Causes of leaf wilting in tomato seedlings

Sometimes the leaves of a tomato wither for natural reasons, but in most cases this is the result of improper care of the plant. The reasons for the wilting and methods of solving the problem will be discussed in the article.

Causes of leaf wilting in tomato seedlings

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Why do tomatoes wither leaves? The reason for this is an improperly organized diet, which causes both a deficiency and an overabundance of one or another element.

First of all, you need to determine which leaves were affected by the problem.

1. If the old leaves turn yellow on the tomatoes, they lack nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, zinc or molybdenum.
2. If the top shoots of the tomatoes wilt and turn yellow, then they do not get enough calcium, chlorine, boron , sulfur, manganese or iron.

Leaf wilting due to lack of or another nutrient is easily treated. To do this, regulate the application of necessary fertilizers.

Nitrogen

The lack of nitrogen in sufficient quantities leads to the fact that the tomatoes do not grow, remain small with sparse foliage. The veins on the leaves become crimson, then gradually the entire sheet turns yellow and fades. To correct the situation, tomato beds are poured with a urea solution prepared at the rate of 30 g of fertilizer per 10 liters of water.

Phosphorus

The lack of phosphorus is manifested by the violet color of the foliage of the plant, hard and brittle stalks. Ignoring such signals leads to the death of the roots. To prevent this from happening, 1 tsp is poured under each plant. superphosphate for proper growth.

Potassium

If young leaves twisted into tubules appeared on the tops of tomato beds and the old ones turned yellow and dried, plantings are fed with potash fertilizers. A sufficient amount of potassium helps sprouts to resist various diseases. The use of a solution of 40 g of potassium sulfate per 10 l of water restores the balance of the trace element in tomato beds.

Magnesium

At the growing stage, tomato sprouts really need magnesium. Its lack is manifested by yellowing of foliage between the veins. After that, the whole sprout withers. Magnesium deficiency is made up by spraying the beds with a solution of magnesium sulfate at the rate of 5 g per 10 l of water.

Zinc

Small yellow blotches on the young leaves of the vegetable culture indicate a lack of zinc in the tomatoes. To replenish this element, gardeners dilute 5 g of zinc sulfate in 10 l of water. Plants are sprayed with the prepared solution.

Molybdenum

Light green leaves with yellow spots and bent up edges indicate insufficient molybdenum. This element is responsible for the chlorophyll production process. It is better to take care of eliminating the problem in the fall. The soil in future beds is lime, and fertilizers containing phosphorus are used. If the problem catches up with the tomatoes after transplanting to a permanent place, foliar fertilizing with a solution of ammonium molybdate prepared at the rate of 10 g of fertilizer for every 10 liters of water should be carried out.

Calcium

Yellowed tops may indicate a lack of calcium

Yellowed and faded tops leaves on tomato beds indicate damage to the root system or structure of tomatoes in general. This leads to a lack of calcium. 5 g of calcium nitrate diluted in a bucket of warm water will help replenish its reserves.

Iron

Lack of iron leads to leaf chlorosis. This phenomenon is rare in tomato cultivation. This happens if the soil on the beds is saturated with lime.To replenish the reserves of this element, the soil is treated with iron sulfate. A solution is prepared from 5 g of the drug for every 10 liters of water.

Chlorine, sulfur and others

A lack of chlorine is manifested by the death of young leaves and shoots. With a lack of sulfur, the leaves become like newsprint. Boron deficiency is manifested by withering tops. With a lack of manganese, the tomato leaves first acquire a bright color, then wither, dry and die.

To restore the balance of these nutrients, tomato plantings are treated with special preparations that contain the listed substances. Solutions are prepared according to the dosage: 5 g of trace elements per bucket of water.

Improper watering

Tomatoes are very demanding on the watering regime. Inadequate watering, as well as an excess of moisture, leads to disastrous results. In the first case, the tomatoes wither and dry; in the second, they begin to rot. Each gardener may encounter a similar problem at any stage of plant development: first, when growing seedlings, and then until planting the crop in a permanent place in a greenhouse or in open ground.

To organize the proper watering of tomatoes, you must follow a number of rules :

1. Do not water the plantings often with small volumes of water. Tomatoes love sparse but plentiful watering. The best option is when planting tomatoes watered 1-2 times a week.
2. Tomatoes should be watered carefully under the root, being careful not to touch the bottom sheets. This prevents bacteria and fungi from developing on the green part of the culture.
3. Tomatoes require different amounts of moisture during different periods of development. During the period of active growth, young sprouts need significantly more water than during the formation of the ovaries and ripening of the fruits.

When growing tomatoes in a greenhouse, care must be taken to maintain the humidity level in the room. If the air in the film shelter is too dry, it is enough to place water containers between the tomato beds. It can be any container with a wide neck. When there is too much humidity in the greenhouse, it is recommended that the room be ventilated.

Temperature differences

Temperature differences negatively affect the seedlings

Tomatoes are a very heat-loving crop, so withering and yellowing of the leaves of the plant can be associated with temperature changes.

In order to create comfortable conditions for tomato sprouts in the daytime, it is recommended to maintain the temperature in the range from 22 to 30 ° С. At night, the thermometer should not fall below 12 ° C. The difference between day and night indicators of a thermometer cannot exceed 5 ° С.

To avoid problems, it is better to grow a crop in a greenhouse: it is much easier to adjust the air temperature under the film.

Curled and fading foliage can be the result of intense heat. To reduce the impact on the high temperature culture growing in the open ground, gardeners recommend building awnings.

In the fight against heat in the greenhouse, ventilation of the room helps, otherwise condensation will accumulate under the film cover, which can harm tomato beds in large quantities.

Diseases

Withering of the crown can be caused by bacteria and pathogenic fungi. Bacterial diseases are very easy to identify. They are issued by small brown spots with light edges. Foliage with such signs gradually withers and dries. To prevent the sprouts from wilting, it is necessary to use special preparations containing copper.

Fusarium is the most common fungal disease of tomatoes Signs that the sprouts are affected are:

• upper shoots withering for no apparent reason;
• foliage that changed color from the usual green to yellow;
• curled and falling leaves.

Prevention

To avoid such a disease on tomato beds, it is necessary to carry out the prevention:

• before planting, the soil is disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate;
• the tools used for excavation are kept clean;
• the seeds are treated before planting.

If the beds nevertheless show signs of Fusarium wilt, it is necessary to treat the vegetable crops with special preparations, including Fitosporin, Trichodermin.

Conclusion

When fading leaves appear on tomato beds, an urgent need to respond to this. Most likely, mistakes were made in the care of plants. Usually these problems are easy to get rid of: just adjust the irrigation, humidity level, temperature, frequency and content of fertilizing.