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Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, the gardener must not only properly care for the plantings, but also regularly carefully examine them for symptoms of various ailments. So, you can observe the curling of the leaves of a tomato in a greenhouse. Such a nuisance can be a symptom of a disease, the result of pests or a violation of the rules for cultivating tomatoes. Below in the article, we will talk about how to determine the specific cause of leaf curling and promptly and quickly eliminate it.
Rolled leaves are a universal symptom of improper care
Answer the question why u tomato leaves curled in a greenhouse, even an experienced specialist will definitely not be able to answer right away. After all, the reasons for the appearance of this symptom can be different and for an accurate determination it is necessary to visually assess the state of the tomato, in which direction the foliage is twisted, what additional changes are observed on the bush. A detailed description of some of the causes of crowded leaves is given below. In the same place, to establish the exact cause, possible concomitant symptoms of ailment and ways to eliminate the trouble are given.
The reason is at the root
Damage to the roots can cause curling of the leaves of the tomato in the greenhouse. Most often this happens during the planting of tomato seedlings in the soil. Taking out seedlings from the container, it is very easy to damage the roots without even noticing it. However, the slightest trauma to the root system can lead to the fact that for several days after planting, the leaves of the tomatoes will remain in a curled state. After the injury heals during the rooting process, the tomato leaves will flatten out and after a few days this anomaly will disappear.
It is worth noting that tomatoes can also receive damage to the root system as a result of loosening. And although the roots of this culture are located deep enough, it is impossible to loosen the soil deeper than 4-5 cm.
Violation of watering rules
Deeply located tomato roots require increased watering. After all, a small amount of water can only moisten the top layer of the soil, without feeding the tomatoes themselves. That is why a lack of moisture is one of the most common reasons why tomato leaves curl in a greenhouse.
To eliminate this cause, you need to regularly water the tomatoes with plenty of water. For example, in a polycarbonate greenhouse, fruiting bushes need to be watered once every 2-3 days, spending at least 10 liters of warm water for each plant. Such a volume of liquid must be poured into the trunk of the tomatoes gradually in order for the water to saturate the soil without spreading. Mulching loosened ridges also helps to retain moisture in the soil, preventing it from drying out.
It is worth noting that the cause of the twisted leaves can be not only a lack, but also an excess of water in the soil.If the gardener does not follow the watering regime and regularly "floods" the tomatoes, the roots of the plants will eventually begin to lack oxygen and will signal this with the edges of their leaves, bending them up. Thus, it is very important to monitor soil moisture, since its lack or excess can lead to wilting of the plant, decay of the root system, and the development of fungal diseases.
High temperature in the greenhouse
Tomatoes are thermophilic plants, however, temperature rises above +350C can burn them. One of the signs of excessive heat in the greenhouse is curled leaves. It is possible to establish exactly this reason using a simple visual analysis: the leaves curl at high temperatures in the greenhouse during the day, and after sunset, the greenhouse conditions change, the temperature drops, the tomato leaves stop curling, straightening their plate completely by night.
You can lower the temperature in the greenhouse and restore the condition of the tomatoes by airing. Spraying tomato leaves with urea also relieves heat stress in plants. For spraying on a sheet, prepare a solution of 1 tbsp. l. substances on a bucket of water. Treatment with urea, which is at the same time nitrogen feeding, should be carried out exclusively in the evening or in cloudy weather.
Improper bush formation
Growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, the gardener strives to form bushes as compactly as possible, removing unnecessary stepchildren, the lower leaves of tomatoes. This measure allows you to improve air circulation in a confined space and thereby prevent the development of certain diseases, rotting of tomatoes. Removing excess vegetation also contributes to the early ripening of the fruits, their better filling.
In an effort to get the tomato harvest faster, some gardeners begin to form tomato bushes shortly after planting, when the plants have not yet been adapted. After removing the vegetative organs, which act as a conditional "pump" of nutrients, the root system cannot normally feed the tomato bush. As a result of this improper formation of bushes, the foliage of tomatoes in the greenhouse is bent. It is possible to maintain the culture at this difficult moment by introducing nutrients with the help of foliar feeding on the leaf.
Correct and timely formation of the bush avoids leaf curling. So, the first operation to remove leaves and stepchildren can be carried out no earlier than 3 weeks after planting the plants in the greenhouse. Then the formation is carried out every 2 weeks, removing no more than 3 sheets at a time.
The listed causes of leaf curling are easy to identify and eliminate: the leaves are curled, but there are no spots, discolored streaks, holes or insects on them. Upon restoration of proper care, tomatoes quickly "come to life", straightening their leaves. Short-term curling does not affect crop yield or plant health in general. Wherein growing tomatoes in a greenhouse without eliminating the cause, it can lead to the death of the bushes.
You can see an example of twisted leaves in a greenhouse and get expert advice on eliminating the cause of the ailment in the video:
The reason is the disease
What to do if tomato leaves curl in the greenhouse, but plant care is carried out in full and according to all the rules? In this case, the cause of the malaise should be sought in diseases and pests parasitizing. The problem can be identified by a number of accompanying signs, a description of which is given below.
Bacterial cancer
This bacterial disease often affects individual tomato bushes in greenhouse conditions. The disease can be determined by the following symptoms:
- tomato leaves curl down, quickly wither, acquire a brown color and dry out;
- cracks, ulcers and bumps appear at the bottom of the stem;
- yellow round spots appear on mature and unripe tomatoes. Blackening can be observed in the fruit cut.
If you find a sick bush in the greenhouse, you need to take care of its destruction. To do this, the bush is cut at the root, treated with copper oxychloride and left to dry on a trellis. After drying, the bush and its root are taken out of the greenhouse and destroyed by burning. Tomatoes remaining in the greenhouse are also treated with a solution of copper oxychloride (40 g per 10 liters of water) to prevent the spread of the disease.
Tobacco mosaic
Tomato disease is caused by viruses and can spread rapidly from one plant to another in the greenhouse. When tomatoes are infected with tobacco mosaic, the leaves acquire a lumpy surface and curl. At the same time, a pattern is formed on the leaf plate with alternating spots and streaks of various dark and light green shades.
You can see the symptoms and hear recommendations for the treatment of this disease in the video:
Fusarium
This fungal disease can also be found under the name fusarium wilting. If the tomato leaves in the greenhouse gradually curled into a tube, and the symptom spreads through the plant from the lower leaves to the crown, then one can suspect the presence of this particular ailment. The accompanying symptoms in this case should be:
- leaves become light green in color;
- injured, twisted foliage falls off;
- the upper leaves and shoots of the tomato wither;
- a pink bloom is formed at the bottom of the stem.
In addition to these symptoms, in high humidity, infected plants can become covered with a light-colored bloom. You can fight the disease with the help of broad-spectrum antifungal drugs. If emergency measures are not taken to prevent fungal disease, then all plants in the greenhouse may suffer. The fungus in the soil and on the walls of the building will successfully survive until next year and will also affect the plants in the future.
Verticillary wilting
An inexperienced gardener can confuse this disease with fusarium, since the symptoms of these ailments are very similar. With verticillary wilting, the leaves begin to curl upward. The color of the foliage changes, becomes yellowish. As the disease develops, the leaves turn yellow more and more, and some of them completely fall off, however, this does not prevent the tomato bush from surviving until the end of the season.
It is these diseases that most often become a prerequisite for the leaves of tomatoes in the greenhouse to spin and change their color, and begin to turn yellow. It is imperative to fight viral and fungal diseases, since the harmful microflora can persist in the greenhouse for a long period of time, damaging the plants of the next year. In order to prevent various diseases with the onset of a new season, it is necessary to treat the inner surface of the greenhouse with disinfectants.
Leaf curling caused by insects
Various insects strive to feast on the juices of tomato leaves. As a result of such parasitism, the leaves begin to wilt, turn yellow, curl and dry out. Leaf curling in tomatoes in a greenhouse can be caused by aphids, spider mites, or whiteflies. You can see these pests in the photo below.
It is worth noting that a spider mite in the course of its life can tightly wrap a tomato leaf with its cobweb, creating a dwelling for itself in the form of a tube. When the black aphid sucks out nutrients, it injects a special substance that poisons the plant and causes the leaves to curl and turn yellow.
You can fight insects using various chemicals or by attracting them to traps. Among the folk remedies for pest control, spraying plants with a decoction of chamomile or yarrow shows high efficiency. Infusion of tobacco is also able to repel harmful insects.
Imbalance of nutrients in the soil
It's no secret that growing tomatoes requires regular maintenance of a certain soil composition. The word "maintain" in this context is very appropriate, since even the most nutritious soil is depleted in the process of plant cultivation, which forces the farmer to apply fertilizers. In the process of feeding, the gardener may incorrectly calculate the dosage of substances, thereby provoking the occurrence of some problems. So, the lack and excess of some trace elements can cause the tomato leaves to curl:
- signs of excess nitrogen are curled leaves, excessive thickening of the stems and stepsons of the plant (fattening of tomatoes). At the same time, the gardener observes low flowering activity;
- Tomatoes report a lack of potassium by curling the leaf. In this case, you can observe the yellowing of the veins and a change in the color of the edges of the foliage, it becomes brown;
- phosphorus deficiency can be identified by the curled leaves and reddish-purple leaf veins. In this case, the tissues of the leaf plate between the veins become grayish green;
- with a lack of copper, tomato leaves at the top of the bush curl inward to the midrib. In a neglected situation, yellow spots appear on the leaf plates.
It is possible to compensate for the lack of minerals by spraying the leaves of the plant with trace element solutions. In this case, tomatoes will quickly assimilate the necessary substances, their condition will soon improve. With an excess of the mineral, you can use the soil leaching method, in which you need to water the plants with plenty of water.
Let's summarize
If, after reading the article, it did not become clear why the leaves of tomatoes curl in greenhouse conditions, where all the rules for growing crops are observed and a favorable microclimate prevails, and there are no accompanying symptoms of diseases and insect parasitism on the leaves, then it is worth considering, maybe curling leaf is a varietal feature of tomato? For example, many indeterminate tomatoes have thin and heavily cut leaves that curl slightly inward. Some varieties of cherry tomatoes also have this feature, so if tomatoes of such varieties as "Fatima" (photo above), "Honey Drop" or "Oxhart" grow in the greenhouse, then you should not be upset when you see twisted leaves, since such a sign is the norm for the plant.
