Curving leaves! ( photo / image / picture from KK Ng's Garden ) Why!!! ( photo / image / picture from KK Ng's Garden ) They were doing great until ...... yikes!!! I have no idea what is happening or what it is or why! I look and look and look and can't see any pesky critters on it. Help!!! I've no idea what to do next!!!
KK, this is typical for tomatoes. I dont know why, but some plants do this. I have some that look like it too. BUT do I see a spot on the leaf on the second picture? that could be the beginning of a fungal infection and I would suggest to do the baking soda preventative spray (5ml baking soda or sodium bicarbonate to 2 liters of water and a dab of soap) if you don't have any other fungicides available to use. It does work and it is cheap and you should spray them weekly or after every rain if that is possible.
Thanks Carolyn, you made feel much better. The spot was where I killed some kind of bug by pinching on the leave. Anyway I'll take a closer look at it again. Your formula for fungal infection is perfect for me because I am doing organic farming, no commercial chemicals. Thanks again.
KK, Glad that the spot seems to be the bug squash spot, otherwise your tomato looks very healthy, then.
Mine do that every year. It does not affect the tomatoes or the number you will make. I did add some epsom salts to stop blossom end rot this year and it seems to have helped the curl too so you can scratch a teaspoon or two of epsom salts into the soil and water it in or mix it with water and use it as a foliar spray. Might help!
Epsom salt....I wonder whether it is available here. Ok I'll check it out when I go to the supermart next. Thanks.
KK, It is also known as Magnesium Sulfate. I find it the cheapest in the foot care dept of the store. It comes in a box for soaking your feet :-D when they are tired. I saw it in the plant deptment of Walmart the other day in a different package for 4x the $$ the box in the foot care section of the store costs .
Thanks Carolyn, will be going to the supermart on Thursday and will bear that in mind, foot care section
I have noticed that if some of my plants have to much water the leaves will curl. This may be specific to certain plant types but I am not sure. I noticed you have what looks like a lot of mulch. This can hold a bunch of moisture. You probably already knew that. :-D Dig around the base of the plant under the mulch and see how much moisture is in the soil. You may need to lessen the watering schedule. I believe the plants curl the leaves to expose the veins on the underside to the sun to allow for faster moisture release. I am not sure how valid that is but understanding a bit of the biology of plants that sort of makes sense. If you try it, let me know if it works. Brad
Thanks Brad and welcome. My area is notorious for weeds and that bed was infected with nutgrass. I find that having thick mulch about an inch really helps with the highly contagious weed problem. I had dug around the plants to feed them and the soil moisture feels just right. It is not too much to make the soil stick together or too little to make it powdery. I only water them on alternate days. Mart suggestion of using epsom salt sound interesting because it could be something to do with the soil condition. I am still trying to get the epsom salt.
Check with your drug store or pharmacist. Its commonly used for soaking feet as Carolyn says or any sore muscles.
Thanks Mart but I do not want to get it from the Pharmacy because when things get into the pharmacies, the prices also becomes medicine prices so it is very expensive.
Went to a couple of supermarts no epsom salt, got desperate went to a couple of pahrmacy, aiyoh!!! also no epsom salt .... looks like I just have to keep my fingers crossed that the tomatoes will grow to maturity.
They will be fine KK,, this leaf curl does not affect the tomatoes nor the amount of harvest. I just added the epsom salts this year and last year all my leaves looked like that but still produced bushels of tomatoes.
