I need some expert help. What is the cause for my tomato leaves to curl up? It seems to be only a couple and it;s not to bad,but I noticed it the other day and Im concerned. The leaves are not discolored just shrivelled up. ed
Mine are doing the same thing. But this has not affected the best crop of tomatoes I have had in years. Look at my pics as soon as I get them posted. I attribute the curling to the unseasonable heat and no rain to speak of as well as inconsistant watering. All the tap water in the world is not as good as rain. But check closely for mites on the back of the leaves. They can cause leaves to curl too.
mine are the same, and they was last year too. i kind of figured it was normal. it hasn't affected my crop in anyway though :-D
I have one variety that is really curly, I don't see anything wrong with it, and I don't have a clue with mine either. Sorry to not be of more help this time, ed.
thanks Thank you to all that answered my plea. I don't see anything crawling on the plants and I water them every day. The container is to heavy to move off balcony so I have to use tap water Later ed
So yours are in pots? Cut your watering back to every other day. Too much water is as bad as not enough. It will be better for your plants to allow the roots to dry a bit. That will prevent root rot. Tomatoes do not like lots of water but rather just moist.
Hello Ed-- Tomato leaf curling can be caused by a number of things--some of those opposed to each other. (1)Downward curling of the leaves can be caused buy the presence of sucking insects on the undersides of the leaves, insects such as aphids. (2) I have personally noticed a downward curling of the leaves following a particularly aggressive pruning session. (3)Uneven watering, high temperatures, and dry spells are common causes. The leaves will not take-on a thick and coarse texture as in the conditions mentioned here below. however... (4)It can also be occur during extremely cool and moist periods (for the plants, not necessarily for humans). It is theorized that they present this upward turning of the leaves in order to get rid of the extra moisture. --perhaps a form of self preservation, if you will. Another aspect in this situation is that the leaves can become thick and sort of leather-like. These two cause-and-effect situations are physiologic; however there is a final possibility: Tomato Plant Leaf Curl Virus. If it can be determined that the plant(s) indeed suffer with this infection, then the plants must be lifted and carefully and completely destroyed to avoid the spread of this illness. The good news is that for causes 3 and 4; while they may look alarming, the presence of the causative physiologic conditions are transient and the leaf dynamics will not effect plant growth, development nor the yield of the plants. Also (at least in my experience) Tomato Plant Leaf Curl Virus occurs much less frequently that the physiological changes discussed above. (5)Leaf Curl Virus. So then...the Leaf Curl Virus is obviously much more serious...so how can one recognize that their plants have this virus, short of resorting to scrutiny in a laboratory? Well, there are signs and symptoms. These are: --Yellowing and upward-curling leaves. --decreased flower development and sometimes no flower development at all. --Developed flowers drop off the plant. --Due to this poor (or absent ) development of flowers, the fruit yield will thus be noticeably decreased. --The growth of the entire plant itself will be retarded. How does a plant get the virus? --Basically either through aphid or white fly penetrations, or from another infected plant. For these two reasons is it of paramount importance to remove the infected plant(s) in an attempt to save the remainder one's plants....and to avoid being indirectly responsible for being the cause of disease spread to your neighbours. *** One final thing: I get some plants with this curling phenomenon every year and they just grow out of it as the weather conditions change.
I worried myself to death when my toms started curling up last season, good news though, it turned out there was nothing to worry about. Sometimes the temperature and environmental factors can cause the leaves to roll.
