit. If excess zinc and manganese is quite difficult to eliminate, then calcium deficiency can be easily dealt with by adding calcium nitrate to the soil. To do this, you need to dissolve approximately 18-22 g of calcium nitrate in a bucket of water, adding 350-400 g of wood ash and 8-12 g of urea to the solution. This solution is enough for 3-4 square meters of soil under tomatoes.
With a lack of phosphorus, tomato leaves also curl, but at the same time become grayish. In order to quickly restore the flow of phosphorus into the plants, you need to add an aqueous solution to the soil, diluting 80-90 g of superphosphate in a bucket of water, this is the norm for 3-4 square meters of beds occupied by tomatoes.
With a copper deficiency, tomato leaf blades, in addition to curling, also acquire an atypical yellow color, sometimes becoming covered with yellowish spots, which may subsequently begin to turn black. Treatment with copper-containing preparations – “HOM”, “Oxyx” and the like will help restore the balance of copper.
Blue or curling tomato leaves may indicate a lack of phosphorus. © Michelle 5. No pinching
Stepping is the removal of lateral shoots; if this is not done, the tomato plant will begin to actively branch. This leads to too much thickening of the plantings; the plants will form a lot of leaf mass, which is usually curled.
It is often difficult to correct this situation, especially if the plants are very neglected, so tomatoes need to be planted at a young age, when they tolerate this operation as painlessly as possible.
And remember, it is better to break out the stepsons, and not cut them out, and do this in the morning, when the plants are turgor. The length of the stepsons should be no more than five centimeters.
6. Tomato diseases
Quite often, tomato leaf blades curl due to various diseases. Various types of diseases develop most actively in dense plantings, in areas where crop rotation is not observed, where plants are over-watered and the soil is not loosened.
Stolbur
With this disease, tomato leaf blades usually curl and deform, especially in the upper part of the plant, and they change color to pinkish or purple. In the lower part of the plant, the leaves usually turn yellow. It is best to fight stolbur with the help of the drug “Fitoplasmin”, this is the most effective drug. To spray plants, you need to prepare the solution in strict accordance with the instructions on the package.
Bacterial canker of tomatoes
When tomato plants are infected with bacterial canker, the leaf blades first begin to curl upward and then wither. You can tell that this is a bacterial cancer by the reddish-brown spots located on young growths. Typically, the leaves at the bottom of tomato plants curl and wilt first, then the disease spreads higher up and eventually affects the entire plant.
As a preventive measure, taking into account the most rapid development of bacterial cancer in conditions of excess soil and air moisture and the presence of various injuries on plants, it is necessary to water the tomatoes with moderate portions of water, avoiding waterlogging of the soil and when working with plants (weeding, loosening the soil) to avoid damage at the bottom of the trunk of tomato plants.
It is difficult to fight bacterial canker of tomato, but in the initial stages of the disease, you can treat the plants with copper sulfate, copper oxychloride, or Bordeaux mixture. When carrying out treatments, try to wet the leaves from the bottom and top sides and also spray the surface of the soil. It’s great if you loosen the soil a little before cultivating it.
7. Tomato pests
In addition to diseases, tomato plant leaf blades and pests often cause curling. Most often, this is caused by sucking pests that suck out the juice from the leaf tissues. Typically, tomato leaf curling is caused by pests such as whiteflies, aphids and spider mites.
Whitefly
This is a white butterfly that settles mainly on the lower leaves of tomato plants. As a result, they are the ones who begin to curl and then fade. The majority of whiteflies are in the greenhouse; if the lower leaves of tomatoes suddenly begin to curl, then watch the plants, shake them, perhaps you will scare away the butterfly, and it will appear.
If you see at least one whitefly, then be sure that this is the problem. You can fight whiteflies using any approved insecticides such as Fufanon or Mospilan. If you do not want to use harmful chemicals, you can treat whitefly-affected tomato plants with an infusion of yarrow (150 g per 5 liters of water) with half a piece of laundry soap added to the solution. Try to carry out processing in the morning and evening hours, be sure to pay attention first of all to the lowest leaves of the tomato.
As a preventive measure, you can treat tomatoes with an infusion of garlic (2-3 heads per 5 liters of water) or dandelions (500 g per 3 liters of water).
It is important to remember that insecticides can be used no later than 20 days before harvest. It is advisable to carry out any treatments in cloudy weather, but only when there is no rain.
Aphid
Aphids occasionally, but still infect tomato plants; they appear especially often on open ground plants, but they can also appear in a greenhouse. Most often, aphids cause tomato leaf blades located at the top of the plant to curl. It is easy to understand that it is aphids: you need to turn over a tomato leaf and you will see insects there. Ants often scurry between them; they carry aphids and feed on their sweet secretions. Given this, the fight against aphids should begin with the destruction of ants, because this is a more difficult task. You can remove aphids using insecticides that are necessarily permitted and strictly following the instructions, for example, such as “Aktara”, “Iskra”, “Proteus”.
It is, however, possible to exterminate aphids without using chemicals, especially if there are not many of them. The plant can be treated with infusion of wormwood (500 g per 3 liters of water) or celandine (250 g per 3 liters of water). For greater effect, 70-80 g of laundry soap should be added to the infusions of celandine and wormwood as an adhesive.
To prevent aphids from settling on tomato plants, you can periodically, about once a week, treat them with an ash solution, for which you need to dissolve 300 g of ash in a bucket of water and treat the tomato plants with this solution. For maximum effect, the solution should be allowed to sit for 48 hours so that the solution is saturated with ash components.
Spider mite
This pest also causes tomato leaf blades to curl as it sucks the juice out of them. The most common spider mite is found on tomatoes in a greenhouse; it also appears in open ground, but less frequently.
You can tell that it is a spider mite by looking at the leaf blades that are twisted and starting to dry out, and you can see a cobweb on the underside.
To combat mites, including spider mites, on tomatoes, acaricides are used, approved and modern: such as “Borneo”, “Flumite” or “Oberon”.
It is important to know that acaricides can be used no later than 20 days before the start of harvesting.
If you need to expel spider mites from tomatoes without the help of chemicals, you can treat the plants with dandelion infusion (500 g per 3 liters of water), onion feathers (500 g per 3 liters of water) or garlic cloves (10-15 cloves per 3 liters of water).
Curling of tomato leaves due to spider mites. © keith.hansen 8. Varietal feature
Some tomato varieties curl their leaves not because of some disease, pest or lack of element in the soil, but because this is their biological feature. The leaves curl to the greatest extent in the following varieties: “Fatima”, “Honey Drop”, as well as in the vast majority of cherry tomato cultivars.
Conclusion. When curled leaves appear on tomato plants, do not immediately reach for chemicals or fertilizers; first assess the conditions in which your plants are located. It often happens that they simply do not have enough moisture or, on the contrary, there is too much of it. Water if the soil is very dry, or stop it if there is excess moisture; carry out pinching, and only if all this does not help, try to apply fertilizers or carry out pest or disease control according to the schemes that we have described.
If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them in the comments.
Many gardeners wonder why the leaves of tomato seedlings turn light green, then turn yellow, dry out and completely fall off. The ability to correctly read the signs that a plant “gives” will help you grow good seedlings.
Caring for tomato seedlings is a responsible matter. In order for the seedlings to be healthy and delight you with a rich harvest in the future, you need to pay enough attention to them, especially since the plant itself “signals” about impending trouble.
Why do the leaves of tomato seedlings turn yellow?
One of the most noticeable “signals” that something is wrong with tomato seedlings is a change in the color and shape of the leaves. The main reasons for such changes are as follows:
- excess moisture;
- lack of light;
- temperature changes;
- increased soil acidity;
- lack of nutrients;
- plant diseases;
- container too small.
All this comes down to one big problem - improper care of the plant, as a result of which the seedlings change their appearance: the leaves curl, turn yellow, dry out and fall off.
Why do tomato seedlings' leaves curl?
Leaves may curl due to the characteristics of the tomato variety. For varieties such as Honeydrop, Japanese Crab, Oxheart and many cherry tomatoes, slight leaf curling down is normal and nothing to worry about. But if the leaves of the seedlings suddenly begin to curl, which does not correspond to the description of the variety, then it’s time to sound the alarm.
Reason 1: high temperature
One of the common causes of leaf curling is too high a room temperature. The plant tries to reduce the area of moisture evaporation, which is why it “curls” its leaves. The seedlings will feel good if in the first week after germination the temperature is maintained within 15-17⁰C during the day and 11-13⁰C at night, and then gradually increased to 20-23⁰C and 15-18⁰C, respectively. This will allow the seedling to develop normally and give a good harvest in the future.
Reason 2: improper watering of seedlings
As for the effect of watering on the curling of leaves in tomato seedlings, it is important to maintain a balance, since both excess and lack of moisture can cause the problem. For irrigation, it is better to use settled tap water or melted snow water.
The first shoots should be carefully sprayed with warm water twice a day, and already grown seedlings should be watered moderately at the root as the soil dries. 2 days before picking and on the 5th day after it, the plants should be watered. In the future, tomato seedlings need to be watered once a week.
Reason 3: improper feeding
Improper application of fertilizers leads to an excess or lack of nutrients in the soil, which can manifest itself in the form of yellowed and deformed leaves of tomato seedlings. For example, when only the lower leaves turn yellow, this indicates a lack of nitrogen, and yellowing of the entire seedling is a sign of too much nitrogen in the soil.
To prevent problems, seedlings are usually fertilized according to the following scheme: the first fertilizing is on the 10th day after picking, the next one is 2 weeks later and then at the same interval until planting in the ground. You can feed tomato seedlings with any complex fertilizer (according to the instructions), and when curling the leaves, fertilizers rich in phosphorus, magnesium, copper and zinc will help.
Reason 4: pests
Curling and the appearance of spots on the leaves of seedlings may be a signal that the seedling has been attacked by pests: aphids, whiteflies or spider mites. To prevent the invasion of uninvited guests, you need to create suitable conditions for growing seedlings, as well as regularly and carefully inspect the seedlings.
If the plant is heavily damaged by pests, you will have to treat the seedlings with insecticides, but if the damage is minor, it will be enough to collect the aphids by hand and spray the leaves with a solution of soapy water (30 g of laundry soap per 1 liter of warm water).
An infusion of garlic will get rid of whiteflies: chop 10 cloves of garlic into a pulp and pour 1/2 liter of water, cover and leave for 5 days, and then 1 tsp. Dilute the infusion in 1 liter of water and spray the affected leaves. Carry out the procedure 2-3 times every 10-15 days.
Regular spraying with plain water will help get rid of spider mites (the pest can be recognized by small black dots on the underside of the leaves), especially if there are few pests on the leaves. In case of massive damage, spray the plants with Actellik, Fitoverm, Iskra M or other similar insecticides.
Leaves can also turn yellow for natural reasons, for example, during and after picking, a seedling tends to experience stress, which causes the color of the leaves to change. In such cases, within a week the seedlings will take on a healthy appearance, having gotten used to the new place.
Why do the leaves dry out on tomato seedlings?
Most often, seedling leaves dry out due to too high a temperature in the room. If a box with plants is located, for example, near a working radiator, you need to move it to another place or fence it off from the heat source using wide plywood. Also, seedlings dry out due to insufficient humidity in the room; use a humidifier or simply place large containers of water next to the seedlings.
The cause of leaf drying may be salting of the substrate due to watering with hard water or excessive fertilizing. In this case, it is recommended to carefully remove the top layer of soil and add fresh soil.
If the leaves begin to dry out after picking, it means that the Kornisey plant was damaged. To bring the plant back to life faster, you can spray it with a weak solution of complex mineral fertilizer.
Why do tomato seedlings lose their leaves?
The falling off of the very first leaves of seedlings (cotyledons) is a natural process, and there is no need to worry, but if the real leaves begin to change color and shape, and then dry out and fall off, this may be a symptom of diseases that need to be diagnosed and urgent protective measures taken.
What to do?
To provide first aid to the affected plant, transplant the seedling into fresh soil, then pour 20 ml of potassium permanganate solution (0.5 g of powder per 100 ml of water) under the root and move the box with the seedlings to a well-lit place. When replanting, carefully clean the roots from the soil and remove yellow and blackening roots. If you don’t have fresh, disinfected substrate at hand, you can wash the old soil with plenty of water.
As you can see, the main thing in growing seedlings of any crop is to maintain optimal conditions for the healthy development of the plant and carefully monitor the seedlings.
Most amateur gardeners grow their own tomato seedlings. The reasons for this can be very different - from the desire to save on purchased plants to the need to grow tomatoes using your own, unique technology.
With proper agricultural technology, you can be sure that your own seedlings are not infected with any kind of diseases and were not exposed to stressful conditions during the growing period.
During the process of growing seedlings It happens that tomato leaves begin to curl downwards or towards the upper edge. Many novice summer residents begin to panic and, without understanding why this process occurs, they often give up on growing young tomatoes on their own. In reality, such a plant reaction can depend on many factors and can be easily eliminated.
Why leaves curl on tomato seedlings - the main reasons
Why do leaves curl on tomato seedlings? There could be many reasons for this– at different stages of plant development, this reaction can be provoked by different factors:
- the formation of unfavorable atmospheric conditions;
- improper agricultural technology for cultivating plants;
- infection with diseases;
- unsatisfactory characteristics of the soil mixture in which tomato seedlings are grown.
Before eliminating the curling of leaves downwards or towards the upper edge, it is important to determine the true reason why the leaves of tomato seedlings are curling. A factor such as plant disease can not only inhibit the development of individual organisms, but also destroy the entire plantation of seedlings.
Important. Curling of plant leaves may be a characteristic feature of some varieties in the early period of development or during the entire growing season. Therefore, before taking any steps to eliminate the problem, you should carefully study the characteristics of the cultivated tomato variety.
In most cases, the symptom of curled leaves can be eliminated by timely intervention in the plant’s life cycle.
One of the reasons Why the leaves of tomato seedlings may curl is due to the state of the environment. Such a reaction of plants is possible during a sharp change in weather - from heat to cold or vice versa. Curling of leaves is also observed in dry, hot weather - this is how plants are protected from the harmful effects of excessive heat. As a rule, by the evening the symptoms disappear and the leaves straighten again.
Proper agricultural technology for growing tomato seedlings
In order not to wonder when growing seedlings why their leaves curl, you must adhere to all the rules for growing plants, starting from the stage of preparing the soil for planting seeds.
Before planting seeds For tomatoes, the soil mixture should be disinfected from fungal diseases and all kinds of bacteria. You can do this in one of the following ways:
You should also treat the soil when transplanting plants into separate pots from a common container.
The air temperature should not be allowed to drop below +14°C - this increases the likelihood of developing the fungal disease fusarium, one of the symptoms of which also is leaf curling.
Over-watering or under-watering can cause tomato seedlings to curl their leaves. When there is a large amount of moisture in the soil, there is a lack of oxygen, and the roots begin to rot. With its deficiency, the roots of tomatoes begin to develop incorrectly, spreading not deep into the soil, but parallel to the surface. In the future, this leads to the inability of plants to reach life-giving moisture, which can also cause the symptom in question of impaired growth of tomatoes.
Stressful state, caused by improper removal of stepsons, can also cause leaves to curl. You cannot remove all the stepsons at the same time, so as not to harm the plant.
Control of atmospheric conditions and soil composition
To combat hot weather, a method such as mulching is used. To do this, the soil around the plants is covered with available materials - hay, straw, film or roofing felt. This prevents excessive evaporation of moisture. For the best effect, the material covering the ground is regularly moistened with water, increasing the humidity around the plants.
Proper growing of tomato seedlings also means monitoring the presence of all necessary nutrients in the soil mixture. A deficiency of any of them can also cause leaf curl. The reaction of seedlings to fertilizers usually manifests itself quite quickly, so at the first sign that the leaves are curling down or up, you should carefully analyze what fertilizers have been used recently and draw the appropriate conclusions. Most often, such a reaction was observed with excess nitrogen in the soil, lack of phosphorus or molybdenum.
Control of diseases and pests of seedlings
Some infectious diseases of seedlings, especially at the initial stage, manifest themselves in the form of leaf curling. Later, other signs of disease may be added, such as dried edges or the death of entire leaves. As a rule, infectious diseases are introduced by the gardener along with undisinfected tools or soil.
A disease such as bacteriosis is transmitted to plants through undisinfected seeds. The first sign of the disease is the curling of the leaves, followed by yellowing of the leaves, stunted growth, weak pigmentation. Such plants will not be able to form fruits at maturity and therefore must be discarded.
Fusarium or Fusarium wilt is a disease caused by a pathogenic soil fungus. Signs of the disease spread from the bottom of the plant to its upper edge. At the first symptoms of the disease, the infected sprout should be removed, the soil should be disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate, and the tomatoes growing nearby should be treated with one of the biofungicides (fitoverm, actofite) 2-3 times with an interval of 7-10 days.
Alternaria or dry Brown spotting also occurs when plant leaves begin to curl, become spotted, and dry out. To combat the disease, tomatoes are sprayed with drugs that have an antifungal effect.
Leaves may also curl due to pest damage. Most often, tomato seedlings are affected by:
- tomato aphid;
- black aphid;
- mite;
- whitefly
For pest control of nightshade crops should use bioinsecticides.
Since most summer residents and gardeners grow seedlings at home, the most common pest is the common aphid, which affects most indoor plants. When this insect attacks tomatoes, the leaves also begin to curl. To combat a small amount of the pest, it is enough to spray the sprouts with aqueous solutions of garlic, ash or onion. In case of extensive damage, the use of chemical agents is recommended.
Infestation of seedlings by spider mites appears in the form of white or yellow puncture drops appearing on the leaves. Visible under the leaf blade a light web to the naked eye. To combat the pest, it is enough to spray the plants with alcohol twice with an interval of seven days.
Curling of leaves is not always a sign of a disturbance in plant growth. However, if such appearance is not a characteristic of the variety, should be carefully analyzed possible reasons why they are curling and take appropriate action.
Growing tomato seedlings is painstaking work. Young sprouts need a lot of light, suitable temperature, timely and balanced feeding and frequent watering. But even with the best care, sometimes troubles occur with seedlings. It is important to notice deviations in its development immediately, otherwise you may end up not getting the expected quality and a good harvest in the future.
Let's talk about such a pressing problem as leaf wrapping. This does not always indicate disease in tomato seedlings. Curling leaves may be a signal from the sprouts that they don’t like something in their care or have been attacked by pests. Our site will tell you about all the possible causes of this unpleasant phenomenon.
This is what healthy tomato seedlings look like 7 reasons for curling leaves on tomato seedlings
Reason #1 - Features of the variety
Curling of leaves, as already noted, can be caused not only by a disease that befalls tomatoes. This may not even be a violation of agricultural technology. Surprisingly, curled leaves are a feature of some varieties of tomatoes. For example, the Honey Drop tomato, Japanese crab and many varieties of cherry tomatoes stand out for this. But how do you know that this is not a disease?
This will become obvious if you find that absolutely all the sprouts of this variety are in this state. At the same time, the rest of the seedlings should look strong and healthy. If the leaves, in addition to curling, also begin to turn yellow or wither, or become covered with dark or light spots, this may indicate certain problems.
For some tomato varieties, leaf curling is not a deviation Reason #2 - Heat
If the air temperature in the room where tomato seedlings are growing rises above normal, the leaves may curl. This is how the plant tries to slow down moisture loss. Even if you measured the air temperature in the house or greenhouse where your seedlings are growing, and it turned out to be no higher than 25 ° C, keep in mind that the plant can additionally be heated by direct rays of the sun hitting it. How do you know that the cause of leaf curling is the increased temperature?
To do this, you need to observe the seedlings at different times of the day. If during the day the leaves curl, and in the evening, when the temperature drops, they take on a normal appearance, then it’s all a matter of hot air.
High temperatures can cause leaves to curl Reason #3 - Improper watering
Curling of leaves on tomato seedlings often occurs due to improper watering. Moreover, this can be either insufficient or excessive hydration. Since the root system of young shoots is located on the surface of the soil, watering must be done frequently, preventing the top layer from drying out.
However, you should not waste a lot of water so that it does not stagnate in the ground. It is very important to ensure that containers with tomato seedlings are equipped with drainage holes through which excess moisture can easily escape.
Insufficient or too much watering is harmful to tomato seedlings Reason #4 - Wrong fertilizer
Lack and excess of nutrients can also lead to curling of leaves on tomato seedlings. For example, if a sprout lacks zinc, the leaves curl downward; with boron deficiency, the leaves will additionally lighten; lack of sulfur and copper will curl the leaves into tubes; lack of calcium will cause upward curling and lightening; Iron deficiency will result in yellowing and wilting of the leaves. To prevent this situation, you should feed the seedlings using, for example, Mortar, Epin or Zircon.
Excess nutrients can also cause the leaves of tomato seedlings to curl. This is how the plant reduces photosynthesis. In addition, if you water or spray the seedlings with a nutrient solution that is too concentrated, you can burn the roots. The result will be curling and gradual withering of the leaves and the entire plant.
Seedlings with excessive feeding Reason #5 - Incorrect stepsoning
By wrapping leaves, tomato seedlings can respond to stress caused by inept pinching, that is, removing excess shoots. You cannot trim shoots whose length does not exceed 5-7 cm, or remove them all at the same time. This can be disastrous for the plant. It is permissible to trim only two stepsons or leaves per week.
Reason #6 - Pests
Sucking insects such as whiteflies, aphids and spider mites settle on the lower parts of plants and deprive them of sap. As a result, the leaves curl down and become covered with necrotic spots. Having discovered pests, immediately begin to destroy them. If there are few of them, try using an infusion of garlic, onion or celandine. In case of mass damage, use proven special-purpose drugs: Actellik, Karbofos, Aktara.
Pests can cause tomato leaves to curl Reason #7 - Diseases
Thin leaf virus. Grows in hot, dry conditions. In this case, you need to protect young plants from the sun, arrange watering and alternately spray the bushes several times with a solution of urea and potassium permanganate. If only a few sprouts are affected, it is better to destroy them.
Bacteriosis. This disease manifests itself by leaf curling only in the last stages of seedling development. At first, the sprouts simply do not look healthy enough. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to combat tomato bacteriosis.
Fusarium wilt. This fungal disease is accompanied by curling and wilting of leaves. It can only be controlled in its early stages using suitable fungicides.
Seedling diseases must be dealt with quickly A common result of improper care, pest attacks and the development of tomato disease in seedlings is leaf curling. It is extremely important to establish as soon as possible the true cause of such an unpleasant phenomenon in order to take timely measures to improve the health of young shoots. You cannot hesitate in this matter, as you may come to the conclusion that after spending a lot of time and effort, you will have to buy seedlings grown by someone else. Remember, following all the rules of agricultural technology greatly increases your chances of growing healthy and strong seedlings.