Tomato seedlings are bent leaves. Causes of twisting of the upper leaves in tomatoes. fungus disinfection

Often gardeners observe such a phenomenon as twisting the leaves of tomatoes.

What could be the reason, we will find out in today's article.

Too little or too much moisture

One of the reasons why tomato leaves curl inward is lack or excess of moisture. When thirsty, the plant, in order not to die, evaporates a smaller amount of moisture, while the leaves are twisted inward with a boat. To help the plant, it is enough to water the plant often, but little by little.

paradox, but overflow- the second reason why the leaves of tomatoes are twisted. Plants can suffer even due to heavy natural rainfall, in this case the leaves curl up. If the plant suffers from stagnant moisture in the soil, it is necessary to work on loosening the soil so that moisture seeps out faster.

high air temperature

To the question that often worries gardeners, why do tomatoes curl leaves in a greenhouse, the answer is quite simple. The most basic reason is unsatisfactory temperature conditions. The lower layers of the soil are usually always much colder than the heated surfaces, so it is necessary to balance the temperature by ventilating the greenhouses.

If the leaves on the tomatoes began to curl in open ground conditions, the heat bothers them. This usually occurs when the temperature rises above 35 °C. Such heat provokes an accelerated decay of useful elements, the plant cannot fully assimilate them, starvation sets in and, as a result, the leaves dry, curl, and may even fly around the color. To save tomatoes from such stress, spray them with urea: one and a half tablespoons per 10 liters of water. After three to four days, treat with potassium permanganate.

Pinching errors

A fairly common reason why tomato leaves curl inward is incorrectly carried out pasynkovanie. The procedure should be carried out once or twice a week, if done less frequently, waiting for thickets, the plant will get stressed due to the large number of removed shoots.

Important! It is desirable to carry out pinching on sunny days: so the wounds heal faster. If the weather is cloudy all the time and you have to stepchild without the sun, after the procedure, treat the sections with wood ash.

Proper pinching involves removing stepsons first from healthy bushes, leaving weak and suspicious-looking ones for later, thus avoiding tomato diseases and twisting leaves due to them.
The plant will help to cope with the stress transferred as a result of pinching foliar fertilizer biostimulator.

Did you know? A study of the composition of tomatoes showed the presence of the substance lycopene in them. The human body is not able to produce this substance, which is bad, since this element, being an antioxidant, supports the functioning of the cardiovascular system and is a means of preventing cancer. According to scientists, regular consumption of fresh tomatoes or sauces from them significantly reduces the risk of cancer.

Wrong feeding

Watering is normal, we stepchild according to the rules, the temperature is acceptable - why do tomatoes still have leaves twisting? The whole thing can be in top dressing, an excess or deficiency of any element will provoke painful reactions in tomatoes.

An excess of zinc is manifested in the purple color of the lower part of the leaf plate and the twisting of the edges. Too much manganese will cause too bright leaf color and wrinkled surface.

Curling the leaves of tomato seedlings down indicates a lack of sulfur, copper or boron. If the leaves are bent edges up - they lack calcium, with a lack of phosphorus, in addition to twisting, the leaves take on a gray tint. To avoid unpleasant consequences, make balanced complex formulations, for example, potassium monophosphate or Mortar.

Root system damage

Why do the leaves of tomato seedlings curl and what to do about it? The reason may be that the seedlings have overgrown, and during transplantation, the roots that have grown too much have been damaged. You do not need to do anything with this, you should give the seedlings the opportunity to recover, stop feeding. Now it is important for the plant to strengthen and heal the root system, and not develop a deciduous mass, therefore, as soon as the roots recover, the leaves will return to normal.

Interesting! Tomato juice is an excellent marinade for barbecue. Tomato fruits contain acids that are safe for the human body and tend to soften food tissues.

Tomato pests

Immediately upon detection of pests, treat the tomatoes by spraying. For this, drugs such as Alatar, Biotlin, Fufanon are suitable. Folk methods are also effective against insects: an infusion of marigolds, an infusion of onion gruel with husks, and others.

It is difficult to get a good harvest when the upper leaves of the tomatoes are twisted during the growth process. Such leaf plates absorb the minimum amount of light energy from the sun, which, in turn, adversely affects photosynthesis and, ultimately, the development of culture.

Leaf curl occurs not only in tomato seedlings, but also in adult plants.

Common causes of leaf curl

Leaf curl occurs not only in tomato seedlings, but also in adult plants. However, you should not be afraid of this. You just need to understand the causes of the disease.

It is important to understand that not always what is happening is associated with infectious diseases. This may simply be a feature of a particular variety, reacting in this way to a non-standard situation. For example, intense heat in the daytime (+30…+35°C and above) forces the plant to respond by twisting its leaf top, thereby reducing the area of evaporation. And in the evening, when the heat subsides, the leaves of the tomatoes straighten out and remain in this state until the next high-temperature stress.

Of course, you can do nothing, the plant will cope with the misfortune on its own. However, it is still better to help him. For this purpose it is necessary:

organize frequent ventilation;
periodically arrange drafts;
increase humidity by spraying moisture into the air;
shade the roof of the greenhouse, covering it with non-woven material - panbond or lutrasil, and to enhance the effect, periodically pour it (material) with cold water from a hose;
using the same covering material, provide a shadow for planting a tomato;
using a white non-woven fabric, hay or straw, cover a dark layer of mulch laid on the beds;
select varieties that are most resistant to heat and cold.

Or another example, when tomato leaves are twisted into a tube - a sharp temperature drop. If during the day the sun fries, as in the desert, and at night the mercury column drops to + 6 ° C, then the plant reacts accordingly.

Therefore, in the daytime, one should act by analogy with the previous situation, but at night, in order to save vegetables from hypothermia, it is necessary to close all doors and windows.

You should also add potassium fertilizer. It strengthens the plant, increases resistance to disease, frost and drought, makes it stronger and stronger.

What else affects twisting

In addition, one should not get carried away with organics and nitrogen fertilizers when the minerals contained in the soil - phosphorus, potassium and zinc - are in minimal quantities. The surplus of some and the lack of other elements entails the twisting of the leaves. And although the tomatoes will show a thick green mass, you should still not expect good offspring from them.

To correct this situation, tomatoes must be fed with a balanced diet containing a sufficient amount of basic minerals, or use a complex fertilizer.

The negative impact on the culture in the form of twisting of the leaf crown is manifested not only from the belated and excessive pinching, but also from the abundant pruning of the leaves. This leads to an imbalance between the ground part and the root system of the plant.

As a rule, such a process should be carried out in the 2nd half of the period necessary for the development of the plant. Overgrown stepchildren should be removed when their length reaches 5-7 cm, and no more than 2-3 leaves per week should be cut.

It is important to understand that what is happening is not always associated with infectious diseases.

The tops of tomatoes can curl due to lack of moisture.. Tomatoes love water. However, it takes a lot of it to reach roots deep in the ground. Therefore, watering in small batches, even if it is frequent, will not quench the thirst of the plant.

But here's the paradox: an excess of water also causes the leaves to curl. Why?

Access to the roots of oxygen and nutrients is difficult.
Rot develops, the roots begin to die.
Shoots grow.

The tops of tomatoes can curl due to lack of moisture.

The best option: water the tomatoes rarely, but plentifully and without excessive overflow. Proper watering should be done 1 time in 3 days on open beds and at least 1 time per week on mulched ones. If the weather is hot, you need to irrigate every evening, and if it is cool, every other day.

Diseases of tomatoes

The situation when the upper leaves on tomatoes curled into a tube may indicate that the plants are affected by infectious diseases caused by pathogens.

They are conditionally divided into the following groups:

fungal;
viral;
bacterial.

The most harmful and dangerous among them are bacterial black spot, late blight, tobacco mosaic viruses and leaf curl.

The most effective therapeutic measures against these diseases are the obligatory and careful observance of all agronomic practices used in the cultivation of tomatoes, as well as the implementation of preventive measures to protect against infections.

Unfortunately, if the plant is already infected, it should be destroyed immediately and the soil disinfected.

Pests, for example, aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites, also contribute to this ignoble deed. When they are detected, the plant must undergo insecticidal treatment with special systemic preparations.

In tomatoes with deformed leaves, photosynthesis is disrupted, they do not receive enough nutrition, so it is not necessary to count on a stable and healthy crop. When a plant with curled leaves is found, you need to quickly find out the cause and only then take the necessary measures. Of course, this is not an entirely simple matter, but one should not give up either.

The question of why the leaves of tomato seedlings curl is often asked by both beginners and experienced gardeners. The problem is not uncommon and can occur even if you do everything according to the rules. It is necessary to understand the cause and find ways to get rid of this condition.

The problem is not uncommon and can occur even if you do everything according to the rules

Lack of moisture or excessive dampness

Lack of moisture is the main reason that the leaves of seedlings curl down. Watering requires moderate, but regular. Moisten seedlings sparingly. Do this on sunny days in the morning. Pour out enough water to soak the entire earthen ball, and immediately drain the excess from the pan, as an excess of moisture can lead to other problems.

The leaves may curl down if the seedlings are exposed to direct sunlight. In this case, shade the landings with tulle or transfer to another place. The best option for landing landings is a window of western or eastern orientation.

As soon as the tomato seedlings grow enough and get stronger (about 7-10 days after the appearance of the cotyledons), water it with a solution with a special preparation so that the seedlings are not susceptible to diseases. Energen can be added to water for irrigation. For 1 liter of water, use 5-6 drops, stir the solution, pour it over the soil in the container and spray the seedlings.

Lack of moisture is the main reason that the leaves of the seedlings are twisted.

Along with the lack of moisture, its excess can also be the reason why the seedlings begin to curl the leaves. Only in this case they twist up. The use of loose soil and drainage when planting seeds will help to avoid this problem. In addition, in the container for planting seedlings, there must be drainage holes through which excess water will be removed, and the roots will be aerated.

If leaf blades are curled down at seedlings grown on a windowsill, under which a heating battery is located, then the problem may arise due to high air temperature or dryness. Cover radiators with a damp towel. This method will not only reduce the temperature, but also humidify the air.

Damage to seedlings by pests

Red spider mites, whiteflies and aphids can attack tender seedlings. Insects settle on the underside of the leaves and suck the juices from the tomatoes, as a result of which the leaves of the plants twist and turn yellow.

Examine the plant. Ifspots appearedon the leaves, they turned pale, began to curl, and pest colonies are visible on the underside of the leaf blades, immediately treat the seedlings with one of the preparations:

Actellik;
Akarin;
Karbofos;
Aktara.

Clean the leaves and shoots from pests with a cotton swab dipped in soapy water, and then spray the seedlings with a solution whose concentration is 2 times less than that indicated in the instructions.

Also, folk remedies will help in the fight against insect pests: an infusion of onion peel or celandine. They should carefully treat all parts of the plant, especially those located below the affected leaves. After 5-7 days, the procedure is recommended to be repeated.

Sometimes leaf curl is a varietal feature of some hybrids. For example, varieties have such a feature:

Leaf curl does not appear as a result of a disease or a mistake made when caring for seedlings. Watch the tomato seedlings. If on all plants the leaf blades are thin and equally twisted downwards, then you should not worry.

Nutrient deficiency

Tomatoes require a lot of nutrients to grow well. Healthy seedlings are strong, not elongated, with bright green leaf blades. You should water the seedlings with a solution of ammonium nitrate or add a little urea. Make the solution at half the dose indicated on the package. You can also sprinkle a pinch of fertilizer on the soil and pour warm water over it.

If the seedlings have acquired a purple hue, then the plants suffer from a lack of phosphorus. In this case, seedlings should be watered in combination with superphosphate (this is the most affordable phosphate fertilizer). Watering tomatoes that are lagging behind in development, in combination with top dressing, spend every 10 days. Tomatoes also respond very well to foliar feeding (after watering, spray the seedlings with a solution of fertilizers).

Along with the lack of moisture, its excess can also be the reason why the seedlings begin to curl the leaves.

Other manifestations of nutritional deficiencies:

with a lack of boron, young leaves curl and brighten;
if the seedling lacks zinc, then not only the leaves, but also the tops of the shoots are bent down, moreover, they become brittle and rough;
twisting the leaves into a tube and shortening of the shoots are signs of sulfur and copper deficiency;
with iron deficiency, the leaves become thin, yellow and droopy.

Such problems are easier to prevent than to get rid of them, so it is recommended to apply top dressing immediately after picking seedlings.

Estimate

Sometimes gardeners observe the phenomenon that tomato leaves begin to curl down. This may be a signal of plant disease, pest attack or improper care. You need to know exactly why tomato leaves curl down, and how to deal with it properly.

The causes of leaf curl are not always a deviation in plant growth. For example, if the leaf takes the shape of a chicken foot, this means that the vein grows faster than the leaf plate. In some varieties, curled leaves are their individual characteristic.

However, this phenomenon can be caused by improper care, lack or excess of fertilizer, pests and other factors. To understand why the leaves of a tomato curl down and how to fix this problem, it is necessary to consider in detail each possible factor in the development of the disease.

Lack of substances (phosphorus, boron, sulfur, copper, zinc)

The lack of required minerals in the soil leads to pathological changes in the plant.

What exactly the tomato lacks can be seen from the leaf deformations:

Lack of phosphorus - the leaf becomes gray, the veins turn red.
Boron - young leaves begin to curl, and old ones turn yellow.
Sulfur - only young leaves are affected, after a week, dead spots appear on them.
Copper - all sheets are affected within a week, the ends and petioles undergo necrosis.
Zinc - only old sheets suffer. The edges fade, turn purple.

The above reasons do not occur immediately, but 10-20 days after the ripening of the first fruits. It is easy to fix the problem, it is enough to fertilize the soil with special bioadditives containing the required minerals. It is recommended to use potash and nitrogen fertilizers (30 g per 10 liters of water).

An excess of mineral fertilizers

Violation of agricultural cultivation is fraught with unpleasant consequences, including twisting the roots down. For example, overfeeding with nitrogen-containing fertilizers is aggressive on the plant, the leaf plate is twisted into a ring.

The leaf becomes brittle, acquires an uncharacteristic, bright green color. To normalize the situation, it is necessary to add phosphorus-potassium fertilizers to the soil (15 g is diluted in 8 liters of water).

If there is enough phosphorus in the soil, it is enough to water the plant only with potassium fertilizer. This excess of mineral fertilizers will not harm the tomato.

Root damage during transplantation

Improper transplantation is another reason for the occurrence of this phenomenon. When transplanting, the main thing is not to damage the roots through which nutrients enter the plant.

If the roots have been damaged, the seedlings become deficient in the required components, which eventually leads to the curling of the leaves down. The problem goes away on its own when the roots completely regenerate.

varietal trait

Some varieties of tomatoes are characterized by twisted leaves. You need to know which varieties of tomatoes have an unusual leaf plate structure:

"Fatima";
"Oxheart";
"Honey drop";
other varieties of small tomatoes;

Twisted leaves do not act as a pathology, but are only a characteristic feature of the varieties described above.

Changing environmental conditions

Tomato leaves react painfully to changes in the environment. Heavy rains, like drought, can negatively affect the plant. You can determine the original problem by the state and appearance of the sheet.

As a rule, only in situations dangerous for seedlings, the leaves form a tube. They take the form of a boat, dry and curl up. Consider the main factors affecting the development of the plant.

Low humidity

The lack of moisture adversely affects any plant, including tomatoes. Gardeners, due to being busy, cannot always devote time to their own garden and, counting on rain, endure watering tomatoes. However, the leaves curl down even with abundant watering. Why is this happening and what to do?

When watering in small portions, water penetrates the soil a few centimeters. This is enough to saturate only the upper roots of the plant.

Otherwise, the incoming water spreads on the sides and the necessary moisture does not reach the central root. To solve this problem, it is enough to water early in the morning and late in the evening, or water slowly, waiting until the first portion of water has been absorbed by the plant.

Too much moisture

Seasonal rains are not uncommon in summer, especially in the tropical climate zone. A person is not able to regulate weather precipitation, and excess moisture is adversely displayed on the plant.

When planting seedlings, you need to make loose soil and place tomatoes in it. Dense soil practically does not absorb moisture, as a result, water will stand at the roots and base of the plant. Tomatoes will begin to lack oxygen, the roots will succumb to decay and the plant will die.

Heat

Hot summers are not always good for plants. Tomato belongs to heat-loving plants, however, an excess of heat provokes some deviations.

As soon as the temperature rises (at the lunch zenith of the sun), the tomato leaves are twisted into a tube. This is due to the fact that the twisted sheet reduces its area and the heat exerts less pressure on it. But this problem is easily solved. Pay attention to the tomato in the evening. With the onset of coolness, the sheets take their usual shape.

But it is recommended to take appropriate measures. It is necessary to build a hinged structure covered with white agrofibre. Thus, during the daytime, the plants will receive heat, but not be exposed to direct sunlight.

Wrong watering

Experienced gardeners know how improper watering can harm a plant. A lack of moisture leads to the drying of seedlings, and an excess of moisture leads to rotting. Tomato leaves also suffer.

If watered incorrectly, the leaves curl down and turn yellow or gray (due to lack of moisture) or turn dark green and curl up (due to excess water). How to water the plant correctly?

Every day, early in the morning, it is necessary to make the first watering. Of course, tomatoes are saturated with morning dew, but this is not enough for them to survive the heat of the day. In the evening, after the onset of coolness, you need to water a second time.

Overfeeding

Feeding the plant is carried out from the very beginning of cultivation until the appearance of the first fruits. However, you need to know the fine measure between the norm and the overabundance.

With excessive fertilization with nitrogen, the leaves curl down and become brittle. From a light touch, the sheet may burst. Moreover, an excess of nitrogen fertilizer does not allow phosphorus and potassium to seep to the roots of the tomato and all the nutrients are absorbed into the stem, which leads to oversaturation.

Pests

Leaf curl occurs not only in violation of agricultural cultivation. Natural factors, including diseases and insect pests, can provoke this phenomenon.

The category of harmful organisms includes languid and black aphids, whiteflies. These pests affect not only the leaves, but also the stem, and sometimes the roots of the plant. To prevent their further development, you need to treat the plant with a special poison (in reasonable quantities). Fufanon, Biotlin, Avexin are used.

thin leaf virus

It manifests itself in hot summers or with excessive lighting of the greenhouse. Plants are not endangered, but absolutely all leaves are curled down. The end result is sluggish, tasteless fruits.

To prevent this, it is necessary to spray the leaves with a solution of potassium permanganate and urea (5-8 g of each substance per 7 liters of water). If it does not help, it is recommended to isolate or dig out the affected bush.

Tomato bacteriosis

Photo of the disease:

The disease occurs in the early stages of seedling growth. Initially, the leaves curl inward into a tube, some fall off. Over time, they begin to turn yellow and gray spots appear on them.

Unfortunately, this problem cannot be cured, the bush must be removed. To prevent tomato bacteriosis, before planting seeds, you need to pickle them.

Wrong stepson

Pasynkovanie - stress for the plant. It is strictly forbidden to pinch tomatoes that have not reached a length of 5 centimeters. If you delay this process, the leaves will begin to curl into a funnel, and in the future they will fall off.

To avoid this, it is necessary to feed with fertilizers (potash and nitrogen - 30 g per 10 liters of water). This will affect the yield, but the bush will not die.

The leaf blades of a tomato do not curl so rarely; a similar phenomenon can be observed annually both in protected and open ground. More often, the leaves curl only on individual bushes or even branches of tomato bushes, and sometimes a similar phenomenon is observed almost throughout the entire plantation. Why do plastic sheets curl in tomatoes, how to solve this problem and how to prevent the repetition of this phenomenon next year? We will talk about all this in this article.

Rolling tomato leaves. © Richard Smith

1. Damage to tomato roots

Leaf blades of tomatoes can begin to curl immediately after planting seedlings in the ground or in a greenhouse. This is usually due to damage to the roots during transplanting seedlings. In this case, it is difficult for seedlings to help with something, with enough nutrition and moisture in the soil, you need to leave the plants alone, and after 4-5 days the leaf blades should return to normal.

2. Wrong watering of tomatoes

This is perhaps the most common reason for leaves to curl. Everyone probably knows that tomatoes love an abundance of moisture, but these plants need to be watered not from time to time, taking long breaks, but regularly. Just a violation of the doses of water, the timing of irrigation, the frequency of soil moisture and can lead to trouble in the form of twisting of the leaf blades.

So, for example, tomatoes are especially in need of moisture immediately after planting seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse, that is, in a permanent place. During this period, 4-5 liters of water should be poured under them. Further, repeated watering can be carried out 9-11 days after the first, 6-8 liters of water can be poured under each bush.

In the future, watering of tomatoes should be carried out in the greenhouse regularly - once or twice a week, depending on whether it is hot or cool in it, and in open ground - depending on the presence or absence of natural moisture (rain). If there is no rain, then watering should be carried out every week, pouring 5-7 liters of water under the bush, but if it rains periodically, then watering may not be needed.

During the formation of the ovaries and the beginning of fruiting, the tomato watering should be increased by a third, but again, you should look at the weather.

With a lack of moisture, the leaf blades of the tomato begin to curl inward, thus the plants protect themselves by minimizing the amount of moisture evaporated. If you notice this, then you need to quickly start watering the soil, but you should not pour out a lot of water at once, it is better to pour 1.5-2 liters of water at room temperature for a week every day, until the state of the leaf blades normalizes.

If, on the contrary, there is a lot of moisture in the soil, then the leaves of the tomatoes will curl up with their edges, the plant thus enhances the evaporation of moisture. Here you need to immediately stop watering and do not moisten the soil for 10-15 days.

Do not forget that it is better to water the tomatoes in the morning or in the evening to avoid curling the leaf blades. Don't water your plants in the middle of the day, especially if it's hot and the sun is shining brightly. For irrigation, use settled water at room temperature.

3. High temperature

Violation of the temperature regime when growing a tomato in a greenhouse or intense heat when growing in an open field can also cause twisting of leaf blades in these plants. So, in a greenhouse for a tomato, you need to create conditions with a temperature of +21 to +23 degrees during the day and from +17 to +19 degrees at night.

When the temperature rises above +30 degrees, the plants begin to experience temperature stress. At the same time, in addition to twisting the leaf blades of tomatoes, a drop of flowers and ovaries can also be observed. In the greenhouse, you can lower the temperature by opening the doors and vents, but at the same time you need to ventilate the room in parts, without creating drafts. In the event that the greenhouse is designed in such a way that it does not have vents, then in order to lower the temperature, it can be whitewashed inside or covered with a white cloth.

In open ground, you can try to shade the plants, increase the watering of tomatoes in the evening and morning, and additionally add nitroammophoska in the amount of 15-20 g per square meter dissolved in water. In addition, the aisles should be mulched with hay, straw or covered with non-woven covering material in white or light color.

With a strong twisting of the leaf blades of tomatoes from the heat, you can try to eliminate this problem by applying foliar dressings, that is, spraying the plants located both in the greenhouse and on the site with an aqueous solution of urea (one and a half tablespoons per bucket of water, the norm is 8-10 plants). After three days, you can carry out another foliar top dressing, but this time with potassium sulfate, dissolving 8-10 g of fertilizer in a bucket of water, the norm for 10-12 plants.

4. Too much or too little fertilizer

Without fertilizers, a good harvest of tomatoes cannot be obtained, many people know this, but some, because of fear of harming the plants, make them too little, while others, wanting to get the maximum yield, make them too much. Both of these lead to curling of the leaf blades of the tomato.

So, with an excess of zinc in the soil, the edges of the tomato leaf blade begin to bend. This can be confused with similar symptoms with a lack or excess of moisture, however, with an excess of zinc in the soil, the lower part of the tomato plants becomes not typical for these plants, purple in color.

With an excess of manganese in the soil, tomato leaves first curl, and then wrinkle and become bright green.

With an excess of nitrogen in the soil, the leaf blades of plants begin to curl, usually at the top of the plants. To neutralize the effect of nitrogen, potassium sulfate (8-10 g per square meter) or wood ash (50-80 g for each plant) must be added to the soil into the previously loosened and watered soil.

With a lack of elements, for example, calcium, the foliage of tomatoes begins to twist upwards, this state of the leaf blades is often accompanied by the appearance of blossom end rot on the fruits. If the excess of zinc and manganese is rather difficult to eliminate, then the lack of calcium can be easily dealt with by adding calcium nitrate to the soil. To do this, approximately 18-22 g of calcium nitrate should be dissolved in a bucket of water, adding 350-400 g of wood ash and 8-12 g of urea to the solution. This solution is enough for 3-4 square meters of soil under tomatoes.

With a lack of phosphorus, the leaves of tomatoes also curl, but at the same time become grayish. In order to quickly restore the flow of phosphorus into the plants, you need to add an aqueous solution to the soil, diluting 80-90 g of superphosphate in a bucket of water, this is the norm for 3-4 square meters of a bed occupied by tomatoes.

With copper deficiency, tomato leaf blades, in addition to being curled, also acquire an atypical yellow color, sometimes covered with yellowish spots, which may subsequently begin to turn black. They will help restore the balance of copper treatment with copper-containing preparations - "HOM", "Oxyx" and the like.

5. Lack of pinching

Pinching is the removal of side shoots, if it is not carried out, then the tomato plant will begin to branch actively. This leads to too dense plantings, the plants will form a lot of leaf mass, which is usually twisted.

It is often difficult to correct this situation, especially if the plants are severely neglected, so you need to stepson tomatoes at a young age, when they endure this operation as painlessly as possible.

And remember, it is better to break out stepchildren, and not cut them out and do it in the morning, when the plants are in turgor. The length of the stepchildren should be no more than five centimeters.

6. Diseases of tomatoes

Quite often, tomato leaf blades curl due to various diseases. The most actively developing various kinds of diseases in thickened plantations, in areas where crop rotation is not observed, where plants are watered excessively, and the soil is not loosened.

Stolbur

With this disease, the leaf blades of tomatoes, especially in the upper part of the plant, are usually twisted and deformed, while they change color to pinkish or purple. In the lower part of the plant, the leaves usually turn yellow. It is best to fight stolbur with the help of the drug "Fitoplasmin", this is the most effective drug. For spraying plants, you need to prepare a solution in strict accordance with the instructions on the package.

Bacterial cancer of tomatoes

When tomato plants are affected by bacterial cancer, the leaf blades begin to curl up first and then wither. It is possible to understand that this is a bacterial cancer by the reddish-brown spots located on young growths. Usually, the leaves in the lower part of tomato plants curl and wither first, then the disease spreads higher and eventually affects the entire plant.

As a preventive measure, given the most rapid development of bacterial cancer in conditions of excessive soil and air moisture and the presence of various injuries on plants, it is necessary to water the tomatoes with moderate portions of water, avoiding waterlogging of the soil and when working with plants (weeding, loosening the soil) to prevent damage at the bottom of the trunk of tomato plants.

It is difficult to fight tomato bacterial cancer, however, in the initial stages of the development of the disease, plants can be treated with copper sulphate, copper oxychloride, or Bordeaux liquid. When carrying out treatments, try to wet the leaves from the lower and upper sides and also spray the surface of the soil. It is great if you loosen it a little before tilling the soil.

7. Tomato pests

In addition to diseases, tomato plants and pests often cause twisting of leaf blades. Most often, it is sucking pests that suck juice from leaf tissues. Pests such as whiteflies, aphids and spider mites commonly cause twisting of tomato leaf blades.

whitefly

This is a white butterfly that settles mainly on the lower leaves of tomato plants. As a result, it is they who begin to curl, and then fade. Most of the whiteflies are in the greenhouse, if the lower leaves of the tomatoes suddenly begin to curl up there, then watch the plants, shake them, maybe you will scare away the butterfly and it will appear.

If you see at least one whitefly, then be sure that it is in her. You can fight the whitefly with the help of any permitted insecticides such as Fufanon or Mospilan. If you do not want to use harmful chemicals, then you can treat tomato plants affected by the whitefly with yarrow infusion (150 g per 5 liters of water) with the addition of half a bar of laundry soap to the solution. Try to carry out processing in the morning and evening hours, be sure to pay attention first of all to the lowest leaves of the tomato.

As a preventive measure, you can treat tomatoes with infusion of garlic (2-3 heads per 5 liters of water) or dandelions (500 g per 3 liters of water).

It is important to remember that the use of insecticides is possible no later than 20 days before harvest. It is desirable to carry out any processing in cloudy weather, but only when there is no rain.

Aphid

Aphids occasionally, but still affect tomato plants, especially often it appears on open ground plants, but it can also appear in a greenhouse. Most often, aphids lead to twisting of tomato leaf blades located on the top of the plant. It is easy to understand that this is an aphid: you need to turn over a tomato leaf and you will see insects there. Ants often scurry between them, they are carriers of aphids and feed on its sweet secretions. Given this, the fight against aphids must begin with the destruction of ants, because this is a more difficult task. You can remove aphids using insecticides, which are necessarily permitted and strictly follow the instructions, for example, such as Aktara, Iskra, Proteus.

It is possible, however, to exterminate aphids without using chemistry, especially if there are not many aphids. The plant can be treated with an infusion of wormwood (500 g per 3 liters of water) or celandine (250 g per 3 liters of water). For a greater effect, as an adhesive in the infusions of celandine and wormwood, you need to add 70-80 g of laundry soap.

In order to prevent aphids from settling on tomato plants, you can periodically, about once a week, treat them with an ash solution, for which you need to dissolve 300 g of ash in a bucket of water and treat the tomato plants with this solution. For maximum effect, the solution should be allowed to brew for 48 hours so that the solution is saturated with ash components.

spider mite

This pest also causes the leaf blades of the tomato to curl as it sucks the juice out of them. The most common spider mite is found on tomatoes in the greenhouse; it also appears in open ground, but less frequently.

You can understand that this is a spider mite by twisted and beginning to dry leaf blades, in which you can see a cobweb from the underside.

To combat ticks, including spider mites on tomatoes, acaricides are used, permitted and modern: such as Borneo, Flumite or Oberon.

It is important to know that you can use acaricides no later than 20 days before the start of harvesting.

If it is necessary to expel spider mites from tomatoes without the help of chemistry, then the plants can be treated with dandelion infusion (500 g per 3 liters of water), onion feathers (500 g per 3 liters of water) or garlic cloves (10-15 cloves per 3 liters of water).

8. Varietal feature

Some varieties of tomato curl leaves not because of some disease, pest or lack of an element in the soil, but because this is their biological feature. The leaves of the varieties are curled to the greatest extent: "Fatima", "Honey Drop", as well as in the vast majority of cherry tomato cultivars.

Conclusion. When twisted leaves appear on tomato plants, you should not immediately grab onto chemicals or fertilizers, first evaluate the conditions in which your plants are located. It often happens that they simply do not have enough moisture or, on the contrary, there is too much of it. Water if the soil is very dry, or stop it if there is excess moisture; carry out pinching, and only if nothing helps, try to fertilize or control pests or diseases according to the schemes that we described.

If you have any questions, we will be happy to answer them in the comments.