Many vegetable growers are faced with a problem such as leaf curl in a tomato. It seems that only proven seeds are bought, seedling care is carried out in compliance with all the rules ... But then only the hot summer comes, and then the problems with seemingly healthy plants begin. Still, for no reason, tomatoes cannot get sick, so you should understand and identify the causes of a sudden deterioration in their appearance. Moreover, the future harvest depends on it.
The causes
of leaf curl in tomatoes can be found in unbalanced top dressing. Gardeners fertilize seedlings with nitrogen and organic fertilizers, while forgetting about phosphorus, potassium and zinc. With phosphorus starvation, the top of the plant becomes grayish in color, violet-red streaks appear. With a lack of potassium, the leaves curl up, the growth point dies off, the fruits, without ripening, are covered with apical rot. The bush itself becomes small, necrosis quickly develops on it. The leaves turn pale and then turn brown. An excess of zinc is easy to recognize by rolling down old shoots. Twisting the leaves of a tomato can also indicate a deficiency of sulfur, copper and boron.
This phenomenon can only be tackled with the introduction of complex, well-balanced fertilizers, such as Mortar or Potassium Monophosphate. Do not add a large amount of slurry or insufficiently decayed manure to the soil, since an excess of ammonia often provokes damage to the fruit and a burn of the leaves. Oddly enough, excessive watering can harm tomatoes. Of course, it is necessary to monitor soil moisture, the main thing is not to overdo it.
Abnormal heat also causes the leaves to curl in the tomato, and it does not matter where the seedlings grow - in the greenhouse or in the open ground. In May-June, it happens that the earth has not yet warmed up, while during the day it is quite hot, and it gets colder at night. Such temperature changes negatively affect plants, because the accumulation of nutrients is significantly slowed down, but their decay is accelerated. In this case, it is necessary to ventilate the greenhouse, create drafts, shade seedlings, covering it from the scorching sun.
If the twisting of the leaves of a tomato is a consequence of the high temperature, then to
remove stress, you can spray the bushes with urea (1.5 tbsp of fertilizer is added to 10 liters of water). After a couple of days, it is worth processing the tomatoes with
potassium permanganate - after that the tops will straighten out. If all the rules for growing vegetables are observed, and twisting is still observed, then the reason most likely lies in the bacterial infection with which the seeds were infected. It is impossible to cure it, but everyone can stop the spread of the disease. To do this, you should use the drug "Avixil" or something similar.
Various pests also often attack tomatoes. Seedlings (leaf curls can be observed in young plants) can be affected by aphids or other insects. The problem itself will not be resolved, so you should immediately buy a special drug for pest control and spray the bushes. The choice can be stopped at Fufanon, Biotlin, Alatara, etc.