Curling leafs on tomato plants -- cause? -- remedy?

May 27, 2012

I have six different varieties of tomato plants in 10 gallon containers which were planted tthree weeks ago. This morning I noticed the leafs were bginning to curl on three of the plants (two of the plants have begin to blossom). Any advice on the the cause and possible remedy would be greatly appreciated.

dpurdy · May 27, 2012

FrankT,
If you could post a picture of your problem plants, a better analysis of your problem could be given. There a many reasons for a plant to curl it's leaves. Some can be a problem and some may not. Also if you post some pictures, be sure to list your watering and fertilizing schedule. The more info that you post along with a description of your problem will get you better results from members on Tomatov'ille.
DP

grow24122 · May 27, 2012

When I grew my Tomato seedling when I over watered them the leave would curl so be sure your pots have good drain holes and water only if your soil is dry a couple of inches down. This may not be your problem so some picture may help. Good luck

Tania · May 28, 2012

Leaf roll on tomato plants occur when they are stressed. The stress could be a result of too hot or too cold temps, too much water, or too dry, or too much fertilizer.

peebee · May 28, 2012

Aren't leaf "curl" and "roll" two different things? To me, a curl means when the leaf looks like a fiddle fern shape, the entire leaf usually curling downward. A roll implies the leaf's outer edges rolling inward towards the center, no?

So would you say its definitely a curl, and if so, down or up?

Either way, its stress of some sort but I think we have to clarify for FrankT by what is meant by these 2 words. I think in other posts I have read that the curling is often a sign of damage from Roundup, perhaps drifting on the wind from a neighboring property. The rolling is maybe heat stress? I am not an expert but I have seen the rolling, and it usually goes away after I water well after a very hot day. For the first time ever, I have 2 plants with the downward curl, very mystified till I read about it here in T'Ville. No other surrounding plants have it, but the 2 are still going strong despite the curls.

amideutch · May 28, 2012

Frank, What varieties are curling? Anything unusual going on with the weather? Have you made any fertilizer/insecticide applications to the plants and if so when. Are your containers top watered or SWC's (Self watering containers)? Ami

May 28, 2012

First, a Happy Memorial Day to all, and secondly thank you for your replies to my post.

I think peebee somewhat clarified the situation for me by pointing out the difference between leaf "roll" and leaf "curl". My plants seem to be experiencing leaf "roll". I'm sorry, but I am unable to show pictures of the problem.

The three plants showing the symptons are Big Beef, Jet Star, and Sun Gold. The San Marzano, Health Kick, and Supersweet 100 are showing no sign of the problem.

As mentioned in my original post, my plants are planted in 10-gallon containers, with Pro-Mix BX used for the planting medium, and top-watered. I fertilized with Tomato-Tone two weeks after planting with the reccomended amount of 3 Tbls. per plant. Also, I have sprayed twice for what appears to be flea beetles.

I have watered daily in the a.m hours, however,
my area of Pennsylvania has experienced quite a bit of rainfall over the the past ten days. From the replies I've received, it seems to be over-watering could be the problem.

Any additional thoughts?

kath · May 28, 2012

Also in PA and growing lots of varieties for the past two years, I've seen a lot of leaf roll and it seems to bother some varieties more than others even though all get the same treatment. Often the leaves just stayed that way for the season- usually the lower ones. It doesn't seem to interfere with fruit production. There are so many possible causes that it's diffucult to pinpoint the problem so I would just ignore it if it's not leaf curl.

Flea beetles are very common here, too, and usually just affect the bottom leaves. They don't transmit any disease I know of so I don't spray for them- but I squish the slower, distracted ones.

kath

Doug9345 · May 28, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by kath

They don't transmit any disease I know of so I don't spray for them- but I squish the slower, distracted ones.

kath

You do realize you are selecting for the faster more alert ones.

kath · May 28, 2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug9345

You do realize you are selecting for the faster more alert ones.

Yeah, I was hoping no one would notice that.

It makes me feel better to kill some and I think you can sneak up on any of them if conditions are right.

Crandrew · May 28, 2012

You water daily in the am hours? Downs that seem like a lot. Have you tested to see if you are overwatering?

May 27, 2012	#1
FrankT Guest Posts: n/a	Curling leafs on tomato plants -- cause? -- remedy? I have six different varieties of tomato plants in 10 gallon containers which were planted tthree weeks ago. This morning I noticed the leafs were bginning to curl on three of the plants (two of the plants have begin to blossom). Any advice on the the cause and possible remedy would be greatly appreciated.

May 28, 2012	#4
Tania Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anmore, BC, Canada Posts: 3,970	Leaf roll on tomato plants occur when they are stressed. The stress could be a result of too hot or too cold temps, too much water, or too dry, or too much fertilizer. __________________ Tatiana's TOMATObase

May 28, 2012	#6
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	Frank, What varieties are curling? Anything unusual going on with the weather? Have you made any fertilizer/insecticide applications to the plants and if so when. Are your containers top watered or SWC's (Self watering containers)? Ami __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!'

May 28, 2012	#7
FrankT Guest Posts: n/a	Curling leaves ... First, a Happy Memorial Day to all, and secondly thank you for your replies to my post. I think peebee somewhat clarified the situation for me by pointing out the difference between leaf "roll" and leaf "curl". My plants seem to be experiencing leaf "roll". I'm sorry, but I am unable to show pictures of the problem. The three plants showing the symptons are Big Beef, Jet Star, and Sun Gold. The San Marzano, Health Kick, and Supersweet 100 are showing no sign of the problem. As mentioned in my original post, my plants are planted in 10-gallon containers, with Pro-Mix BX used for the planting medium, and top-watered. I fertilized with Tomato-Tone two weeks after planting with the reccomended amount of 3 Tbls. per plant. Also, I have sprayed twice for what appears to be flea beetles. I have watered daily in the a.m hours, however, my area of Pennsylvania has experienced quite a bit of rainfall over the the past ten days. From the replies I've received, it seems to be over-watering could be the problem. Any additional thoughts?

May 27, 2012	#2
dpurdy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Norwich, New York Posts: 255	FrankT, If you could post a picture of your problem plants, a better analysis of your problem could be given. There a many reasons for a plant to curl it's leaves. Some can be a problem and some may not. Also if you post some pictures, be sure to list your watering and fertilizing schedule. The more info that you post along with a description of your problem will get you better results from members on Tomatov'ille. DP

May 27, 2012	#3
grow24122 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: virginia Posts: 14	When I grew my Tomato seedling when I over watered them the leave would curl so be sure your pots have good drain holes and water only if your soil is dry a couple of inches down. This may not be your problem so some picture may help. Good luck

May 28, 2012	#5
peebee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Southern CA Posts: 1,714	Aren't leaf "curl" and "roll" two different things? To me, a curl means when the leaf looks like a fiddle fern shape, the entire leaf usually curling downward. A roll implies the leaf's outer edges rolling inward towards the center, no? So would you say its definitely a curl, and if so, down or up? Either way, its stress of some sort but I think we have to clarify for FrankT by what is meant by these 2 words. I think in other posts I have read that the curling is often a sign of damage from Roundup, perhaps drifting on the wind from a neighboring property. The rolling is maybe heat stress? I am not an expert but I have seen the rolling, and it usually goes away after I water well after a very hot day. For the first time ever, I have 2 plants with the downward curl, very mystified till I read about it here in T'Ville. No other surrounding plants have it, but the 2 are still going strong despite the curls.

May 28, 2012	#8
kath Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: zone 6b, PA Posts: 5,664	Also in PA and growing lots of varieties for the past two years, I've seen a lot of leaf roll and it seems to bother some varieties more than others even though all get the same treatment. Often the leaves just stayed that way for the season- usually the lower ones. It doesn't seem to interfere with fruit production. There are so many possible causes that it's diffucult to pinpoint the problem so I would just ignore it if it's not leaf curl. Flea beetles are very common here, too, and usually just affect the bottom leaves. They don't transmit any disease I know of so I don't spray for them- but I squish the slower, distracted ones. kath

May 28, 2012	#11
Crandrew Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: asdf Posts: 1,202	You water daily in the am hours? Downs that seem like a lot. Have you tested to see if you are overwatering?