Very often, during the ripening period of the tomatoes, yellowing and drying of the lower leaves of the plants is observed. At first, it is completely unclear why this is happening. After all, tomatoes were provided with sufficient watering, and bird droppings were introduced into the soil in optimal quantities.
To combat this, you need to try to figure out why the lower leaves of the tomato turn yellow.
If the old lower leaves turned yellow earlier than others and the color of the leaf plate has completely changed, and not just the veins where we
find a description of this phenomenon? Of course, botany will tell you that the reason lies in the lack of nutrients, namely nitrogen.
Ah, fragrant tomatoes! Their lower leaves turn yellow, but this does not happen with new ones. Is there any need to worry? No, worrying too much about this is completely optional.
Perhaps grown too "fat" and solid seedlings tomato. The lower leaves turn yellow because it has grown a little. When transplanting from pots to a greenhouse, in this case, the root system of tomatoes is a dense ball. Too often, it is this kind of seedling that needs more time to adapt to new conditions. Therefore it is not necessary to be surprised that at bushes of tomatoes leaves begin to turn yellow, from the lower to the top. This is due to the onset of the development of diseases and the death of overgrown roots.
And why the lower leaves of a tomato turn yellow? This phenomenon can cause
fusarium wilt. It talks about a dangerous fungal disease that tomatoes often get sick. It can be identified by wilted leaves that have lost turgor. Looking at them, one would think that the plants for two weeks were not watered. This disease is caused by soil fungi, which are able to live in the land for a long time. It is because of them that tomato productivity is significantly reduced.
Spores of such fungi spread through the wind. High temperature is also considered a favorable factor, since the disease affects a large number of plants precisely in hot weather.
Why lower leaves? Not only the lower ones turn yellow in a tomato. In fact, every plant has a risk of being affected by this disease, regardless of age: both at the time when the tomatoes are seedlings, and at the stage of growing in a greenhouse or in a greenhouse, and when cultivated in
open ground.
The plant is affected by the disease through the root system. Then the disease passes to the stem. The mycelium grows and disrupts the vascular system of the plant. The disease develops and the plant weakens. There are times when water and nutrients simply do not enter the leaves. There is a serious growth retardation, accompanied by yellowing of the leaves.
Now we know why the lower leaves of the tomato turn yellow. And one more small nuance. When the seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place, the first part of the leaves turns yellow and dies first. Then the disease spreads to the upper areas and the plant completely dies.
But if the tomatoes have a minimal lesion scale, then by the end of the summer they will have a few small fruits. They will reach the maturity stage ahead of time.