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Curled new growth on tomato plant

At the beginning of July my neighbours kindly gave me 5 tomato plants 'Golden Sunrise'.  I potted them up in 9" pots with compost from a grow bag and put them in the greenhouse.  The new leaf growth is tightly curled.  I have done some research and think I may have caused this to happen, as I fed the plants with tomorite before they needed it.  I also think I have also over watered them, indicated by the lower leaves curling inwards slightly.  Please could I ask for some guidance on growing tomatoes in a greenhouse before I kill them by ignorance and kindness.  When do I feed them & how often?  Thanks in advance.

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Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Yes, looks like classic excess feeding.  Tomatoes shouldn't be fed until after the first flowers have appeared and set fruit (tiny green tomatoes appear when the yellow flower petal drops off.)  Once that happens, feed them once a fortnight as directed on the tomorite bottle.  Only water them when the top inch of compost goes dry.  Stick to those simple rules and you'll have no trouble growing toms. image

    As there appears to be a tomato on that truss, you'll probably be fine now - just don't over water or over feed. image

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • LorrainePLorraineP Posts: 218

    Thanks Bobthegardener. image

  • Well that looks to be a very healthy tomato plant to me...the bottom truss seems to have set fruit, so feed weekly with a high potash feed such as Tomorite from now on.

    The bending down of the upper leaves are nothing to worry about, on contrary, it's the sign of a healthy plant.

    The only leaf curling of tomato leaves you should be concerned about, is when hey roll up into a cigar shape.

  • LorrainePLorraineP Posts: 218

    Thanks David,  What would cause the leaves to roll up into a cigar shape?

     

  • LorraineP wrote (see)

    Thanks David,  What would cause the leaves to roll up into a cigar shape?

     

    Trust me, Lorraine...your plant is quite healthy and you no need to worry about the leaf curl I mentioned. But as you ask, leaf curl can be caused by any of several different viruses and will curtail the life of the plants. 

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,139

    image  Tomato leaves rolling upwards like cigars can also be caused by envronmental stresses - especially hot weather  http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/hot_topics/2008/05tomato_leaf_roll.html 

    Some of mine have done this a bit during the recent hot daytime temperatures, but they unroll the leaves in the cooler evening air.  Rolling the leaves up helps reduce transpiration and loss of moisture from the leaves.  

    I'm growing an assortment of varieties of tomatoes this year, some heirloom and some more modern types.  The leaf-rolling seems to be affecting the more modern types - I shall take closer note.  It's also only affecting tomatoes standing on the terrace, where the temperatures are higher, and not the ones in other parts of the garden - although in other respects their conditions are the same. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BoaterBoater Posts: 241

    Hmm, mine roll their upper leaves a bit during the day (I thought down) and tend to open up overnight so I took this to mean they were getting too hot in the day time - I'll need to check now and see if they are up or down today!

    Mind you since I finally rigged a fan to ensure better ventilation (conservatory windows are a bit small) it has been cold an windy and the temperature has remained sensible!

    Old car battery, 4w solar trickle charger and 14cm PC fan seem to work well together - even in the dull weather over the last week the battery seems to gain charge during the day with the fan running (it was a little low when I dragged it out of storage) so I could add more fans if I need to.

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    Nice one Boater.  I use a solar panel and old PC fans to do the same to my greenhouse, conservatory, shed and now polytunnel.  Works great and the fans spin faster the sunnier it is. image  Since doing this, my crops have never been healthier. image

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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