Why do tomato seedlings' leaves curl? Curling of leaves in tomatoes: treatment, eliminating the cause of the disease Tomato leaves are curling, what to do

A question that worries most summer residents from time immemorial when creating their plot is why the leaves of tomatoes curl, both outward and inward. Let's try to consider this issue as carefully as possible. It’s worth starting with the fact that plants with curled leaves photosynthesize less intensively, while receiving less nutrition and resulting in a loss of yield.

The causes of curling of tomato leaves can be divided into two basic groups: those associated with infection and those not.

The first of them is a “problem provider” through the appearance of bacteriosis in tomatoes. The start of plant disease is the curling of all the leaves outward, where at the top they become smaller, become weak, lose color, and the fruits are not set.

This disease can be transmitted by plants with infected seeds, and can also be carried by insects. Unfortunately, the affected plants are already incurable, so the best solution would be to remove them, after which you will need to get rid of the pathogen immediately: it will be effective to water the beds with Farmayod, and then fertilize them with green manure to disinfect the soil (for example, mustard). It is possible to fight bacteriosis, but is it worth the candle, since the war will be serious.

Often, as soon as we see curled leaves on plants, we can more likely assume that the problem lies in non-infectious causes, of which a sufficient number are known. In each case, it is possible to solve the problem, thereby saving future tomatoes.

Let's look at the reasons for leaf curling.

Lack of moisture

The most obvious of them is lack of moisture. Unfortunately, even gardeners themselves know very well that the curliness of the tops is nothing more than a cause of drought. The process can be quite simply explained from a biological point of view: when plants lack water, they try to evaporate less liquid.

Consequently, tomatoes curl their leaves on their own, reducing the area for evaporation. In this case, the problem has a solution, which requires proper watering. Watering tomatoes rarely and abundantly. A single watering of 1-2 buckets per bush per week will be sufficient, so that the moisture is distributed as intended. In case of hot weather, you can water twice.

Excess moisture

This may sound paradoxical, but excess moisture can also harm tomatoes by causing the foliage to curl. The current situation becomes apparent as the leaves curl upward and outward. This phenomenon is not uncommon during periods of prolonged rainfall. How can we help plants in this situation?

A film roof can be an effective option to prevent watering outside the greenhouse. As a result, it is necessary to loosen the soil on the site so that it can allow moisture to pass through. In this case, moisture will begin to go into the soil, freeing the roots of the plants and allowing them to breathe.

Heat

Hot weather can cause tomato leaves to curl due to the fact that the air temperature in the greenhouse reaches 35°C or more. This heat often affects the curling of leaves. Each leaf segment literally bends into tubes along the central vein. However, at night, as soon as the heat subsides, the leaves unwind again and are visually similar to the usual ones.

What to do with them and how to help get rid of this? In this case, it is worth ventilating the greenhouse, organizing drafts, mulching the beds with an organic layer, shading the bushes, covering direct sunlight by covering them with material.

Excess nitrogen fertilizers

When there is an excess of manure in tomato beds or due to frequent fertilizing with herbal infusion, chicken droppings, or urea, the top leaves naturally curl into a ring. The stem becomes thick, while the leaves are succulent. As a result, tomatoes are said to be “overfed” with nitrogen.

As a solution to the problem, you can resort to the complete exclusion of all types of fertilizing containing nitrogen, thereby restoring the material balance. You can resort to complex fertilizer based on the proportion of 2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water or potassium monophosphate. During the fruiting period, it is necessary to feed tomatoes exclusively with potassium phosphate fertilizers.

Lack of microelements

Curled leaves are a signal of a lack of one of the microelements. Tomatoes often lack phosphorus or potassium.

If there is a lack of phosphorus, the leaves curl downwards, moving away from the stem at an acute angle, in the process becoming green or acquiring a purple color. A lack of potassium is manifested by the leaves curling upward from the edges to the middle, young leaves begin to curl, and ripe tomatoes acquire light spots.

In this case, fertilizing will be an ideal assistant. Representatives of organic farming mean ash. For fans of mineral fertilizers, superphosphate and potassium nitrate.

Incorrect stepsoning

Often, tomatoes can curl up after the pinching procedure. When multiple stepsons are removed at one time, the plant receives severe stress. In this case, not only the leaves curl, but also the flowers are dropped. To combat stress as quickly as possible, foliar feeding of tomatoes with a complex of fertilizers or biostimulants will be required. In addition, excess leaves and shoots will be removed in a timely manner.

Pest infestation

Certain harmful insects may well cause leaf curl. In this case, the mite or whitefly lives on the other side of the leaf. Although there are other symptoms: yellowing, drying of leaves, and the appearance of spots on them.

You probably won’t have to explain to anyone how to deal with pests - disposal and destruction. Basically, all means fight pests based on spraying, say, “Fitoverm” or other preparations (preferably biological).

There is also a possibility that the tomato leaves began to curl over a long period of time, from the very beginning, and not suddenly. Some varieties of tomatoes have certain characteristics: drooping, thin, curled. Cherries are often guilty of this. In this case, there is absolutely no reason to worry.

If we take into account the classification of the causes of curling of tomato leaves, then in this case three main areas should be distinguished:

changes in environmental conditions;
violation of agricultural cultivation techniques;
damage to seedlings by diseases and pests.

Monitoring the condition of the seedlings and timely correction of agrotechnical errors will allow you to get a large harvest. Everything becomes more complicated in the case of infectious diseases. In this regard, it is necessary to fulfill all disinfection requirements at the stage of purchasing seeds. However, some gardeners try to hold out only for the preparatory period, after which they complain about the unsuitability of the seedlings. The reason for this is a violation of cultivation technology.

Changing environmental conditions as a cause are quite common. Tomatoes are often demanding of certain environmental conditions. Tomato leaf blades can be curled in both directions, into a tube, a boat, individual parts and more elaborate shapes.

The next point should be violations of agrotechnical growing rules. As the main methods of agricultural cultivation, they resort to the application of fertilizers at the stage of soil preparation and fertilizing in the process of caring for the plant.

A number of vegetable growers, if there is a delay in preparing seedlings for their permanent place, overfeed them with all kinds of substances, especially nitrogen fertilizers for the purpose of more expensive seedlings.

Damage to tomato seedlings by diseases and pests

In case of improper care, seedlings are most often affected by infections. A certain proportion of them cause leaf curling, which can easily be confused with another cause. After some time, the disease acquires specific manifestations.

Unfortunately, it is worth recognizing that not all plants are ideal. In our case, tomatoes are the very plant that can provide joy to its owners, with the only difference being that joy is achieved at the final stage - the stage of plant growth and yield.

At first glance, there is nothing complicated about growing tomatoes. The growth period is accompanied by problems such as leaf curling. Of course, today a cure for cancer has not yet been found, there is no way to fly to distant stars or simply learn to fly. However, we have found the reasons and dangers of their cultivation.

Now you know what to do when tomato leaves begin to curl. However, this is not a reason to take care to prevent this problem, which requires care and scrupulousness in care: timely watering, dosing of fertilizers, weeding, pest control. Decent pest control will allow you to get effective results after the first harvest.

Read more about this phenomenon and solutions here:

Any summer resident is interested in why the leaves of tomatoes curl, and the leaves may turn yellow. These tasty and healthy vegetables are affected by pests and are susceptible to diseases. To save plants, urgent and most effective measures should be taken.

The following reasons can be cited that cause leaves to curl in tomatoes:

temperature violation;
violation of humidity regime;
insect damage;
damage by bacterial diseases;
nutritional imbalance;
incorrect pinching and pinching;
damage to the rhizome.

What should gardeners do to grow a healthy plant? Let's take a closer look at each of the causes of leaf curling and how to eliminate them.

By evening, the curled leaves take their normal shape and during the night they receive the missing moisture from the dew, replenishing the balance. What to do if the weather is hot and dry for a long time and the tomato leaves curl? The best way is to shade the plant, helping its foliage to avoid curling.

You can throw the following materials on tomatoes during hot hours:

covering spunbond;
agrofibre;
lutrasil.

It is not recommended to water the plant in the sun, since droplets of water can cause burns to the leaves. A good way to combat the described cause of curling is to mulch the soil in tomato beds. What to do if the plant is not comfortable enough? You can cool the roots with a few centimeters of grass clippings.

Violation of humidity regime

A common reason why tomato leaves curl is a small amount or excess moisture. Some summer residents do not pay due attention to watering, hoping that rain will compensate for the lack of moisture. Others do not water often enough or in small quantities. With a small amount of water, moisture penetrates only a few centimeters of soil, without reaching the roots located below.

Tomatoes need to be watered once every three days if the beds are not protected by grass, and once every 7 days on mulched beds. There should be a bucket of water for each tomato bush. It should not be poured out all at once, but in portions, so that all the water penetrates for its intended purpose - to the rhizome.

Excess moisture can also cause leaves to curl inward. In case of excessive humidity, the tomato leaves curl up. The root system of plants can suffocate during periods of prolonged rainfall, especially if tomatoes grow in clay soil, where water does not drain deep very quickly. If you fill the holes with loose soil when planting plants, this misfortune can be avoided. To remove moisture from the roots, you can make grooves.

Insect pests

The causes of leaf curling are complemented by damage to tomato leaves by harmful insects (aphids, whiteflies) that suck out their juices, which leads to curling of tomato leaves. Tomato leaves will straighten if you start saving from pests in time. If the leaves turn yellow, spots and damage appear on them, you need to spray the foliage with ready-made preparations or use infusions of onion peels, celandine, and wood ash.

The use of chemicals when growing fruit appears is undesirable, since tomatoes tend to accumulate toxic substances.

If the leaves on a tomato curl due to the presence of pests on them, you can use the following infusions:

Infusion of wood ash. 2 tbsp. Pour the ash into a bucket of water, mix with 100 grams of laundry soap and leave for 24 hours. Then spray the tomatoes.
The foliage will be rid of aphids by a decoction of onion peels, 200 grams of which should be poured with a bucket of warm water and left for 12-15 hours.
During the flowering period of celandine, you need to take 4 kg of the plant and leave it in a bucket of water for 2 days. This drug can get rid of caterpillars, larvae, and aphids.

Diseases of culture

There are more than 20 types of bacterial pathogens. Bacterial cancer has become widespread, causing wilting of shoots, yellowing of leaves along the edges, and curling. The fruits become covered with spots - first white, then yellowish. The plant dies on average 2 months after infection. During periods of prolonged rain, cancer spreads extremely widely, since humidity above 80% favors its development.

Leaves on a tomato curl also due to a disease that affects young plants, such as black spot, which is transmitted by seeds. When affected by spotting, dark spots appear on the fruits, and later you will notice that many of the leaves have curled and dried out.

Bacterial canker and black spot are not the only diseases. The cause is slightly less common, but destructive - bacterial spotting (mottling). With low temperatures and high humidity in early spring, planting tomatoes is especially dangerous due to the likelihood of infection with this bacterial disease. As it flows, the leaves curl, the flowers dry out and fall off.

Plants can be protected by the following measures:

use of bacterially resistant varieties;
timely control of weeds whose seeds can carry infection;
systematic removal of affected fruits;
thorough removal of plant debris from the soil surface before planting seedlings;
disinfecting the beds with a solution of potassium permanganate, which destroys bacteria that kill tomatoes.

Bacterial causes of leaf curl are serious; tomato fruits are difficult to cure. If a solution of potassium permanganate (you can mix it with a solution of urea) does not give a positive result, the infected plants will have to be destroyed.

Deficiency or excess of fertilizers

Why do tomato leaves curl if all conditions for favorable growth are met?

Tomatoes may not be enough melt nutrients.
The green color is lost, plant growth is stunted, the foliage curls - these are signs of nitrogen starvation.
If the leaves take on a grayish color, become wrinkled, yellowish and brittle, there is a potassium deficiency.
If there is a calcium deficiency, the lower leaves turn pale; if there is not enough boron, the stem turns black.
There may be a lack of magnesium, manganese, copper, which has a depressing effect on tomatoes. Flowers do not form on them, necrosis develops on the leaves.

It is preferable to carry out foliar feeding, which consists of spraying with nutrient solutions. It is important to observe the permissible concentration of the solution. For fertilizing, saltpeter, boric acid, solutions of manganese, zinc, copper sulfate, and ash are used.

Why do the leaves on tomatoes curl if there is enough fertilizing? Too much fertilizer can also cause leaves to curl, which tends to reduce photosynthesis. Chemical fumes can burn the foliage and stems of tomatoes. To reduce the concentration of fertilizers, you need to water the plants abundantly, washing the top layer of soil. You need to make sure that the water does not stagnate at the base of the bushes, otherwise the tomatoes will suffer from excess moisture.

Mistaken pinching

Tomatoes are very demanding plants and can slow down their growth and spoil even if all the above reasons are not present.

The reason may be that they were pinched or pinched incorrectly.

The process consists of pruning individual branches and removing stepsons. Care must be taken when cutting off more than 2 leaves per week, the rest may begin to curl, as mass cutting of too many branches and leaves upsets the balance between the rhizome and the outer part of the tomato. Too early, less than 3 weeks after planting, pinching and pinching the plants can also cause harm.

You can only get rid of stepchildren that have reached 7-8 cm, not forgetting to leave a stump about 1 cm long at the base of the stem. This is a guarantee that the shoot will no longer grow in this place. If you systematically remove all the stepsons, you will get a bush of 1 stem.

You can strengthen the power of the tomato root system by placing individual shoots in grooves and burying them there so that only the tops remain above the surface.

Why do tomato leaves curl (video)

Damage to the root system

When transplanting tomato seedlings from pots into the garden, it happens that due to carelessness, certain sections of the plant's roots turn out to be damaged. Why does this cause the leaves of tomatoes to turn yellow and curl? While the damaged areas of the root are being regenerated, the tomato does not receive adequate nutrition, so the consequences are the same as when plants are starved. Over time, the rhizome is restored, the plant takes root, and leaf curling stops.

It is important to know that some varieties of tomatoes have a characteristic feature - their leaves curl not due to diseases or unfavorable conditions, but curl naturally. Among them are varieties such as Honey Drop, Fatima, and cherry tomatoes.

Tomato diseases and ways to combat them (video)

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Despite the fact that tomatoes require constant care and cause a lot of trouble for gardeners, many gardeners are willing to spend time and effort growing them. One of the most common problems with this crop is tops curling. Curled leaves prevent full photosynthesis, and the plant begins to wither from nutrient deficiency.

The main causes of leaf curling

There can be many reasons why tomato leaves curl. There are main reasons that cause such problems in tomatoes.

Improper watering and root damage

If, after planting tomato seedlings, you notice that the leaves on them are changing, the root system is most likely damaged and the plant is not receiving enough nutrition. The reason may be that the seedlings are overgrown and their grown roots are damaged. You need to wait a while for the plant to adapt. When it takes root and repairs the damage, the leaves will most likely return to their normal shape.

One of the reasons for leaf curl is an excess or insufficient amount of moisture. The plant, when thirsty, evaporates less moisture in order not to die, but its leaves curl inward. To avoid this, you should water the plant little by little but often.

Overwatering can also cause leaves to curl. Tomatoes can be damaged due to frequent and heavy natural precipitation and their leaves curl upside down. If the cause of this phenomenon is stagnation of moisture in the soil, it is necessary to loosen the soil so that water seeps out faster.

High air temperature, pinning errors

Another reason for leaf curling may be unsatisfactory temperature conditions. Typically the bottom layer of soil is much cooler than the surface layer. The temperature is balanced by ventilating the greenhouse.

If the leaves of tomatoes curl in open ground conditions, they are affected by the heat. This usually occurs when the temperature rises above 35°C. Such heat can contribute to the accelerated breakdown of beneficial elements. In this case, the plant cannot fully absorb them, so-called starvation occurs, the tops dry out and curl up, and sometimes the color fades. To protect the plant from such stress, it must be sprinkled with urea (one and a half tablespoons per 10 liters of water). After four days it should be treated with potassium permanganate.

Improper pinching can also cause leaves to curl. This procedure should be carried out at least once or twice a week, without waiting for thickets. If this is done more often, the plant may become stressed due to the number of removed shoots. It is better to carry out pinching on a sunny day so that the wound heals faster. If you have to cut the stepson in cloudy weather, the cuts must be treated with wood ash.

Under the correct stepson It is supposed to remove the stepsons from healthy bushes, leaving weak stems and those that look suspicious. Foliar fertilizer with a biostimulant will help tomatoes cope with the stress received during the procedure.

Incorrect feeding

Painful reactions in tomatoes can be caused by improper feeding, deficiency or excess of any element.

Excessive zinc intake can be reflected in the curling of the edges of the leaf blade and in the purple color of its lower part.

Curling of seedling leaves downwards may indicate a lack of copper, sulfur or boron. If the edges of the leaves curl upward, they lack calcium and phosphorus. Another sign of this is the presence of a gray tint. To avoid unpleasant consequences, balanced complex formulations such as potassium monophosphate should be added.

Diseases and garden pests

Having detected pests, the plants must be immediately treated by spraying with preparations such as Alatar, Fufanon or Biotlin. You can use traditional methods in the fight against insects: infusion of onion pulp with peels, infusion of marigolds, etc.

Diseases that lead to leaf curling:

Unfortunately, there is no way to cure tomatoes from these diseases. Therefore, the affected plants are removed from the garden bed and burned. To prevent this, it is necessary to take preventive measures:

digging and deep cleaning of the site after harvesting;
tillage before planting;
choosing the right predecessor plant.

Curling of foliage in tomatoes may not always require treatment. It is necessary to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the selected variety before planting. For example, in “Cherry”, “Japanese Crab”, “Fatima”, “Honey Drop” tomatoes, curling of the leaves is considered normal.

Methods for treating tomatoes from leaf curl

You should find the cause of this phenomenon and try to eliminate it. If pests are to blame, the plants are treated with special preparations. But before purchasing them, you must carefully study the instructions. Some products cannot be used when the plant already has fruits, as toxins will accumulate in them.

You cannot fertilize tomatoes with manure or slurry that has not had time to rot. This will lead to an excess of ammonia, which can harm the plant..

Excessive amounts of nitrogen will cause the plant to form a thick stem, a large number of stepsons, and the leaves to curl into a tube. To improve the situation, you need to add wood ash to the ground.

To avoid the consequences of improper feeding, it is better to buy fertilizers that contain all the necessary elements, for example: “Kelkat boron” or “Kelkat zinc”.

You can protect your plants from excessive sun by shading your tomatoes. You can put spunbond or nurasteel on them. It is also necessary to mulch the soil to cool the bushes in extreme heat. To do this, it is enough to lay a layer of grass 8-10 cm.

The next rule to follow is to water the plants once every two to three days. If the beds are mulched, watering is reduced to once a week. It is important to consider that the roots of tomatoes are located very deep, so a lot of water is required: 8-10 liters per fruiting bush. But you need to pour it so that it has time to be absorbed.

At the same time, excess water must be avoided. If tomatoes are planted in clay soil, water will accumulate on the surface during heavy rains and will not go deep into the ground for a long time. The roots will always be in water. To prevent disease, when planting the plant in the ground, fill the hole with loose soil. If this method does not help and the water has flooded the surface of the earth, you can dig a ditch to allow it to drain.

If the tomato seedlings are not satisfied with anything in their care, then they immediately signal this with the help of their leaves. They change color, may curl up, down, or inward, and wither. Knowing the meaning of these symptoms, you can quickly and effortlessly help the tomatoes return to normal. At the same time, they will continue their growth and development.

If you do not pay attention to these problems in time and do not find out the possible causes, the seedlings may die or weaken and subsequently produce a poor harvest.

When the cotyledon leaves curl, this means that they will soon fall off and real leaves will begin to grow, this should not be a cause for concern. If permanent leaves curl, then this is an alarming sign and you need to understand the reasons.

There are several reasons why leaves may curl, these are:

Neglecting to prepare seeds and soil for sowing;
Deficiency or excess of nutrients;
Excessive watering;
Insufficient watering;
Increased air dryness;
High room temperature;
Poor lighting or lack of light;
Exposure to direct sunlight;
Defeat by diseases;
Pest damage;
A cramped container in which seedlings grow;
Mechanical damage during pinching, transplanting;
Varietal feature.

Curling of leaves in some cases is a varietal feature of hybrids, such as: Oxheart, Fatima, Honey Drop, Japanese Crab, as well as some varieties of cherry tomatoes and tall varieties.

If the leaves of all the seedlings are thin, equally curled downwards, then this is a varietal feature of the plants. Leaves curl because the vein grows faster than the leaf blade.

What to do to help seedlings

When the first signs of leaf curling, which is not typical for this variety, appear, you need to immediately deal with the problem and eliminate it.

Neglecting the preparation of seeds and soil for sowing leads to the fact that the leaves of the seedlings begin to curl, they begin to weaken and get sick.

Disinfection of seeds and soil, their complete preparation allows you to get strong seedlings and avoid most problems.

Sometimes tomato seedlings do not have enough fertilizer. When there is a lack of nutrients, the leaves curl, dry out and fall off. Tomatoes need a lot of nutrients to grow well.

Healthy seedlings are strong, not elongated, with bright, green leaves. To restore and strengthen tomatoes, they need to be watered with a solution of ammonium nitrate or urea. The solution must be diluted at half the dosage indicated on the package.

In some cases, plants lack one or another microelement. Based on the characteristic signs, you can determine what exactly they are missing and correct the problem.

If there is not enough boron in the soil, the leaves of tomato seedlings curl and become lighter.
With a lack of calcium, the leaves are pale and curled.
With zinc deficiency, both the leaves and the upper part of the shoots bend down. They also become fragile and rough.
Shortening the shoots and curling the leaves into a tube indicates a lack of copper and sulfur in the plants.
With a lack of iron, the leaves become thinner, turn yellow and droop.

Fertilizers are selected in accordance with these characteristics. You can also use complex mineral supplements. They are introduced twice a month when watering plants.

In addition to a lack of microelements, plants can suffer from their excess.

A large amount of zinc and boron in the soil can be determined by the following signs:

Zinc - leaves bend down, the bottom of the plate turns purple from the edge;
boron - the curved tips of the leaves dry out and become brittle. The curling of the foliage begins at the bottom of the plant and extends to the top.
An excess of nitrogen leads to a deficiency of potassium, phosphorus and zinc in the soil. To correct this, it is necessary to reduce or temporarily eliminate nitrogenous fertilizing and introduce phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. The leaves will rise and take on a normal appearance.

The leaves also curl upward and then wither due to excess moisture. This problem can be avoided by using drainage at the bottom of the container and loose soil when sowing seeds and planting seedlings. The container for planting seedlings must have drainage holes. Excess water will come out through them, and the roots will be saturated with oxygen. Watering seedlings should be moderate but regular.

To protect seedlings from diseases, preventive spraying with special preparations helps.
10 days after the formation of cotyledons, after the tomato seedlings have grown and become stronger, they are sprayed with a solution of Energen, Epin, Zircon (5-6 drops per liter of water), this will protect the plants from diseases. In addition to plants, the solution also treats the soil in which the seedlings grow.

If the lower leaves of a tomato began to quickly wither, changed color and dried out, cracks and sores appeared on the stem and petioles, this is a sign of bacterial cancer. When the stem is cut across, a brown ring is visible with such a lesion. Such plants need to be removed. To prevent the disease, healthy seedlings are sprayed with a solution of copper oxychloride (40 grams per 1 liter of water).

Pest damage to seedlings occurs due to poorly treated soil, high air humidity and proximity to affected plants.

Whiteflies, red spider mites and aphids can damage tender young plants. Insects settle at the bottom of the leaves and suck the juices, causing the leaves to curl and turn yellow.
When pests appear, they are treated with protective drugs, for example, Tantrek, Aktara, Akarin, Fufaron, Aktellik, Biotlin, Karbofos.

When damaged, leaves and shoots must be cleaned of pests and their traces using a cotton pad soaked in a soap solution. Then the seedlings are sprayed with a protective solution. The concentration of the solution must be reduced by 2 times in comparison with that indicated in the instructions.

Instead of chemicals, you can use an infusion of onion peels or celandine. They treat all parts of the plant, especially those growing below the affected leaves. A week later the procedure is repeated.

If the leaves curl down or up

Often the leaves curl down due to lack of moisture. To eliminate this problem, you need to monitor the condition of the soil. It should be damp on the surface.

Seedlings need to be moistened according to their age; the older they are, the more moisture they require. Watering is done in the morning and only with warm water. In this case, water should penetrate through the entire earthen lump. The excess is immediately drained.

Another reason for leaf curling may be increased dry air. They can curl up at the same time. To normalize humidity, the air in the room needs to be irrigated once a day, using a simple spray bottle or a special humidifier.

When the air temperature in the room is high, lowering it and regular ventilation corrects the problem, and the seedlings continue to grow and develop.

You can also cover the radiators with a damp towel or place a container of water next to them. These methods allow you not only to lower the temperature, but also to humidify the air.

The leaves of tomato seedlings often curl when exposed to direct sunlight. If the seedlings are standing in the sun, the light needs to be diffused. For example, hang tulle on the window or attach white paper to the glass so that direct sunlight does not touch the plants. Plants can also be rearranged. The best option for placing seedlings is a window on the east or west side.

At the same time, insufficient lighting also harms plants. When daylight hours are short, additional lighting is installed next to the tomatoes.

If they curl inward

The upper leaves curl due to mechanical damage to the plant during one-time or abundant pinching. The lateral stepsons are removed gradually, 1-2 pieces over several days, not allowing them to grow longer than 6-7 centimeters.

The leaves may curl if the seedlings have already grown too much and the roots are cramped in a small glass or pot. Transplanting into a larger container or soil can correct this problem.

Leaves can also curl inward if the roots are damaged during transplantation. When plants are damaged, they cannot obtain enough nutrients and react by curling their leaves. Additional fertilizing corrects the problem.

If all care measures are carried out in accordance with the requirements, the plants will quickly gain strength and take root in a new place without problems when transplanted.

When sowing a tomato, you first need to disinfect the seeds and soil. In both cases, a solution of potassium permanganate is used.
The sown seeds are covered with film or glass and put away in a warm place.
When the first shoots appear, the cover is removed from the containers, and the seedlings themselves are placed in a bright, warm place.

Every 2 weeks. Mullein infusion diluted with water and complex mineral fertilizers are suitable for this. Feeding can be alternated.

Should be moderate but regular. The seedlings are irrigated with a spray bottle. The grown sprouts are watered with a teaspoon, syringe or pipette directly to each plant or with a watering can without a nozzle along the edge of the container. More mature plants are watered in a tray, this promotes the formation of a strong root system.

The air temperature in the room is first lowered slightly and in the first 7 days it is maintained at 15 degrees during the day and 10 degrees at night. To do this, open the window slightly at night. In the second week, the temperature rises by 4 degrees day and night. This temperature regime is maintained until 3-4 true leaves appear.

Then the temperature for tomatoes should be 20-25 degrees during the day and 16-20 degrees at night. At higher temperatures and increased dry air, the room is ventilated and irrigated using a humidifier or spray bottle once a day.

Daylight hours for seedlings should be 12-14 hours. If the daylight hours are short, the plants are illuminated with a phytolamp in the morning and evening.

Plants should grow in light, but direct sunlight should not touch the leaves, as they can cause sunburn. The light should be diffused.

When the plants have 2 true leaves.
The sprouts are planted in individual pots measuring 6 by 6 or 8 by 8 centimeters. Disposable cups, peat pots, cassettes or wide boxes, the height of which should be 15-20 centimeters, are used as containers.

The soil mixture is poured into the container, the same as when sowing seeds.
The earth is watered with a warm solution of potassium permanganate.
After transplantation, the plants are watered after 4-5 days, this allows the plants to take root and not damage the roots.
After the dive, additional illumination stops for 3-4 days, then resumes.

To protect seedlings from diseases and pests, preventative spraying with chemicals or folk remedies is carried out regularly.

Stepchildren formed on grown plants are carefully cut off. They are removed gradually.

After 20-25 days, the strengthened seedlings are transplanted into larger containers or a greenhouse.

Before planting, the seedlings are hardened off. First, the window opens. When the air temperature outside is 10-12 degrees, containers with tomatoes are taken out for 2-3 hours. After a week, the seedlings are left outside for the whole day and brought indoors or into a greenhouse at night. In hardened plants, the stems turn bluish-purple. When hardening, seedlings are watered abundantly.

Plants must be replanted in a timely manner. The root system should not be stressed.
When transplanting seedlings, it is better to use the transshipment method; this protects the plants from technical damage and promotes rapid rooting and growth.

If all growing conditions are met, problems with leaves of tomato seedlings can be avoided. At the same time, the plants develop well and subsequently produce a healthy and abundant harvest.

Why leaves curl on seedlings: video

Why tomato leaves curl: video

Timely identification of the reasons why leaves curl on tomato seedlings provides half the success in saving plants. Proper care allows you to quickly restore plants, and in most cases, avoid these problems.

Tomato leaves curl outward or inward for various reasons. You need to figure out why this happens and what to do about it quickly. Plants with curled leaves photosynthesize at a lower rate, receive less nutrition and, as a result, lose productivity.

The reasons for curling of tomato leaves can be divided into two large groups: infectious And non-infectious.

In the first case, the “problem provider” is tomato bacteriosis. At the beginning of the disease, almost all the leaves of the plants curl outward, and then the leaves at the top become small and frail, the flowers also become smaller, become discolored and do not set fruit. This disease is transmitted through contaminated seeds, and is also carried by certain pests (leafhoppers, whiteflies, aphids, cutworms). Affected plants cannot be cured. It is best to remove them and then get rid of the pathogen: water the beds with “Farmayod”, and then plant them with green manure that can disinfect the soil (for example, mustard). It is possible to cope with bacteriosis, but the fight is expected to be serious.

However, most often, when we see curled leaves on our tomatoes, we are dealing with non-infectious causes. And there are many of them, a whole list. And in each case, we have every chance to solve the problem and save our tomatoes.

The most common cause of curly tops is drought. When plants don't have enough water to survive, they try to evaporate as little liquid as possible. To do this, tomatoes curl their leaves to reduce the area of water evaporation.

The problem can be solved by proper organization of irrigation. Tomatoes are watered rarely, but a lot. It is enough to pour a bucket of water under each tomato bush once a week, two or three times, so that the moisture reaches its destination. In very hot weather, you can water twice a week.

Curling of leaves due to excess moisture

Paradoxically, excess moisture in tomato beds can also cause curled leaves. In this situation, the leaves curl outward, upward. This phenomenon occurs during periods of prolonged rain.

How can you help tomatoes in this case? Make a film roof over the beds in open ground, stop watering in the greenhouse. But in general, you need to try to make the soil in the area loose and permeable, then excess moisture will quickly go into the soil without interfering with the roots of the plants to breathe freely.

Curling of leaves due to high air temperature

In hot weather in greenhouses, the air temperature can rise to 35°C or higher. In this heat, tomato leaves also curl quite often. The leaf segments literally roll into tubes along the central vein. At the same time, at night, when the heat subsides, the leaves unwind back and look normal.

How to help plants cope with the heat? Be sure to ventilate the greenhouse, create drafts, mulch the beds with a thick layer of organic matter, shade the bushes from direct sunlight using covering materials, and in the evening, spray the leaves with urea (one and a half tablespoons per bucket of water) or a pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Curling of leaves due to excess nitrogen fertilizers

If too much fresh manure is added to the tomato beds or they are often fed with herbal infusion, infusion of chicken manure, or urea, the top leaves may curl into a ring. At the same time, the stem becomes thick, and the leaves become juicy and brittle. This suggests that the tomatoes are “overfed” with nitrogen.

The solution to the problem is obvious: eliminate nitrogen-containing fertilizers and restore the balance of nutrients. You can apply complex fertilizer at the rate of 2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water or potassium monophosphate (1 teaspoon per 10 liters of water). During fruiting, tomatoes must be fed only with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.

Curling of leaves due to lack of microelements

Curled tomato leaves may indicate a lack of some micronutrient. Most often, tomatoes lack phosphorus and potassium.

If there is a lack of phosphorus, the leaves curl down, move away from the stem at an acute angle and may turn dark green or acquire a purple tint. Potassium deficiency is manifested by leaves curling upward from the edges to the middle, young leaves become curly, and ripe tomatoes may have light spots.

Here our helpers will be feeding. Ash will help supporters of organic farming. For those who use mineral fertilizers, superphosphate and potassium nitrate are available.

Curling of leaves due to improper pinching

Sometimes tomatoes fold their leaves after the pinching procedure. If we remove many stepsons at once (especially large ones that were missed earlier), the plant experiences severe stress. It can not only curl the leaves, but even drop flowers.

Curling of leaves due to pest damage

Some pests can also cause curled leaves. Red spider mites, whiteflies or aphids live on the underside of the leaf and gradually suck the juices out of it. The leaf begins to curl. But there are other symptoms of damage: the leaves turn yellow, dry out, and spots appear on them.

What to do with pests is clear to everyone without further explanation. You need to get rid of pests. We spray the plants with Fitoverm or other pest control preparations (preferably, of course).

It could be this, for example: the tomato leaves did not curl suddenly, but were always slightly curled downwards, from the very beginning. Some varieties of tomatoes have this feature: thin, hanging, clustered leaves. Cherry tomatoes are especially guilty of this. In this case, there is no reason to worry at all.

We wish you success and great harvests!